The reason I volunteer at Valley Outreach.

Written by Peg Ludtke, volunteer and blogger at Peg on Pause & Protest Poems.

Sometimes when I tell people I volunteer at Valley Outreach, they tell me what they have heard about the place or even a story about someone they know who visited. While the details vary, the overall theme or feeling remains the same.  Here is the story I heard most recently that illustrates what I mean:

A friend of mine volunteers to help refugees learn English. Because my friend is a generous soul by nature, she often assists refugees with other problems they face, navigating their new world. That is the case with Amal*, whom she goes above and beyond to care for, as if a member of her own family. Amal is from the Middle East. She is here legally and has been patiently waiting for her papers to be processed so she can work and support herself. She does not have permanent housing and has relied on kind people like my friend to take her in. 

Last week, my friend took Amal to Valley Outreach. She went through the standard procedure of welcome and check-in. Then she was given a cart, and all the time she needed to gather the produce, non-perishables, meat, and dairy items she wanted. If she had questions, there are volunteers throughout the store to ask; most make friendly conversation as well. 

When she returned to my friend’s car, groceries all secured in the back, she started to cry. When my friend asked her what was wrong, Amal explained, “I have never been treated so kindly and with such respect at a food shelf before.”

Like all the other stories I have heard about this place, Amal succinctly expressed the culture at Valley Outreach. Of course, the objective is to provide food and clothing to those in need, but it always accompanies a theme of ‘You are welcome here, and how can I help?’

I started volunteering at Valley Outreach when I retired because it felt weird to have so much free time and not have a purpose or at least some way to do something for the greater good. That was eight years ago. I have kept volunteering for the same reasons that made Amal cry.

“People will not remember what you said or did, 

But they will never forget how you made them feel.”

–Maya Angelou

*Name has been changed to protect client privacy.