2025 May Volunteer of the Month - Karen Schoenfelder

Karen Schoenfelder’s generosity has helped the homeless community in Yankton. She gives her time, talent and passions one day a week to make sure the homeless receive a warm cooked meal each week at the coffee shop, The Gathering Grounds. She makes sure the location is clean and does the laundry every week. She has a big heart for serving people.

Karen easily puts in 320 hours a year for the facility and the Gathering Grounds. She helps plan events, does laundry, and cleans. She provides a home-cooked meal each Thursday for the coffee shop visitors. It is not unusual for her to feed 30 people during the week.

Karen is an inspiration to many people. Many people who visit the coffee shop are hungry and need a place to come during the day. She saw a need and stepped up to find a solution. She didn't ask for help from anyone. She just started feeding them with what she had. When word got out that she was cooking for a good number of people each week, others started volunteering to help her serve and bring a salad or dessert. She does much of the planning and executing of the meal. Karen is also ready to lend an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on for anyone who walks through the coffee shop doors. She is a very hard worker and puts 100% effort into anything she does. Yankton is truly a better community because of her efforts!

Because of her commitment to serving those that are less fortunate, United Way & Volunteer Services of Greater Yankton was honored to present Karen Schoenfelder with the May 2024 Volunteer of the Month Award.

We asked Karen to share more about her volunteerism, in her own words:

I’m a born and raised Yankton native. I have had the privilege of calling Yankton home for my whole life!

I began volunteering in 1977 when I was very active in the Big Friend-Little Friend program. I am still in contact with my first little friend!

I volunteer most of my effort at Discovery Church. I organize the Gathering Grounds coffee shop. I work each week at Gathering Grounds. I serve a warm meal each Thursday from 11:30am to 12:30pm. I volunteer at the library for book sales. I take people for out-of-town doctor appointments. I’ve enjoyed sharing my garden produce with The Contact Center during the summer.

Approximate hours that I volunteer: I donate between 450-500 hours annually.

Volunteer work is enjoyable because you have the opportunity to encourage so many people through volunteering.

My best volunteer experience was putting on a Christmas dinner and party with gifts for each one in attendance here at Gathering Grounds at Discovery Church.

The advice I would give to those who thinking about getting out there and volunteering in their communities is that volunteering is what God wants us to do with our time and talents. For each person you minister to there is a rebound effect that truly blesses you!

Thank you, Karen, for all you do!

To learn more about local volunteer opportunities or to nominate someone for United Way’s Volunteer of the Month Award, please visit www.yanktonunitedway.org/volunteer, email info@yanktonunitedway.org, or call United Way of Greater Yankton at (605) 665-6766.