To meet the social service needs of the elderly, many communities across the nation are developing programs to foster social support systems involving elderly volunteers. The System to Assure Elderly Services (STAES) located in St. Louis City (Missouri), mobilizes and trains elderly persons to become volunteers who serve other elderly persons. A study was conducted to investigate characteristics that distinguish the STAES elderly volunteers (N=83) from the elderly (N=246) they serve and to examine the characteristics of the elderly volunteers who spend more time providing services than others do. A survey instrument was used to collect data regarding four human capital resources (physical functioning, psychological adjustment, perceived health, and social resources), demographic characteristics, and months spent in the STAES program. In addition, 63 volunteers kept one-week logs of the time they spent providing volunteer services. The findings indicated that three of the four human capital variables (physical functioning, psychological adjustment, and social resources) were statistically related to the elderly's becoming volunteers. Findings also indicated that the fourth human capital variable, perceived health, was a significant predictor of the amount of time elderly volunteers spent in providing services. (NB)