By Rick Dandes
As a longtime Valley sportswriter and former Daily Item employee, Harold Raker has always put his volunteer work with the Salvation Army as a top priority in his life.
One way or another Raker has been volunteering his time and energy to the Salvation Army for 20 years, he said on Friday.
“I started out when I was at the Daily Item,” he explained, “which was a sponsor of the Needy Family Fund at that time (now the Here. For Good. campaign), they asked employees to volunteer and go in and help give the food away and some toys.
“So I started doing it then and kept on doing it ever since,” Raker said.
Asked why he continues to volunteer his time, Raker said, “I just like helping out. It’s really nothing much more than that. It started out where I was helping other employees at The Daily Item and then I kept on doing it on my own.”
When he was still working at The Daily Item he would take vacation when the Needy Family Fund was on so he could help.
“I work packing food and pretty much whatever needs to be done,” Raker said.
Because of the virus, Raker said, “it’s been a lot busier year. A lot more people in need. It’s more than just the fund now. We were giving food out back in March and April. Things leveled off in the summer, but right now, it’s like a full-time job.
