Think about the last time you volunteered some of your time to help the community. (No, helping your friend move between homes in exchange for pizza and beer doesn't count.)
I can remember being required to volunteer a certain number of hours every year when I was in high school. I volunteered at assisted living facilities near our home. I remember bright lighting, small rooms, terrible smells, and sad faces. Despite those things, I really enjoyed spending time with the residents there and my volunteer hours went by very quickly.
More recently, I did some volunteer work with the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation. They have an ongoing project in the vast open space where volunteers and staff constantly check the health of Oak trees planted in the last decade or two. These little trees need protection from the weather and from critters like voles, in order to grow tall and large. A strong man could probably rip most of them out right now, even though they've been growing for years! I enjoyed working outside and learning to appreciate how long it really takes for the little seedlings to grow into magnificent trees with rope swings. This was my favorite volunteer work. I liked clearing weeds and working in the sun. It was nice to be outside and active.
Unfortunately, the greatest need for volunteers is more likely helping other people, rather than checking up on little trees; and this can be very hard work. When Casey and I heard of a need for volunteers to work with children at a homeless shelter located on the property of a local church, I immediately raised our hands to fill the position. "We'll do it!" (Actually it was more of a very enthusiastic email response.) We would be assisting with homework and play time for children of all ages. Sounds fun, right?
It honestly was a lot of fun, but it was pretty terrible at the same time. Small rooms and sad faces. The amazing church hosting these families allows the Winter Nights Shelter of Walnut Creek to set up several family-size tents in a large auditorium room on their campus. Several classrooms are attached to this room, as well as restrooms and an industrial kitchen. The sanctuary is the next building over, and dinner was served in a room attached to it. We arrived and helped little boys and older girls with a variety of different homework questions. Casey solved math. I had a book report presented to me. Stories were read, and then we found coloring books.
While coloring, I taught one little girl about sharing. She insisted all of the coloring books were hers, so I had to explain that they were for everyone to share. Her eyes told me that she probably didn't have much that was just hers, and so she clung to the idea that these books belonged to her. She looked at me with hurt when I had to tell her that the other little girls could color in them too. I can't imagine being 8 years old and homeless.
Another little girl crawled up on my lap and wanted to just be held. She was very young and wanted attention, but Mom had another child in her arms. She never said one word the entire evening, even though I'm pretty sure she was old enough to talk. A lot of the kids just wanted to be noticed. They waited their turns to show us what they were doing and were happy to let us help them. It was fun, but it was hard for us. It was hard to see them and know some of their basic needs weren't being met. It was hard to know that they went to school with other kids who had homes and wonder how that made school life for them. And it was hard to think about all of the other families who weren't spending the night inside a warm and safe shelter. Temperatures reached freezing a few hours after we left the shelter. We were home in our beds, with our arms around one another. Our heat was on, but our hearts were already warmed from the work. We really have a lot to be thankful for.
There are a lot of ways to reach out and help the less fortunate in your community. It's even more important during non-holiday months, when there are far less people volunteering. For volunteer opportunities, check out www.govoluntr.com ; you can search by date or location. They have one-time and ongoing projects. It's a great resource and a wonderful company!
