Well, this is week thirteen - one quarter of the way through the year. It seems a good time to take a quick look back and see how things are going. As I think about all the people we have met and the things we have done, one thing jumps right out at me. What we are doing has changed from a commitment to a habit, in thirteen easy weeks! We don't struggle to find places to work, and we don't struggle to find the time to do it. Time that we used to spend in front of the TV is now time we go out and volunteer a little. We thought we would really have to carve out a space in our life to be able to meet the challenge of volunteering once every week, but what we find is that the current challenge is not to volunteer three times per week. We have great fun at all the places we go. We are making friends with and deepening our connections to the other volunteers, and we are helping lots of people. I have not added up all the numbers, but in thirteen weeks, we have been a part of helping literally thousands of people. I think it is safe to say that this has progressed past a New Year's resolution and is now in the realm of a hobby. I try not to make this too preachy, but I highly recommend giving volunteer work a try. We have found it to be incredibly rewarding, and I believe that anyone who gives it a chance would find it so.
This week we "caught up" with some opportunities we heard about last week. The first was Shakespeare Link Canada. This is a group that we gave to earlier in the year (see week five...) who takes actors into Mozambique and works to use the plays of Shakespeare to create a context for social change. A good friend of mine from grad school is one of those actors and is preparing madly to spend the summer in Africa. All of the funds for the trip need to be raised through donations, so he spends lots of time on talking to people and writing on social media sites to promote their work. In addition, he is learning Portuguese, which is the dominant language in Mozambique (they used to be a Portuguese colony). He faces a challenge there, because almost all of the programs in the world that teach Portuguese teach the version of that language spoken in Brazil. There are more Brazilian speakers of Portuguese than any other country, including Portugal. Since that dialect is drastically different than the way Portuguese is spoken in Mozambique, he is having trouble finding a way to learn that will teach him what he needs to know. I am just amazed that he is doing it at all.
Once they get to Mozambique, they will develop their show while working with local dance and theater groups. They will also do community outreach, all in an attempt to help change the societal views about how women are treated, about poverty, and about AIDS, which is basically epidemic in the community. I can think of no more noble use to which Shakespeare's words could be put, and Jen and I are committed to helping them reach their goals. They are currently running their second fund raising drive of the year, and would welcome any amount of support from anyone who wishes to help. See the bottom of the post for a link to their website if you are interested.
The other opportunity to give from last week came from the priest who married Jen and I. We still try to attend mass whenever he is presiding, and last week he told the congregation about his recent trip to Tuba City, Arizona. Tuba City is the location of St. Jude Catholic Church. It is a tiny church without a pastor or any staff priest of any kind. It is run by Sister Mary Rogers, DC, an amazing woman who cares for a very needy parish. This is because Tuba City is inside of the Navajo Indian reservation, and adjacent to the Hopi reservation. On these reservations, the people exist in a kind of poverty that is unknown in Chicago, even in the worst areas. Because the reservations represent their own governmental entity, they do not receive much help from the state or federal governments. Many of the services that we take for granted as provided by the city or county do not exist on the reservations, or must be paid for from private providers. Also, many of the aid agencies, either private or public, do not have any representation in this very small community. To top it off, there is virtually no industry or farming or any other source of income. Many of the women in the community weave traditional Navajo rugs which they sell to stay alive, but they do not make much on each of them, despite the legendary quality of the weaving. In short, this is a community in permanent crisis. Sister Mary and the church do what they can to help. They have a small food pantry that sees a lot of business toward the end of each month, as money runs out for food. She also offers whatever other help she can to these people, but it is a constant struggle. Fr. Cusick suggested that perhaps those of us in Chicago who don't not have to worry about the things that Sister Mary does might send them some help, and so we did. I can only hope that many of the others who heard their story did as well, and that, as a result, Sister Mary's job might be a little easier. There is no web address for this one, nor any pictures, but if you would like to help, you could send money to:
Sister Mary Rogers, DC
St. Jude Catholic Church
P.O. Box 248
Tuba City, AZ 86045
For more information about Shakepeare Link Canada, go to:
Shakespeare Link Canada
Friday, March 30, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Week 12 - Lakeview Pantry, distribution and food drive
This week we were awash with opportunities for giving and volunteering. We found out about a number of places that we would like to give money (read about those next week...) and we got a chance to work with the Lakeview Pantry in a way that was different than our usual volunteer sessions.
