The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program is ramping up for another year of assisting low- to moderate-income individuals and families to prepare their taxes and obtain their earned credits, at no cost to the taxpayer. This program is run through partner agencies in Calhoun, Barry, Branch and St. Joseph Counties each year, with the assistance of numerous volunteers.

Have you made a New Year’s resolution to volunteer in your community? Volunteers are essential to make this program a success. There are a wide variety of ways in which people can volunteer their time toward this worthy cause, including preparing taxes, but also answering phones, assisting with filing and clerical work, greeting clients and providing translation services. All volunteers who want to prepare taxes are provided free training, approved by the IRS, and no prior experience is necessary. Without volunteers, this program would not be able to run.

Those interested in volunteering at any VITA site in the four counties covered should contact Eric Burton, VITA Community Coordinator at 269-441-1378 or email him at ericb@caascm.org . VITA sites will be located in Hastings, Coldwater, Athens, Union City, Centreville, Battle Creek, Albion, and Marshall, along with some one-day mobile locations in surrounding towns.

“The more volunteers we have that are able to assist with tax preparation, and the more organizations willing to host VITA sites, the more families we can help in our community,” said Eric Burton, VITA Community Coordinator at Community Action. “We look forward to hearing from you.”

For more information about Community Action and the services described in this article, please call Community Action at 1-877-422-2726 or visit the organization’s Website at www.caascm.org . Specific information on the VITA Program can be obtained by calling VITA Community Coordinator, Eric Burton, at (269) 441-1378, or toll-free at 1-877-422-2726.