Ed and Becky Hamblin retired in 1986, but soon got back to work as volunteers, tutoring, working in day-care centers and helping to set up and run a homeless shelter in Peterborough, N.H.

Five years ago they moved to Piper Shores in Scarborough, and now help prepare food once a month at the soup kitchen on Preble Street in Portland.

“It’s a good feeling to get out beyond your little space,” said Becky Hamblin, a retired teacher. “It’s a very concrete thing to do. For some people it might be the only meal they’ll have that day.”

“In a civil society,” said Ed Hamblin, who was an engineer and home health-care administrator, “you have to help out to stay civil.”

Helping out is what the Piper Shores Volunteer Fair is all about. Representatives from 20 local, nonprofit organizations will be on hand to answer questions and sign up new volunteers during the event – open to the public – this Saturday from noon-3 p.m.

“This will give people one location where they can access all these nonprofits,” said Andrea Killiard, marketing director at Piper Shores, a retirement community off Route 77. “All the information will be at everyone’s fingertips.”

The fair also will give people the chance to talk with current volunteers about what might be a good fit, added Killiard.

And for the organizations represented at the fair, it is a good chance to connect with the Piper Shores community, a group of people with more free time and a desire for community service, said Killiard. Retirees, she said, especially the seniors between the World War II generation and baby boomers, are looking to stay active and involved by volunteering.

Retirees in the age group from about 60 to 74, said Killiard, have volunteering high on their list as a way to be active and involved in a community.

Elena Schmidt, Preble Street Resource Center’s director of development and community resources, needs 150 volunteers a week to keep all the programs running. The current generation of seniors and those that are retiring right now, said Schmidt, are a large part of keeping Preble Street functioning.

“They are the generation that came out with a great work ethic and a great community-service ethic,” said Schmidt. “They didn’t retire and go straight to the rocking chair. They really want to do something that matters. They’re still vigorous and connected to their communities.”

Schmidt said senior volunteers are especially important the Teen Center.

“Most of our young people here have been abused, and they’re nervous about strangers,” said Schmidt. A senior who can dedicate the same day every week to the teen center, said Schmidt, can help wary teens learn to see that not all adults will take advantage of or hurt them.

For Chris Franklin of the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, seniors are an important volunteer group as well as a way to preserve the history of the town.

“I like these events because a lot of past Cape residents are there,” said Franklin. Finding and saving stories about Cape Elizabeth’s history is just as important as saving land, he added.

“A lot of our support comes from people who have extra time and have life-long skills,” said Franklin. The first day he heard about the volunteer fair at Piper Shores, he said, he was ready to sign on.

“Having an afternoon dedicated to volunteering will put people in the right frame of mind,” said Franklin.

As Election Day approaches, the Hamblins are looking to add some political volunteering to their monthly night of food preparation at the soup kitchen.

“When you’re old you’ve got to keep moving,” said Ed Hamblin.

“In body and in mind,” added Becky Hamblin.

Other organizations at the fair will include the American Red Cross, the Maine Audubon Society, the Ronald McDonald House, the Scarborough Public Library, the Southern Maine Agency on Aging, the Marine Animal Lifeline and many more.

Becky and Ed Hamblin, residents at Piper Shores, have a long history of volunteering.