Our volunteer week began with what has become our normal Thursday distribution session at the Pantry. It was a strange evening in that only 18 people came out for the full allotment of food and only 16 people for weekly bread and produce. Nobody at the Pantry could figure out why so few people came out, but I found out that the numbers were also unusually low for the Saturday distribution as well. Carrie, the coordinator at the Pantry, explained that when they have low numbers, they often don't find out why until the missing people come back. When they do, there are often a number of stories that add up to a slow week for the Pantry rather than one reason that kept everyone away.
Talking about the numbers of people got us talking about surveys and collecting data from the patron of the Pantry about themselves and how they use the Pantry. Carrie said that they do ask a few questions of new patrons and do a large survey of Pantry users every two years or so. While these surveys do give valuable data about usage trends, the Pantry staff has to be careful about making the patrons feel like they will have to answer a lot of questions before they are given their food. One method that has proved very useful in getting feedback is to do it at times other than the distribution sessions. This past week, Carrie hosted their first feedback session at the West location. She tells me that turnout for the session was quite low, which was expected, but that the feedback received was excellent. She wound up talking with the patrons for an extra hour and turned the notes into two full pages of "minutes". When we talked about it, she was in the process of turning those minutes into action items - things to do to directly improve the Pantry experience for its users. She was very excited about how effective the session proved to be.
I had a chance to talk to Carrie about all of this on Saturday, when Jen and I took part in a food drive for the Pantry at the Jewel store at Addison and Southport. Usually, the Pantry does food drives when a church or other large group asks to help out. The distribution sessions only require about 10 volunteers, so when a group wants to bring 25 or 30 people, the Pantry suggests a food drive at a local store, many of whom they have relationships with. In this case, the Pantry was approached by the store managers of three local Jewel stores and asked the Pantry to provide the volunteers for food drives this week and last week. Last weeks drive was at two stores and yielded around 5,000 pounds of food as well as some cash donations. I don't have the numbers for the drive Jen and I helped with this weekend, but everyone said it was way off the place of the previous weekend. To give a little perspective, the Pantry hands out about 30,000 pounds of food per month, 360,000 pounds per year. They distribute three times per week, which works out to about 2,500 pounds per session, so the food drives last week collected enough for two distribution sessions.
Jen and I took the early shift on Saturday, working from 8 to 10 am. It was a damp, foggy morning, and not many people were out, but we still had a good time. The way it works is that the Pantry provides collection barrels and small lists of the non-perishable stuff they always need. The volunteers stop people as they come in to the store to let them know what we are up to, and then ask the shopper to pick up items from the lists. There is also an opportunity, of course, to give cash. I was surprised at the number of people who were open to giving when the opportunity presented itself. It was clear that people were willing to make small donations just because we were there. A few came back with whole bags of items. There were also people who would not even listen to what we had to say and were quite rude, but I can understand a little bit - you get asked for money a lot in this city. We preferred to focus on the positives and we had a great time. We also met some regular volunteers from the Pantry's East location, which was fun.
I had also told Carrie that I would help her collect food in the Pantry's van later in the day. Jen came along too, and it was on those collection runs and the time in between, which we spent doing odd jobs around the Pantry, that Carrie and I got a chance to talk about the things noted above. I got a chance to see how hard the Pantry staff works, because I got to see how everything, all 360,000 pounds of food each year, come into the Pantry. It involves loading stuff on to small carts, which get pulled over to the exterior door (there is no dock or even a real driveway). From there, the carts get off loaded because there is a large stair going down to the Pantry level. Workers have to hand cases of food off the side of the stair and load them on to other carts, which then get pulled into the Pantry. I did this with Carrie, who is tough as nails a result of doing this all the time. We only did one serious load which included about 400 pounds of food and the collection barrels, but it was still a workout. The other day they got a delivery that was over 3000 pounds! My respect for Carrie, which was already pretty high, shot way up when I realized how impossibly hard she works every day.
