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Food

Most RSVP Volunteers are engaged in opportunities that involve tackling food insecurity. According to a recent study conducted by the North Texas food bank, 16.8% of Denton County residents are food insecure, equating to 115,450 total individuals. To this end, 120 volunteers currently serve with Food Banks, Soup Kitchens, Food Pantries, or with Meals on Wheels. Volunteers handle a range of tasks from helping with intake, picking up food from local grocery stores and food banks to preparing meals and serving them to individuals and families in need.

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Veterans

RSVP has close to 40 Veterans serving across Denton County. They can be found supporting many nonprofits such as the Military Veterans Peer Network (MVPN) and Chris Kyle Veteran Center. One Veteran has refurbished and donated more than 1500 computers to Veterans and families in need. They can also be found serving in soup kitchens, hospitals, and disaster relief.

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Health

RSVP volunteers can be found helping out at all county hospitals, cancer resource centers and many health related initiatives. In addition, VOLUNTEERING IS HEALTHY! According to AARP, research indicates that isolation and loneliness may cause dramatic decreases in physical health, mental well-being and overall quality of life, with one study showing that the health risks of prolonged isolation are equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. RSVP decreases isolation and provides a venue for social connectedness and needed resources by engaging seniors as volunteers. RSVP volunteers have reported that having something to look forward to each week allows them to direct more of their focus towards others.

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Opiods

On any given day in the United States, there are more than 650,000 opioid prescriptions dispensed, 3,900 people initiate the non-medical use of prescription opioids, 580 people begin heroin use, and 78 people die from an opioid-related overdose. How is RSVP helping? RSVP assists with take-back days and distribution of medical disposal bags.

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Education

Narrative of Volunteers serving in Rockin’ Readers and Mentors, also provide support to non-profit preschools. plus participate in book drives and assist teachers with other kinds of classroom assignments.

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Capacity Building

RSVP volunteers are placed at 110 nonprofits throughout Denton County. Utilizing RSVP volunteers to support the missions of these nonprofits assists staff with serving more clients in need. It also provides a great savings to their budgets. Last year RSVP volunteers contributed 59,113 volunteer hours which translates to a cost savings of $1.5 million for Denton County. (Independent Sector value of $27.20. Volunteers can often provide better service to clients because they serve purely out of passion for the agency's mission. Older adults often bring a wealth of expertise and experience at no cost to the organization.