Valley Commentary : Charitable Feelings Disappear Rest of Year : Agencies are swamped with offers to help during the holiday season, but in these hard times the need for assistance and donations never ends.

As the holiday season ends, I am about to heave a sigh of relief.

Every year, the Volunteer Center of San Fernando Valley, which matches volunteers with nonprofit agencies that can use their help, is almost overwhelmed with phone calls from people seeking “hands on” holiday jobs serving those in need. We are deluged with requests, for example, for opportunities to feed homeless people on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The warmth and generosity displayed is heartwarming in these hard times.

Unfortunately, the volunteering generally exceeds the need that we know about, and by the time most people call, the dinner-time jobs in the Valley are all full.

Agencies that serve the disadvantaged eventually call us and say, “Please don’t send us any more volunteers.” It’s hard to explain to late callers that there is no place to volunteer for Thanksgiving or Christmas. We have begun suggesting that they go to a convalescent home to bring a smile and some cheer to residents alone and without attentive families.

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We thank all of the wonderful people who do offer gifts, food, clothing, personal items--and time--to the many in need in our vast city. But the holiday crunch is a reminder that volunteering--which is of growing importance in these recessionary times--is different from the way many people perceive it, and different from the way it was in the past.

People have needs in January and February, after the holiday calls have ceased. There still is a cold wind outside, and those hunger pains might be back. Or how about calling us in the summer, when homeless and hungry families with children need help?

Meeting our agencies’ needs is a year-round job. In non-holiday periods we often need to recruit volunteers for a wide variety of jobs. And it’s easier to find hospital baby-cuddlers than people to clean animal cages.

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People volunteering have changed over the past 10 to 15 years. Economics, politics, the women’s movement and the search for meaningful participation in our communities have sent women out to work and have brought new working volunteers into service. The percentage of traditional volunteers, non-working women, has decreased.

The new volunteers are executives, secretaries, truck drivers, nurses, scientists, welders and accountants. They are looking for ways to help others and to give back to the community through meaningful participation in community action.

Agencies are having to accommodate the new volunteers, who may require different approaches to:

* Hours. Many volunteers can work only nights and weekends. Some agencies have expanded their hours to accommodate them, and others might well consider it.

* Expectations. The new volunteer wants to make more meaningful contributions than stuffing envelopes and photocopying. Many have valuable skills, from computer operation to bookkeeping. They expect to make worthwhile contributions.

* Training. Even volunteers with strong work skills need to be taught the culture of their agencies. They are much more helpful if they feel like insiders and understand how the organization works.

* Procedures and supervision. Volunteers need to be scheduled, have job descriptions, be told precisely what is expected of them and get regular evaluations, just as employees do. Having a full-time staff person in charge of volunteers is excellent, though few agencies can afford it.

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A number of agencies are moving in the right direction. Take just two examples: Ideas Associates, an arts organization that supports artists with AIDS and HIV, has been highly complimented by volunteers whom we referred there. And the organizers of the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival in the fall did an outstanding job of using an army of volunteers over two weekends.

For people who want to volunteer, I have a couple of suggestions:

First, if you want to work on a holiday, plan it well in advance. Two months is not too much lead time for a Thanksgiving or Christmas Day job. Call our office at (818) 908-5066.

Second, remember that volunteer work can be just as rewarding in July as in December. How about a New Year’s resolution to volunteer a few hours each month?