ORLANDO, Fla. — As volunteer numbers decline across the country, some Central Florida nonprofits say they are already feeling the effects, and it could impact how many people they are able to help.

What You Need To Know

SALT Outreach officials say the organization saw volunteer hours drop from 4,000 in 2023 to 600 in 2025

Leaders say fewer volunteers is putting more pressure on staff

The organization still helped 391 people transition into housing last year

Nonprofits say even small volunteer commitments can make a big impact

At SALT Outreach, volunteers play a key role in daily operations. The organization runs mobile outreach centers that provide services like showers and laundry, while also helping people find employment and housing.

But leaders say that support has dropped significantly.

In 2023, SALT Outreach had about 4,000 volunteer hours, but officials say that number fell to around 3,000 in 2024, and dropped even further to just 600 hours in 2025.

“It’s having a huge impact on our operation,” said SALT Outreach founder Eric Camarillo.

Camarillo, who started the organization after experiencing homelessness himself in 2008, said fewer volunteers means staff are taking on more responsibilities, and it can slow down how many people they are able to serve.

“It’s going to affect the number of services and resources we’re able to deliver,” he said. “It’s going to affect the number of people we can get employed, the number of people that we can get into housing.”

Even with fewer volunteers, the organization says it still helped 391 people transition from the streets into housing last year, a number leaders hope to increase.

For volunteers like Monique Waldrop, showing up is about making a difference, even in small ways.

“If we can make a difference in one person’s life, that’s what’s going to be important to us,” Waldrop said.

She was one of 46 volunteers spending the day helping SALT Outreach through a corporate volunteer effort with 4 Rivers Smokehouse, something leaders say is becoming more important as overall volunteer numbers decline.

At the same time, other organizations say volunteers remain essential to keeping their work going.

At the Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools, leaders say they rely on volunteer groups to help sort supplies and prepare materials for students and teachers.

“There’s so much work to be done here, and as a nonprofit, we just don’t have enough staff,” said Jean Van Smith.

At SALT Outreach, leaders say they have not had to cut services yet, but they have come close.

They say if the decline continues, that could change. For now, they are encouraging people to get involved, even if it is just once a month.