Volunteering is one of the most important and rewarding activities you can do to connect with your community, but we understand that it might seem overwhelming at first. That’s why we asked volunteers across three of our Portage County programs to lend some advice and their own experience to anyone interested in the subject.
County Clothing Center Volunteers
At the County Clothing Center, a Ravenna program dedicated to distributing free clothing to those in need, volunteers sort donations and organize them on the showroom floor. Here’s what some of these volunteers had to say:
“Just ask questions. Don’t ever be embarrassed by a question you ask. A question you ask might help somebody, and that’s why we’re here: to help people.”
“Just enjoy yourself and have fun and do what you can do to help.”
“Well, you get a chance to get to know folks. In fact, a gentleman who just brought a whole bunch of stuff in, he’s a retired police officer, so we got to chat a little bit about how he’s doing, if he’s enjoying retirement and so on. Those are kind of interesting folks to meet.”
“If you want to do it, you do it. You take the bitter with the better in the process and enjoy the people, really, that’s what it’s about. The other gentleman down there, we banter back and forth about things and we’ve learned a little bit about each other, and getting to know people like this is kind of interesting.”
“Be ready for variety. No two days are the same. It’s one of those situations where you can kind of look forward to it each day. My wife asks me ‘anything interesting happened today?’ and I usually have a story of one kind or another to tell her about, either what came in or who came in.”
Center of Hope and Kent Social Services Volunteers
The Center of Hope in Ravenna and Kent Social Services are food pantry programs that provide groceries for eligible households and free hot meals to anyone who walks through their doors. Some volunteers cook and serve meals, whereas others sort the pantry and organize groceries. Here’s what they had to say:
“Try a few things and see what feels right. As long as we know ahead of time, we can plan something.”
“People drive up, and they feel bad because they have to get food, and they don’t have money for food because of the way that the economy is or whatever. And that’s what a lot of these people do. There’s some who just come here to socialize because that’s just what they do, but most of the people who come here are very nice.” “You can socialize and maybe make somebody’s day brighter just by talking to them.”
“LaJoyce [Center of Hope program manager] and them, they would work with anyone’s schedule. You know, a couple hours here and there. Everybody’s happy if anyone wants to volunteer. You give them what you can, and I’m lucky that I can do pretty much most of the day because once I go home, I’ve just got to make dinner for my husband.”
“You’ve got to give back, and you just wonder sometimes how these folks ended up where they are. Maybe bad breaks, probably some bad decisions, but it doesn’t matter. They’re in the same place, and it could be you or me.”
A particularly involved volunteer at the Center of Hope, Margaret Courtney, shared her detailed perspective on the subject:
“Take the chance. You would be very surprised at how you will find something that will touch you, and you’ll want to come back. We always tell people when they want to volunteer ‘what is something that you do well? Where is your love?’ You know [one volunteer], he was a doctor, so he retired from being a doctor. Loves, loves to cook. So what does [he] do? He comes and cooks. Find your niche. Find something that you’re really interested in. If you’re interested in women, then you go to someplace where you can help women. I just happened to come here and start with little kids during Christmas. Give it a try because you will be amazed that you gain more than what you think you will because if I didn’t have this, I wouldn’t know about my purpose in life, and I really think it keeps you young.”
“And my motto is that everybody will say ‘well I can’t come for the whole day,’ and I always look at them and say ‘I don’t care if you give me a half hour [or] you give me an hour; whatever you do is going to make a difference. A difference in your life, and the difference in the life of somebody that you’re helping, even if you can just give me an hour.”
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Volunteering can seem intimidating. It takes time, energy, and a love for your fellow neighbors, but it can be flexible, work with your needs, and give you a one-of-a-kind opportunity to find yourself, meet new people, and uplift the lives of others where it matters most: your community.
If you’re interested in volunteering, see what you’re passionate about and find out what’s in your area by browsing our wide network of programs here. If you think you’re ready to take your first step into volunteering, contact the coordinator listed on a program’s page, or send a message to [email protected].