Some do it to find their inner self, some do it to make their resume look better and some, like the Waldburgs, do it because it's simply a part of who they are as people.
That's the view of Kwantlen Polytechnic University's psychology instructor Roger Tweed, who's done some research on the humble bid of volunteering.
"There are a few different reasons (for people volunteering)," said Tweed.
"For some people, it's simply a part of who they are and if you ask them, they'll probably struggle to answer.
"For others, it's a way to go out and find out about themselves, to grow into a better person, or to make their resume look better, or to make friends, or to relieve guilt about something." There's also, said Tweed, the paying it forward theory; if you do something good for the community, something good will happen for you in the future.
"And there has been lots of research into how people's health, physically and mentally, has actually been improved when they frequently do things for others," added Tweed.
Psychological motivations for volunteering appear to be hard-wired into human nature,
according to Tweed, who often tests the theory out on his students.
"I often ask them to go out on a weekend and do something new for themselves and go out of their way to do something for someone else," he said.
"When they come back, I ask them what feeling or memory lasts longer and it's usually derived from what they did for someone else." And in terms of some forms of volunteering being truly altruistic - such as the unknown person who leaves out a water bowl for dogs on the Steveston boardwalk - Tweed suggests it's a difficult accolade to achieve. "If people have been doing something for a long time, such as the couple cleaning the park, then it's getting close to being altruistic, as they're not doing it to illicit a response from anyone in particular."
