By Katie Soenke, Special to The Gazette

At Crossfire Ministries, the heartbeat of the nonprofit organization is not a building, a program or even a leader. It is the volunteers.

Last year alone, volunteers gave more than 112,000 hours of service, providing families across Colorado Springs with groceries, hygiene items, education classes, on-site prayer support, and help finding other community resources.

For Amy Dunbar, Crossfire’s volunteer coordinator, those volunteer hours overflow to the Springs community with an impact that exceeds the time spent.

“When you have an operation where almost everything is run by volunteers, the care and keeping of volunteers is imperative. How we stay focused and kind to others is by loving everyone. We keep politics and gossip out of our day-to-day work and don’t discriminate against any walk of life — we love everyone and have held to that philosophy for the past 34 years!” Dunbar said.

Dunbar has been part of Crossfire for 14 years. She first arrived after being encouraged by one of the nonprofit’s founders, Leslie Miller, to lend a hand processing donated goods. At the time, she volunteered one day a week.

Eight years ago, Dunbar stepped into her current role overseeing volunteers. She is the only volunteer coordinator Crossfire has ever had, and she does her job out of a “love for people”.

Her approach to volunteer recruitment is refreshingly compassionate — and empathetic.

“Our only qualification is this,” she said. “Can you be kind to other human beings?”

That philosophy helps shape the culture of the busy nonprofit, which John and Leslie Miller founded. The organization has grown over the decades, moving through several locations before settling in its current facility four years ago.

Today, Crossfire serves thousands of families throughout the region.

“We have almost 18,000 families in our database,” Dunbar said.

Inside the building, volunteers work in many areas: stocking pantry items, stocking hygiene items and/or distributing custom hygiene kits, registering people, greeting people, checking in individuals and/or families for their “shopping” experience, and handing out special, high-quality perishable food items. Some volunteers pray for people. The volunteers, much like the people receiving services, represent a wide variety of the Springs community.

Some volunteers are translators who help bridge language, cultural and custom gaps and barriers.

Frida Darab, who is originally from Iran, has volunteered at Crossfire for three years. She speaks Farsi and helps families navigate the hygiene area.

“I love everybody here,” Darab said with a smile. “I’m so happy I can help people.”

Maria Estevez O’Connell also volunteers as a translator, assisting Spanish-speaking families.

For her, the motivation to volunteer at Crossfire is clear.

“This place gives me purpose,” she said. “You see people smiling, hugging you. It’s amazing and makes me want to get out of bed in the morning!”

Other volunteers serve in Crossfire’s growing education programs. Chris Rosenblad, a breast cancer survivor, helps teach classes designed to help families build life skills.

“I’m thankful for every day,” Rosenblad said. “This is my bonus life.”

The classes cover a range of practical topics, including budgeting, credit repair, avoiding eviction and cooking nutritious meals on a tight budget. Indoor gardening workshops teach participants how to grow vegetables in an apartment window.

The goal, Dunbar said, is to equip families with tools that make everyday life a little easier.

Partnerships help make the programs possible. Churches, community groups and local organizations regularly collaborate with Crossfire to teach classes or provide resources. Among those partners are groups such as Pikes Peak United Way and the Children’s Literacy Center, which offers tutoring programs onsite several days a week.

Although Crossfire is rooted in Christian values, Dunbar says the mission reaches far beyond any one organization or background.

“We partner with anyone who wants to love the people of Colorado Springs,” she said.

That mission is visible in the small moments throughout the day — a volunteer greeting a family at the door, someone helping carry groceries or a translator making sure a visitor feels understood.

Crossfire also relies heavily on community donations. Grocery stores and restaurants contribute food items, but Crossfire still spends about $25,000 each month to meet demand.

Dunbar ultimately sees the work in straightforward terms:

“Crossfire is a place where human beings act like human beings are supposed to act,” she said.