ST. JOHNSBURY - Budget cuts have forced business everywhere, especially in the North East Kingdom, to cut back on the how many people they have on they're payroll.

Because of the recent rise in job cuts places like Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital have seen and increase in the number of volunteers walking through the door, but these aren't the volunteers you normally think of.

NVRH in St. Johnsbury, VT sees many patients each day, and with staffing at a minimum there is a need for volunteers and an extra set of hands.

"Volunteers are in almost every aspect of this hospital...almost on every floor...in every department." said John Haygood, Volunteer at NVRH

Since the hospital can only afford to staff a certain number of employees in each department, the volunteers who come to NVRH fill a void which hospitals like NVRH can take advantage of.  The volunteer auxiliary at NVRH was created for just that reason.

"the auxiliary is a group of people that volunteer here who's basic thing is to provide care and help where ever they can...but also we raise money through our gift shop...our bake sales...and little raffles that we do and we always give back to the hospital." said  Haygood.

It may not seem like they help much, but the little things they do every day makes the hospital proud they have volunteers like John around.

"I know it's a simple thing but just getting the mail and not to have people leaving the floor.  There aren't a lot of extra people in the hospital with the economy the way it is. I don't think you go up and find to many nurses just hanging around...everyone has a job to do." said Haygood.

Without the volunteers at NVRH, hospitals across the country would possibly have to face the possibility of being shut down.