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Salvation Army Volunteer honored for over 3,200 hours, named Volunteer of the Year

For more than two years James Knight has volunteered over 3,200 hours to the community through his work at the Williamsport Corps of the Salvation Army. Knight, who retired in 2021 as a staff sergeant in the US Army, serving overseas for 40 years, has been honored as the Volunteer of the Year for the Salvation Army's Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware Division. The announcement was made at the Corps' annual volunteer recognition luncheon by Stan Retif, Director Of Advancement for the Salvation Army of Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware.

In conjunction with National Volunteer Week in April, the Division invited their corps to nominate a volunteer who has gone above and beyond their "duties," according to Laura Templeton, who is in charge of Public Relations & Resource Development, for the Williamsport Corps.

In recommending Knight for this award, it was noted that he is at the local office from "9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. almost every weekday year-round, helping with custodial work, property maintenance, our food pantry operations, packing emergency food boxes, answering phones and greeting the public in person, picking up rescued food weekly, shuttling kettle workers and kettles to and fro, serving as a kettle bellringer himself, and much more."

"Whether it's getting on his hands and knees to deep clean our kitchen before inspection or climbing an extension ladder to replace light bulbs in the chapel (and he does not like heights!), there's virtually nothing Mr. Knight won't do for his "Salvation Army family," as he likes to call the Williamsport Corps officers, staff, and fellow volunteers," according to information from the local Salvation Army.

The statement said that "above all, Mr. Knight likes to bring joy and happiness to people--young, old, and all ages in between."

"Not sure if it's because of his special international military clearances or what, but he's gotten the Easter Bunny to pay visits to our Golden Agers and youth programs several times over the last few years, and he even melted the Grinch's heart to serve the Williamsport community in the name of The Salvation Army! Last but not least, Mr. Knight must have leveraged his international connections to call in a special favor this past Christmas. Somehow, he convinced old Kris Kringle to leave the North Pole during his busiest of seasons and visit with Williamsport children at least five times as part of The Salvation Army's three-week Festival of Trees," the recommendation stated.