COMMUNITY'S WORKER BEES: FROM AIDS FOOD BANK TO LITTER CLEANUP, SANTA ROSA COUPLE DO THEIR SHARE -- AND A WHOLE LOT MORE -- OF VOLUNTEERING

Community volunteers John and Kathleen Dennison of Santa Rosa compare

themselves to worker bees; ants even. They claim they just like to do the

grunt work, the crummy stuff that needs to get done. They don't require any

recognition or rewards.

Too bad the non-profits for which they volunteer love nothing better than

to hand them Lucite block awards, silver bowls and yes, even a golden can

opener.

''John and Kathleen are the kind of volunteers that agencies dream of,''

said Linda Schram-Williams, food bank manager for Food for Thought, the AIDS

food bank in Forestville. ''They have this amazing generosity of heart and

spirit.''

Their biggest volunteering commitment in terms of cumulative hours has to

be Food For Thought, where, several days a week, they work on food drives and

sort food. Since 1997, when records were computerized, the Dennisons have

volunteered 5,142 hours. They enjoy representing the non-profit at farmers

markets and parades.

''If you're upset about something going on, then get involved. Do

something,'' said John Dennison, 69. ''That's how we've found our places.''

The couple first learned about Food For Thought at the Sonoma County Fair

more than 20 years ago, when they walked around the AIDS Quilt exhibit.

''I was very moved by that. I was in tears,'' said Kathleen, 71. ''I told

John we have to sign up for a meeting and find out how we can help.''

She now jokes that attending meetings are to blame for so many of their

long-term volunteering activities, including three years with Bennett Valley

Vision, a neighborhood cleanup group, and her husband's post-retirement

volunteer work at the Chanate Historic Cemetery in Santa Rosa, where he is

also a docent.

''We couldn't do it without them. They drive to San Francisco to pick up

frozen dinners, they work at food drives, stock the shelves, work in the food

bank and even participate in the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade,'' said Elisa

Baker of Food for Thought.

The Dennisons have no family connection to AIDS; they are simply moved by

the need to help others.

''That first year at the parade, it was a little weird,'' said John

Dennison. ''We were accepted immediately and they needed committed

volunteers.''

The Dennisons have received the rarely bestowed Golden Can Opener from Food

for Thought as well as recently being honored for 20 years of volunteering.

Indeed, Kathleen Dennison has been volunteer of the year twice at Food for

Thought; once in 1990 and again in 1999. She also received the Senior

Volunteer of the Year award from the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County in

1999.

And yet, they haven't let all the accolades go to their heads. They are

passionate about keeping their neighborhood looking neat as a pin and happily

pull weeds, paint over graffiti and tackle eyesores of all sorts as part of

the Bennett Valley Vision group.

''They do almost daily maintenance of Yulupa Avenue from Exchange Bank

north to Creekside,'' said Mary Traverso, who volunteers with Bennett Valley

Vision. ''They keep everything litter-free, weeded, and install plants and

keep them watered by hand.''

They wear bright orange vests when patrolling their neighborhood and think

it's funny when neighbors wonder if they're a jail work crew. They've been

waved off by some residents and growled at by suspicious dogs.

''One time someone turned the sprinklers on us to get us to leave and I

just thanked them,'' said Kathleen Dennison. ''It was such a hot day. It was

more refreshing than discouraging.''

Learn about Bennett Valley Vision at www.bennettvalleyvision.blogspot.com

and Food For Thought at www.fftfoodbank.org.

You can reach Staff Writer Rayne Wolfe at 521-5240 or

rayne.wolfe@pressdemocrat.com.