There was one other interesting thing that happened while were we at the Pantry between collections. A mother called in because she had just wrapped up a birthday party for her young son, who had turned 7 years old. As part of the birthday party, they has collected food items to give to the Pantry, which I think is a cool idea. How great is it to get kids in the habit of giving when they are young? In any case, the mother wanted to bring the kids (there was an older brother as well) over to the Pantry to drop off the food. Since we were going to be there Carrie told them to come on over. When they got there, Carrie took a picture with the boys and then had them shelve all the food they brought. They were thrilled at helping out, and it was clear that the whole experience was going to stay with those boys quite a while. It made me want to pin a medal on the mother.
All in all, it was a great couple days at the Pantry, and a very cool look into some of the inner workings, the backstage perspectives. Sadly, Jen and I won't be able to volunteer at the Pantry in the coming weeks because of our busy schedules and other volunteer opportunities, but we will surely come back as soon as were can.
For more information on the Lakeview Pantry, consult posts from previous weeks or go to:
Lakeview Pantry
Our volunteer week began with what has become our normal Thursday distribution session at the Pantry. It was a strange evening in that only 18 people came out for the full allotment of food and only 16 people for weekly bread and produce. Nobody at the Pantry could figure out why so few people came out, but I found out that the numbers were also unusually low for the Saturday distribution as well. Carrie, the coordinator at the Pantry, explained that when they have low numbers, they often don't find out why until the missing people come back. When they do, there are often a number of stories that add up to a slow week for the Pantry rather than one reason that kept everyone away.
Talking about the numbers of people got us talking about surveys and collecting data from the patron of the Pantry about themselves and how they use the Pantry. Carrie said that they do ask a few questions of new patrons and do a large survey of Pantry users every two years or so. While these surveys do give valuable data about usage trends, the Pantry staff has to be careful about making the patrons feel like they will have to answer a lot of questions before they are given their food. One method that has proved very useful in getting feedback is to do it at times other than the distribution sessions. This past week, Carrie hosted their first feedback session at the West location. She tells me that turnout for the session was quite low, which was expected, but that the feedback received was excellent. She wound up talking with the patrons for an extra hour and turned the notes into two full pages of "minutes". When we talked about it, she was in the process of turning those minutes into action items - things to do to directly improve the Pantry experience for its users. She was very excited about how effective the session proved to be.
I had a chance to talk to Carrie about all of this on Saturday, when Jen and I took part in a food drive for the Pantry at the Jewel store at Addison and Southport. Usually, the Pantry does food drives when a church or other large group asks to help out. The distribution sessions only require about 10 volunteers, so when a group wants to bring 25 or 30 people, the Pantry suggests a food drive at a local store, many of whom they have relationships with. In this case, the Pantry was approached by the store managers of three local Jewel stores and asked the Pantry to provide the volunteers for food drives this week and last week. Last weeks drive was at two stores and yielded around 5,000 pounds of food as well as some cash donations. I don't have the numbers for the drive Jen and I helped with this weekend, but everyone said it was way off the place of the previous weekend. To give a little perspective, the Pantry hands out about 30,000 pounds of food per month, 360,000 pounds per year. They distribute three times per week, which works out to about 2,500 pounds per session, so the food drives last week collected enough for two distribution sessions.
Jen and I took the early shift on Saturday, working from 8 to 10 am. It was a damp, foggy morning, and not many people were out, but we still had a good time. The way it works is that the Pantry provides collection barrels and small lists of the non-perishable stuff they always need. The volunteers stop people as they come in to the store to let them know what we are up to, and then ask the shopper to pick up items from the lists. There is also an opportunity, of course, to give cash. I was surprised at the number of people who were open to giving when the opportunity presented itself. It was clear that people were willing to make small donations just because we were there. A few came back with whole bags of items. There were also people who would not even listen to what we had to say and were quite rude, but I can understand a little bit - you get asked for money a lot in this city. We preferred to focus on the positives and we had a great time. We also met some regular volunteers from the Pantry's East location, which was fun.
