Volunteering is undergoing its greatest spike in six years, up 1.6 million new Americans over last year, according to the Corporation for National & Community Service’s report released today, June 15.

The annual Volunteering in America report found that more than 63.4 million Americans volunteered for more than 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service, saving the United States an estimated $169 billion.

The report comes at a fitting time for Campus Kitchens, as this past year, The Campus Kitchen Projects volunteer force grew more than ever with the addition of six new kitchens at the start of the Spring 2010 semester. The report assessed Americans aged 16 and older.

Some other notable findings in the Volunteering in America Report:

  • Minneapolis-St. Paul, where the Campus Kitchen at Augsburg College is located, ranked number one among large cities in rate of citizens volunteering.
  • Women again volunteered at a higher rate than men.
  • Working mothers have the highest volunteer rate among women.
  • Factors that lower volunteer rates: multi-unit housing, poverty rates, longer commuting times.

And for those looking to volunteer beyond the Campus Kitchen, or looking for a Campus Kitchen in the area, don’t forget the Corporation launched a web site, Serve.gov, last summer, linking volunteers to opportunities in their zip codes.

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