Age limits exist for good reasons

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, December 2, 2003

Regarding Jim O’Day’s recent letter (“Non-profit groups: They need to let children volunteer,” Nov. 19), he rightly pointed out that his 8-year old son was not allowed to work as a volunteer at the food bank. This is a policy adopted by our board of directors which states that volunteers must be 12 or older. It exists for a very good reason: We simply do not have the people or resources to monitor the activities of young children. And yes, there really are considerations such as “liability” and “maturity,” particularly as these apply to youngsters. Most other agencies have similar policies.

Parents who want to teach their children the value and benefits of volunteering for a non-profit agency should begin by volunteering themselves and thereby set a good example for their children to imitate as they grow older.

We welcome volunteers and we always are in need of people to perform a variety of tasks, depending on their time, talent and ability.

Marysville Food Bank