I had also told Carrie that I would help her collect food in the Pantry's van later in the day. Jen came along too, and it was on those collection runs and the time in between, which we spent doing odd jobs around the Pantry, that Carrie and I got a chance to talk about the things noted above. I got a chance to see how hard the Pantry staff works, because I got to see how everything, all 360,000 pounds of food each year, come into the Pantry. It involves loading stuff on to small carts, which get pulled over to the exterior door (there is no dock or even a real driveway). From there, the carts get off loaded because there is a large stair going down to the Pantry level. Workers have to hand cases of food off the side of the stair and load them on to other carts, which then get pulled into the Pantry. I did this with Carrie, who is tough as nails a result of doing this all the time. We only did one serious load which included about 400 pounds of food and the collection barrels, but it was still a workout. The other day they got a delivery that was over 3000 pounds! My respect for Carrie, which was already pretty high, shot way up when I realized how impossibly hard she works every day.
There was one other interesting thing that happened while were we at the Pantry between collections. A mother called in because she had just wrapped up a birthday party for her young son, who had turned 7 years old. As part of the birthday party, they has collected food items to give to the Pantry, which I think is a cool idea. How great is it to get kids in the habit of giving when they are young? In any case, the mother wanted to bring the kids (there was an older brother as well) over to the Pantry to drop off the food. Since we were going to be there Carrie told them to come on over. When they got there, Carrie took a picture with the boys and then had them shelve all the food they brought. They were thrilled at helping out, and it was clear that the whole experience was going to stay with those boys quite a while. It made me want to pin a medal on the mother.
All in all, it was a great couple days at the Pantry, and a very cool look into some of the inner workings, the backstage perspectives. Sadly, Jen and I won't be able to volunteer at the Pantry in the coming weeks because of our busy schedules and other volunteer opportunities, but we will surely come back as soon as were can.
For more information on the Lakeview Pantry, consult posts from previous weeks or go to:
Lakeview Pantry
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Week 11 - Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph
This week we tried something new - serving dinner at the House of Mary and Joseph, an emergency shelter on the west side of Chicago. So far, we have prepared food boxes and handed out packaged food, but this was the first time we served warm food to people who needed it. As with our other volunteer work, this was incredibly rewarding.
The House of Mary and Joseph is run by the Franciscan Outreach Association and is a shelter for people who do not have anywhere else to sleep. It is classified as an emergency shelter both because patrons can only sign up to stay one night at a time and because they keep a small number of beds available for people to be referred from the police department or from other government agencies. The House has beds for 209 men and 37 women, and they are full almost every night. Last year, they provided over 85,000 shelter nights for patrons, which represents operating at about 98% capacity.
Each night, men and women line up to wait for a bed. If they are lucky, they get one, but some are turned away nearly every night. If possible, those who are turned away are given some food. For those who get a spot inside, they receive a dinner that usually consists of a sandwich, a cup of soup and a dessert if one has been donated for that night. They get a chance to shower and a chance to talk with medical and mental health professionals, as well as case workers. Then they get a bed with a pillow, sheets and blankets. In the morning, they get a warm breakfast with coffee and then are sent on their way. They can sign up to return at that night, if they choose. In addition, the House has an Interim Housing Program for 14 people (included in the total number of beds). Participants in this program receive classes in life skills, motivational meetings and opportunities for job training. They are also given intensive case management and are expected to help out by volunteering at the shelter, to which they have 24 hour access. The goal of the program is to help the participants move into their own housing in 120 days.
Jen and I volunteered to work in the kitchen serving the evening meal. We arrived and were greeted warmly by the other volunteers and staff, as well as some of the Interim Housing participants. There was not a lot of work to do at the start, and everyone made a specific effort to make us feel welcome and comfortable. I think that a lot of people are a little edgy when they come to volunteer, unsure of what to expect or how to act. We did not feel particularly uncomfortable, but we were laughing along with everyone else inside of a few minutes, and it was because we were made to feel part of the group. All of the people we ran into were really great at establishing a connection with others, a skill that is really useful in this environment. The volunteers were from all over the city, and from many different walks of life. We helped a little bit with getting ready to serve - setting out cups of soup and the bread pudding a church had donated for dessert. All of the food is cooked and prepared in the small kitchen, and for the most part, it is all purchased from the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
At about 7:30, the women were let in to get their food. At the shelter, men and women are strictly separated to avoid any potential problems. There were not very many women, fewer than the shelter could hold. There was not a lot of work to do at this point, because of the low volume. Since I was not needed, I talked with Issac, the kitchen supervisor. He asked me what my story was and I told him about the theater and my work, and about our pledge to volunteer. He told me candidly about how he was a product of the shelter system. He had been a wild young man, into drugs, but when his son was born, and he was moved to clean up. He said that he visited his son in the hospital and then went directly to check into a rehab clinic. He has been clean for 13 years, has a healthy 13 year old son, and works full time at another shelter and part time at the House. What he does, what he has to do the way I have to do theater, is pull people up one at a time. He told me that none of the people who use the shelter have done anything, seen anything, on the streets that he has not seen. As a result, they know that he understands them and it gives him a opportunity to talk to them and find out what they need. My admiration and respect for this man was instantaneous. On top of all of that, he was cheerful, calm, and a great cook! They do a quick prayer before serving begins, which Issac led. He prayed that we all be given a servant's heart, and that we give the patrons a smooth transition into a restful night. It was poetic and moving, and it put us all in exactly the right place to be helping people.
