I don't really know when it was that I became a volunteer... perhaps involuntarily in my youth when I didn't want to clean my room but was bribed ( back then allowance was only a quarter ... seriously - and you could buy an icee from IKES for ten cents ) .. but that's another blog... I distinctly remember however in college wanting more than anything to go to theater - I couldn't afford it on my quarter a week savings so I volunteered ... in the box office... back stage ... anywhere they could use me and I could see the shows for free... I loved every minute of it and my efforts took me to places I'd never have believed ... I was a loyal theater volunteer for over 20 years and still reflect on the good friends made through that channel.. I learned , laughed and even shed a few tears over the years.... But it left me with so much more than I ever gave ... I learned about life ... about family ... about love ... and about overcoming obstacles ... it also made me really good at what I do today as so many of the techniques I learned are applicable in the hospitality field.
As my interests have changed I have volunteered in other fields as well ... fundraisers, with horse stables, in my Church, at regatta's .... each experience is as rich as the one before and each leaves me so thankful for the effort ... it's not so hard to make excuses sometimes - heck many times - but so many worthy agencies and people depend on volunteers to make a difference... take today for instance ... I volunteered at the Lowcountry Foodbank ... after a frustrating hunt for the place which was not on my GPS because they had just moved I finally stumbled on it and figured ... now that Im here I might as well go in ... I thought for a second of just calling my boss and saying that I'd gotten lost and needed to go to the office but I went in anyway knowing that he'd bee looking for me ... you see... I went to the Foodbank on behalf of my workplace ... they picked the Foodbank ... not me ... so this time volunteering wasn't as heartfelt ... or so I thought...
Once inside we were greeted by the volunteer coordinator who efficiently shared the mission and statistics of the organization .. who knew that they were NOT a soup kitchen ? or that they serve over 1000 meals a day at times... or that they organize, categorize , and distribute food to service organizations such as Salvation Army, East Cooper Meals on Wheels, Back Pack Buddies, Mentazonia ( a childrens program ) and more... Did you have any idea that 25000 volunteer hours last year made it possible for them to succeed ?
I was lucky - I didn't wear sleeves - I mean , it was only 102 degrees today by the time I got there ... they were lucky I wore pants ... but because of my sleeve ( or lack of them ) debacle I got SO LUCKY ... I was sent to the kitchen ( so I could wear a chef coat over my bare arms ) ... there I met and was inspired by the most amazing woman ... cheerful, organized, passionate, meticulous, caring, educational, thoughtful ... these are only a few words that describe the executive chef , Kimberly , at the Foodbank ... She is AMAZING - running the kitchen with a full VOLUNTEER staff... and DONATED product ... I promise you that her kitchen is the cleanest , most organized kitchen I have ever seen ... Any restaurant or banquet facility should take a few lessons from her on how to run a kitchen or hospitality organization ... I cannot say enough about her gracious demeanor and tight ship there. So after making, packing and distributing popcorn shrimp for 800 kids, 18 half pans of lasagna, equal number of ham and cheese casseroles , prepping hashbrowns creative formed from French Fries, and I don't even remember what else , I can tell you that you are only doing yourself a disservice my not helping out there ... It's an amazing place filled with love. Visit the website to learn more about it and better yet visit the folks there and roll up your sleeves ...
www.lowcountryfoodbank.org
They would be most appreciative but I bet you will be the one who leaves with the prize ..
