WATERLOO -- Margaret "Mugs" Barnes wasn't sure where the Northeast Iowa Food Bank's pantry was even located five years ago when she stopped in to pick up her daughter from a junior high service project.

Now she's a regular, volunteering frequently to stock shelves, fill orders and even answer the phones at the nonprofit organization.

"I've been pretty blessed and I don't have to work outside the home," said Barnes, who also spent Thursday cleaning out a flood-damaged home with other Samaritan's Purse volunteers. "Helping other people out does a body good. My gift is sweat."

Apparently more than 37 percent of the residents in the Cedar Valley share Barnes' service commitment, according to a new Volunteering in America report released last week by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

That volunteer rate helped the Waterloo-Cedar Falls statistical area rank 14th out of 75 mid-sized cities included in the nationwide study. Roughly 54,000 volunteers in Waterloo contributed 5.7 million hours each year, making for an estimated annual economic contribution of $112 million.

The report used data from 2005 through 2007 and did not include massive volunteer efforts following the 2008 Iowa tornadoes and flooding.

"It doesn't surprise me at all," Waterloo Mayor Tim Hurley said of the findings. "We have a culture of it in Waterloo, we have a history of it. At the end of the day, we care about our community and we care about each other."

Northeast Iowa Food Bank Executive Director Barbara Prather said her organization alone benefited from 29,000 volunteer hours last year.

"Volunteers are our lifeblood," she said.

The Volunteering in America report also had good things to say about the commitment of volunteers in Waterloo and Cedar Falls. The area ranked fifth among all cities -- and tops in Iowa -- in volunteer retention rates, with more than 81 percent of volunteers returning to give of their time the following year.

"It's amazing how high of a volunteer rate we can have in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area," said Lauren Pelleymounter, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley. "There is definitely support for our community organizations, and we have a lot of people who believe strongly in those organizations."

The top volunteer activities in Waterloo-Cedar Falls include fundraising, followed by collecting and distributing food, general labor and professional management. About 34 percent of the volunteers did their work through religious organizations, while 22 percent worked with educational institutions and about 17 percent volunteered with service groups.

The Volunteering in America report found a number of factors appeared to improve the volunteer spirit in a community.

A strong attachment to the community increases volunteer rates, and there is a strong correlation between home ownership rates and volunteerism. In 2006, 68 percent of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area residents lived in owner-occupied households, ahead of the 66 percent national average.

Education is another important influence on volunteer rates, with research showing that as education levels rise, the likelihood of volunteering increases.

Across the country, 80.4 percent of residents have a high school diploma and 24.4 percent have a college degree. In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, 86.6 percent graduated from high school and 22.3 percent have college degrees.

Among the five Iowa communities included in the national study, Iowa City had the highest volunteer rate at 45.1 percent, ranking second overall behind Provo, Utah. Cedar Rapids (40.1 percent), Des Moines (38.8 percent) and Davenport (27.4 percent) were the other Iowa cities included in the rankings. The national average volunteer rate is 27.6 percent.

More information can be found at www.volunteeringinamerica.gov.

Contact Tim Jamison at (319) 291-1577 or tim.jamison@wcfcourier.com.