Once the women were done, there was a short break and then the men came in. Where the women were quiet and careful, the men were noisy and boisterous, and there was a lot more of them. This is when the works really kicks in, as we were warned by some of the veterans. We served as fast as we could and dished out more portions just ahead of the demand. There was one near fight, but it ended in a hug. There were a few who had to be reminded of the fairly strict rules about leaving bags by the door and other things, but most were cheerful and grateful. Jen got quite a few sly smiles and at least one marriage proposal. I told that guy she was mine and he backed off with a grin. Issac had told us that a lot of these people were not in a place to remember to say, "Thank you", but lots of people said so anyway. It was clear that there was a community here. Lots of the patrons knew the other volunteers, which is not surprising since the staff tries to learn and remember the names of their patrons.
As 9:00 rolled around, the kitchen officially closed. Towards the end, some food was taken outside for those that were not getting a bed. We also had to chase a few of the slow eaters out into the dormitory. Once everyone was out, we quickly cleaned up the kitchen and the serving areas and we were done. This whole night was just outside my comfort zone, and it was really good for me. It was really great to be able to look at the people we were serving as real people, not just the homeless that we try not to notice. These people need human connection. Almost everyone they see all day long tries to avoid making eye contact. At the House, we did just the opposite. We looked them in the eye, welcomed them, and gave them a little dignity along with a warm meal. It was uplifting, and yet another lesson about connectedness that we learned by volunteering. It was a great night.
To learn more about the House of Mary and Joseph, follow this link:
Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph
To learn more about the Franciscan Outreach Association, follow this link:
Franciscan Outreach Association
The House of Mary and Joseph is run by the Franciscan Outreach Association and is a shelter for people who do not have anywhere else to sleep. It is classified as an emergency shelter both because patrons can only sign up to stay one night at a time and because they keep a small number of beds available for people to be referred from the police department or from other government agencies. The House has beds for 209 men and 37 women, and they are full almost every night. Last year, they provided over 85,000 shelter nights for patrons, which represents operating at about 98% capacity.
Each night, men and women line up to wait for a bed. If they are lucky, they get one, but some are turned away nearly every night. If possible, those who are turned away are given some food. For those who get a spot inside, they receive a dinner that usually consists of a sandwich, a cup of soup and a dessert if one has been donated for that night. They get a chance to shower and a chance to talk with medical and mental health professionals, as well as case workers. Then they get a bed with a pillow, sheets and blankets. In the morning, they get a warm breakfast with coffee and then are sent on their way. They can sign up to return at that night, if they choose. In addition, the House has an Interim Housing Program for 14 people (included in the total number of beds). Participants in this program receive classes in life skills, motivational meetings and opportunities for job training. They are also given intensive case management and are expected to help out by volunteering at the shelter, to which they have 24 hour access. The goal of the program is to help the participants move into their own housing in 120 days.
