A long line of bundled up men and women stand behind the tall gates of St. Mary’s Catholic Church soup kitchen waiting to be served a meal. St. Mary’s Catholic Church serves food six days a week to anyone who is hungry. The volunteers and workers at St. Mary’s find
Tis the Season. Stamping Christmas cards from Advance! My volunteer experience at Advance Memphis brought many revelations as well as blessings. An energetic employee greeted me when I arrived and introduced me to each member of the staff. The staff extended me a warm welcome and supplied me
"Put a pot of coffee and a pot of soup on the stove, open the door, and God will take care of the rest." That Dorothy Day quote is the motto of Sister Maureen, the only employee of the Dorothy Day House of Hospitality. The House provides temporary
I want to be six years old. I think it was the Once Upon a Time House that did it. Or Storybook Corner, which has it’s own Little Free Library and giant throne for storytime. It might have been when I heard the words “Snow Queen”. As in, “The Snow
It wasn't as cold as it had been the preceding nights, but it was still wet and dreary and I was fighting a cold, so I took a long hot shower before I left to spend my evening with the guests of Room in the Inn. It’s one of life
The demonstration kitchen at the CHC Wellness Center reminds me of the set of a cooking show. There’s lots of gleaming stainless steel and a seemingly endless supply of prep bowls. My first task is grating reduced fat cheddar cheese, brick after brick. Nutrition staff Carolyn Nichols and Jimmy Hoxie
Serving lunch at Dorothy's Place Mr. Dean thinks I have a lovely singing voice. I think he’s being generous, because it’s hard to sing when you don’t know the song, and I've never heard “The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi” before. It’s sing along hour at Dorothy’s Place, and “The Sweetheart”
3-year-old Paris does not know who Ernie is. I think this means I'm old. Three-year-olds do not ever sit still. They can be sitting, but they are not still. They just don’t ever stop moving. It’s adorable. I spent my first Volunteer Odyssey day with five little wiggly,
Sorting chicken fingers My mom used to pass out sandwiches from the back out our minivan in the parking lot of the grocery store. I've donated canned goods to food drives before. I know that, according to polls, the Mid-south area is the hungriest in the nation. That
Note from Volunteer Odyssey: We'll be incorporating guest posts about Memphis area nonprofits that are doing great work in the community. We present Part 2 of a series about food banks from local journalist, Rachel Wilhite: Bob Fritchey is a busy man. His phone is ringing off the hook, having