Some organizations proudly proclaim that their volunteers provided "$xxx" of service over a given time period. They count the number of volunteer hours provided, multiply by a given hourly rate, and publish the results. There's even a web site that estimates the dollar value of volunteerism by state, as if someone's time in Pennsylvania is worth more or less than an individual's time in New Jersey.
At Manna on Main Street we believe that assigning a dollar value to an individual's time implies that it can be bought, purchased, had for a price. The practice of monetizing a gift trivializes not only the service, but the intention behind the service. It's like when a young child you care deeply about scrawls in crayon, and presents to you a picture colored outside the lines. You take that picture with great joy and hang it on the refrigerator for everyone to see. You never take that picture down or throw it away. And probably the last thing on your mind is to attempt to calculate the dollar value of an act of love.
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