Jen and I volunteered to work in the kitchen serving the evening meal. We arrived and were greeted warmly by the other volunteers and staff, as well as some of the Interim Housing participants. There was not a lot of work to do at the start, and everyone made a specific effort to make us feel welcome and comfortable. I think that a lot of people are a little edgy when they come to volunteer, unsure of what to expect or how to act. We did not feel particularly uncomfortable, but we were laughing along with everyone else inside of a few minutes, and it was because we were made to feel part of the group. All of the people we ran into were really great at establishing a connection with others, a skill that is really useful in this environment. The volunteers were from all over the city, and from many different walks of life. We helped a little bit with getting ready to serve - setting out cups of soup and the bread pudding a church had donated for dessert. All of the food is cooked and prepared in the small kitchen, and for the most part, it is all purchased from the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
At about 7:30, the women were let in to get their food. At the shelter, men and women are strictly separated to avoid any potential problems. There were not very many women, fewer than the shelter could hold. There was not a lot of work to do at this point, because of the low volume. Since I was not needed, I talked with Issac, the kitchen supervisor. He asked me what my story was and I told him about the theater and my work, and about our pledge to volunteer. He told me candidly about how he was a product of the shelter system. He had been a wild young man, into drugs, but when his son was born, and he was moved to clean up. He said that he visited his son in the hospital and then went directly to check into a rehab clinic. He has been clean for 13 years, has a healthy 13 year old son, and works full time at another shelter and part time at the House. What he does, what he has to do the way I have to do theater, is pull people up one at a time. He told me that none of the people who use the shelter have done anything, seen anything, on the streets that he has not seen. As a result, they know that he understands them and it gives him a opportunity to talk to them and find out what they need. My admiration and respect for this man was instantaneous. On top of all of that, he was cheerful, calm, and a great cook! They do a quick prayer before serving begins, which Issac led. He prayed that we all be given a servant's heart, and that we give the patrons a smooth transition into a restful night. It was poetic and moving, and it put us all in exactly the right place to be helping people.
Once the women were done, there was a short break and then the men came in. Where the women were quiet and careful, the men were noisy and boisterous, and there was a lot more of them. This is when the works really kicks in, as we were warned by some of the veterans. We served as fast as we could and dished out more portions just ahead of the demand. There was one near fight, but it ended in a hug. There were a few who had to be reminded of the fairly strict rules about leaving bags by the door and other things, but most were cheerful and grateful. Jen got quite a few sly smiles and at least one marriage proposal. I told that guy she was mine and he backed off with a grin. Issac had told us that a lot of these people were not in a place to remember to say, "Thank you", but lots of people said so anyway. It was clear that there was a community here. Lots of the patrons knew the other volunteers, which is not surprising since the staff tries to learn and remember the names of their patrons.
As 9:00 rolled around, the kitchen officially closed. Towards the end, some food was taken outside for those that were not getting a bed. We also had to chase a few of the slow eaters out into the dormitory. Once everyone was out, we quickly cleaned up the kitchen and the serving areas and we were done. This whole night was just outside my comfort zone, and it was really good for me. It was really great to be able to look at the people we were serving as real people, not just the homeless that we try not to notice. These people need human connection. Almost everyone they see all day long tries to avoid making eye contact. At the House, we did just the opposite. We looked them in the eye, welcomed them, and gave them a little dignity along with a warm meal. It was uplifting, and yet another lesson about connectedness that we learned by volunteering. It was a great night.
To learn more about the House of Mary and Joseph, follow this link:
Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph
To learn more about the Franciscan Outreach Association, follow this link:
Franciscan Outreach Association
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Week 10 - Lakeview Pantry, third visit
This week we went back to the Lakeview Pantry. We are finding that every time we go there, we want to sign up again because we have such a good time. In fact, that phenomenon is something I have been meaning to mention as sort of a side effect of our adventures in looking for places to volunteer. Basically, everywhere we have been we want to go back to, not just because they do good work, but because we had a great time! We have met many wonderful people from all walks of life, had some wonderful conversations, learned about things we knew nothing about, and have started to make some new friends. This week we got to see pictures Carrie's (the woman who runs this location of the pantry) baby daughter. It sounds a little strange to talk about the personal benefits of volunteer work, since that is not why we do it, but those benefits are there nonetheless. Already, only ten weeks into this, it is safe to say that Jen and I will keep volunteering on a weekly basis for a long time because it is both fun and fulfilling.
