My Volunteer Odyssey has begun! I was super excited to start this week, and what makes it even better is the addition of my wonderful friend Julie Platten. She will be sharing most of this week’s experiences with me and assisting as my personal photographer when opportunities allow.
We started off the week at the Catholic Charities Fig Tree Food Pantry. I know Catholic Charities offers a variety of services to support the needs of the Memphis community, but I was unfamiliar with their food pantry before today. Upon arrival, we were instantly greeted by the incredible volunteers who run the food pantry each week. It always warms my heart to know there are committed individuals who freely give of their time each week for those in need. It’s easy for someone (like me) to volunteer a few hours here or there, but to be dedicated to a particular mission of service each week is really admirable. Melinda, our volunteer contact, gave us a tour of the facility and explained the food distribution process for whenever a guest (or family) arrives. The food pantry recently moved into their current building and the change was HUGE. They used to serve completely out of one small room, and now they are in a facility about 10 times the size. More space = more food = more families = more impact =AWESOME. It definitely excites me that they have been able to grow and meet the needs of more Memphians.
The Fig Tree Food Pantry stocks their shelves through donations or by purchasing discounted food items from the Mid-South Food Bank. Each individual or family is referred by another organization such as MIFA, the Hospitality Hub, Red Cross, or Friends for Life. When they arrive, they receive a variety of canned goods, frozen meats, breads, and snacks. The amount of food they receive is based on the number of members in each family, and guests are only supposed to come once a month in order to provide for more families and prevent overload.
Every person we met was so grateful for all the food pantry was able to provide. I could not imagine what it would be like to wonder how I was going to feed my family or where my food would come from each week. I would assume those thoughts have crossed the minds of most the guests I met today…yet every person left with words of thanks and a smiling face. Every volunteer was so eager to meet the needs of each guests, and you could see how difficult it was for them when they couldn’t fulfill every expressed need.
I really enjoyed my time with Catholic Charities today. I felt like I was able to truly witness some of the incredible things they are doing for our community. This week, my husband has challenged me to end each day with identifying something I learned about myself through my volunteer experience.
What I learned about myself today: I hope that one day my life allows me to spend most of my week committed to volunteering for an organization I am passionate about.
