As the U.S. Census and AmeriCorps report dropping volunteer numbers nationwide, one man says his heart has been planted in the East Birmingham neighborhood of Kingston.

Former U.S. Marine Cassidy Bonner has volunteered in the Birmingham area for over a decade with the city’s warming stations, United Way, and the Salvation Army where he drives a van of men to free barber services twice a month.

In 2017, Bonner was the first to win Volunteer of the Year at the United Way Hands on Ignite Awards for people who serve their communities.

But it wasn’t until the pandemic that Bonner’s life truly changed for good.

“When Covid hit, Meals on Wheels lost many of their volunteers,” wrote Bonner in an email to the Lede.