VA Volunteer Anna Wender helps with an administrative project for one of the services at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center.

IRON MOUNTAIN — Something is noticeably missing these days at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center — the smiles, passion and the help volunteers bring every day to patients and employees alike.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sent all of the volunteers home to anxiously wait until it’s safe to return.

“I miss being there. I can’t wait to get back,” said Tom Massie, coffee desk volunteer at the medical center. The coffee desk, normally a hub of activity throughout the day, sits empty, waiting for veterans and volunteers alike to return. And while the general purpose of the desk is to provide coffee and refreshments, it’s really the conversations and relationships created that affect veterans and volunteers.

Massie added, “I really like hearing all those war stories … and even adding a few of my own.”

Volunteers and service organizations who coordinate events, assist with outings or regularly visit residents in the Community Living Center can now only call to talk to residents and share stories or words of encouragement over the telephone.

Vietnam veteran and VA volunteer Jane Frances Peters provides free coffee and snacks to a veteran at the coffee desk at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center, before COVID-19.

“I feel lonely without them,” CLC volunteer Carl Kreen said. “I really miss the outings because they are so fun, and I love talking to them one-on-one because you learn so much. I’m really ready to come back now!”

As soon as it’s safe, the VA will be ready to welcome the volunteers back with open arms, Voluntary Service Chief Katie Maxon said. “We miss them terribly, and the impact of what they do for veterans and staff is overwhelmingly apparent during their absences,” she said.

More than 300 volunteers support the veterans and staff at the medical center and in clinics across the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin. They serve in many roles: providing transport to and from medical appointments, greeting and directing patients at the facilities, escorting patients who need special assistance, providing recreation and improving quality of life for residents in the Community Living Center, supporting hospice and companion programs for end-of-life care, taking on special projects or administratively supporting staff, and sharing time and coffee with veterans at the coffee desk.

“Our volunteers are often the first person that our patients and their families see when they come to our medical center and are greeted with a warm smile and any assistance they may need,” said Jim Rice, VA Medical Center director. “We miss them, as do our patients. They bring a vibrancy and passion to our medical center that we miss so dearly.”

In 2019, the VA received $65,000 in monetary donations to augment veterans care and another $187,000 in non-monetary donations to support comfort and improve the quality of life for the veterans. While those numbers are significant, the human component is priceless. VA volunteers contributed 32,975 hours to the VA Medical Center, which is equivalent to 15 1/2 full-time positions.

“We are all feeling the impact of COVID-19. During this stressful time, we have been trying to stay in touch with many of the volunteers, and we are finding out that as much as we miss them, they miss their work, the veterans and our staff,” Maxon said. “It’s a quality I see all the time in voluntary service, but especially within the VA and with veterans — a selflessness that constantly looks to provide for others, to serve others before serving self. It’s truly humbling to experience.”

National Volunteer Week is a time that the VA Medical Center normally spends hosting special events and providing accolades to honor its VA volunteers and express gratitude for all they do to support veterans care. With the current “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order in effect, this year’s celebration will be at a later date.