I think the personal benefits of volunteer work account for another surprising trend we have seen. At every place we have worked, we had to struggle a little to get a spot on the crews because so many people are doing this kind of work. When we started talking about volunteering, it was sort of from a place where we thought that there was a strong need for workers. Now, don't get me wrong - there is a need, but rather than being close to understaffed, all the places we have been actually have to turn people down. I mention this not because I want to discourage people from volunteering, but because it made me feel better about humanity in general and the people in this city to know that so many people are giving of their time. While there might be no shortage of workers, there is still a tremendous shortage of services. The places we have worked help a lot of people, but there are many more who still need help. What I hope, as I consider all of the people who want to volunteer, is that the eagerness of these people will allow for and encourage expansion by organizations that are doing their good works. Of course, that requires more money, which I hope some of those eager workers will also consider as an option when they can't actually come work. After spending some time in the volunteer world, I am continually inspired to see how much is being done, and to imagine how much more potential is out there in the city.
And now...back to the Pantry. As usual Jen and I had a lot of fun. We were working with a few new people and a few that have been working on the same schedule as we are. Those people are getting to be friends of ours. We both handed out food this time and actually got to work next to each other, which we had not yet done. The work keeps us from interacting too much, but it was still more fun to work together. There was a distinctly smaller crowd this time, with nearly as many people back for the weekly allotment of bread and veggies as there were for the full load of food. Most of the time, there are lots more people collecting the full portion of food. As usual, the patrons were grateful and friendly, even cheerful. Since we had a little extra time as a result of fewer patrons, I had a chance to talk with Carrie about some of the skills Jen and I have from our lives in the theater that might be of use around the pantry. Mostly, this involved carpentry, but she also perked up when I told here we both knew how to drive large box trucks. I came away with a couple projects to consider in my spare time, from a small ramp at the door way to a caddy to give people a place to keep their carts while they are getting food. (Lots of people bring collapsible grocery carts, but all those carts make it hard to move through the pantry during the busy times.) It will take a little while for me to get to all of these projects, but it was great to find out about ways to help that require our specific skills. We are really beginning to feel like part of the community at the Pantry, and I am sure we will continue to work with them long after our giving year is over.
You can learn more about our experiences at the Lakeview Pantry by checking out my previous posts in Week 5 and Week 7.
You can learn more about the Pantry at their website:
Lakeview Pantry
I think the personal benefits of volunteer work account for another surprising trend we have seen. At every place we have worked, we had to struggle a little to get a spot on the crews because so many people are doing this kind of work. When we started talking about volunteering, it was sort of from a place where we thought that there was a strong need for workers. Now, don't get me wrong - there is a need, but rather than being close to understaffed, all the places we have been actually have to turn people down. I mention this not because I want to discourage people from volunteering, but because it made me feel better about humanity in general and the people in this city to know that so many people are giving of their time. While there might be no shortage of workers, there is still a tremendous shortage of services. The places we have worked help a lot of people, but there are many more who still need help. What I hope, as I consider all of the people who want to volunteer, is that the eagerness of these people will allow for and encourage expansion by organizations that are doing their good works. Of course, that requires more money, which I hope some of those eager workers will also consider as an option when they can't actually come work. After spending some time in the volunteer world, I am continually inspired to see how much is being done, and to imagine how much more potential is out there in the city.
And now...back to the Pantry. As usual Jen and I had a lot of fun. We were working with a few new people and a few that have been working on the same schedule as we are. Those people are getting to be friends of ours. We both handed out food this time and actually got to work next to each other, which we had not yet done. The work keeps us from interacting too much, but it was still more fun to work together. There was a distinctly smaller crowd this time, with nearly as many people back for the weekly allotment of bread and veggies as there were for the full load of food. Most of the time, there are lots more people collecting the full portion of food. As usual, the patrons were grateful and friendly, even cheerful. Since we had a little extra time as a result of fewer patrons, I had a chance to talk with Carrie about some of the skills Jen and I have from our lives in the theater that might be of use around the pantry. Mostly, this involved carpentry, but she also perked up when I told here we both knew how to drive large box trucks. I came away with a couple projects to consider in my spare time, from a small ramp at the door way to a caddy to give people a place to keep their carts while they are getting food. (Lots of people bring collapsible grocery carts, but all those carts make it hard to move through the pantry during the busy times.) It will take a little while for me to get to all of these projects, but it was great to find out about ways to help that require our specific skills. We are really beginning to feel like part of the community at the Pantry, and I am sure we will continue to work with them long after our giving year is over.
You can learn more about our experiences at the Lakeview Pantry by checking out my previous posts in Week 5 and Week 7.
You can learn more about the Pantry at their website:
Lakeview Pantry
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