All Donations Matched 4X This is a long sentence to confirm there is seemingly a character limit. If I Keep going here, this might get cut off eventually.
As we mark our 80th anniversary this year, it is not only a time to celebrate the work that Heifer International has done to help end hunger and poverty, but the people who have helped make it happen.
Since our founder, Dan West, first conceived of his “not a cup, but a cow” philosophy in the 1940s — encouraging the idea of sending animals abroad to help families in need — volunteers have been an integral part of Heifer.
In the earlier years, volunteers helped raise and transport livestock from the United States for recipient families around the world. The first shipment of heifers, to families in Puerto Rico in 1944, was made possible by volunteers donating their animals and time to the cause.
Mark Nestleroth, a Pennsylvania volunteer, along with his wife Hazel, was a hog farmer who first got involved with Heifer 47 years ago when the local Heifer volunteer committee was looking for farmers of livestock species beyond cattle. In the 70s and 80s he helped organize many hog shipments while also donating and getting paid for breeding animals from his farm.
“I also understood the Heifer mission and definitely could support it,” he said.
Today, animals are no longer shipped from the U.S., but our volunteers are still essential, and they have continued Dan West’s energy: Over the years, Heifer volunteers have helped spread awareness of Heifer International, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and passed on their own gifts, leaving a legacy to continue to help families in need.
Betty Malmgrem, a member of the Napa volunteer group in Napa, California, shared that “time, commitment, cooperation [and] shared values,” help make a great volunteer. In her volunteer role, she does photography and media outreach for special events the group puts on to help increase awareness of Heifer’s work.
Evie Trevethan, the Napa volunteer group leader, has been a Heifer volunteer since 2000 and has led the group to put on many events in the Napa Valley area. During this time, she has enjoyed, “many moments. Working with our local community group, making friends and spreading the word about Heifer locally.”
A highlight, she said, was “organizing a quilt project that sent two of our members to Nepal to meet with Heifer projects there and present them with our handmade quilt.”
Indiana volunteer Barb Oakes also had the opportunity to visit multiple Heifer projects through study tours, site visits that were offered until the early 2000s for volunteers to learn about Heifer’s work and share their experiences with the public when they returned home. In her “prime” volunteering days, Barb was “doing 10 or more Heifer ‘events’ a month. They were table displays at conferences, [or] filling the pulpit on Sundays in rural Methodist churches, big churches that had donated 35 Arks, etc.”
Not only was she speaking about Heifer during this time, but she was also helping raise money. “I was a big ‘marketer’ for the Water Buffalo [gift from Heifer’s Gift Catalog] … I challenged many groups to raise money for them with the promise of matching their gift. One church I thought might raise enough for two or three ended up getting eight! That was my most expensive challenge!”
John Brewer, a Sacramento area volunteer, said one of his most memorable moments has been combining his 70th and 75th birthdays into fundraisers. They “take the cake, so to speak,” he shared. “Friends and colleagues from all walks of my life attended, became acquainted with Heifer through displays, games, activities and testimonials and ultimately made generous donations.”
John’s fundraising actually began while he was deputy superintendent of schools in Sacramento. “It all began with a collaborative effort between Heifer’s then Sacramento office and our school district to involve our student councils in an effort to educate the student body in the effects of poverty,” he explained, “followed by fundraising efforts at all 10 schools. This project was a huge success.”
Mark and Hazel Nestleroth,” the Pennsylvania volunteers who first started organizing hog shipments for Heifer, have also enjoyed bringing together their community for Heifer’s mission.
Our local committee started fundraising banquets,” Mark explained. “Heifer provided speakers and we had banquets organized at various places for over 23 years. These were rewarding times to me because we could spread Heifer’s work and raise funds for the projects.” One year, Beatrice Birra, a former Heifer project participant who was attending college in the U.S., was the speaker. “Her message was so memorable and personable about her family and Heifer,” Mark described. That year, the volunteer committee raised over $40,000 between four banquets with a total of over 1,000 attendees.
A Heifer volunteer favorite value is Passing on the Gift, one of Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development encouraging people to share assets or knowledge with others to create a ripple effect of positive change.
There is no doubt that Heifer volunteers are making an impact by Passing on the Gift of their time and energy to their communities and Heifer projects around the world.
Vinton Smith, a professional in the animal health sector, has been sharing his expertise as a volunteer for Heifer’s programs for years. As a volunteer technical trainer, Vinton works side by side with Heifer-supported farmers, mentoring them about animal health and well-being and best practices to improve the strength of their farms.
Most recently, in July 2024, Vinton reconnected with Heifer staff at the Kenya office to discuss a Farmer-to-Farmer project while providing animal well-being training to farmers at the Magati Dairy Cooperative in Meru, a cooperative Heifer continues to support.
Sacramento area volunteer Suzanne Awalt has also long Passed on the Gift. “I feel that our group of Sacramento Heifer volunteers has made an impact in the numbers of people, schools, churches and friends we have shared our stories with over the years,” she shared. Being able to visit projects and bring back photos and stories of families’ lives changed because of Heifer, … that is special.”
In addition to her volunteer work, Suzanne shared how she will continue to make an impact for years to come. “At my husband’s suggestion, he and I established a Charitable Remainder Trust at Heifer Foundation,” she explained. “At his passing, I established the Awalt Family Endowment. Being able to establish these estate gifts feel very good.”
The dedication and enthusiasm of Heifer volunteers — who have been turning ideas into actions to make the world a more just and sustainable place for the past 80 years — is remarkable.
From giving presentations to schools, to staffing gift markets, offering on-the ground assistance and providing the occasional clarification on how to pronounce Heifer, volunteers have been the heart of Heifer for decades, helping make it into the organization it is today.
To all our hundreds of volunteers over the past 80 years, we are so grateful you have chosen Heifer to give your time and talent to. Thank you for making an impact in your communities and around the world.
Become a force for good by giving your time, talent and passion.
Heifer International was born from that simple idea of empowerment, and for 75 years the organization has worked tirelessly to give families a hand...
