Volunteering

[Chains Broken]

Hello,

I want to volunteer more, I'm ashamed to say I don't volunteer much, although I do a little.

I want to help at a soup kitchen on weekends, my church does not have one to my knowledge so I would go to another one. Does anyone have any advice on what volunteering at one is like and what to expect?

Also if you have other suggestions on places to volunteer I'd be interested. Thank you

 

[quietthinker]

Hello,

I want to volunteer more, I'm ashamed to say I don't volunteer much, although I do a little.

I want to help at a soup kitchen on weekends, my church does not have one to my knowledge so I would go to another one. Does anyone have any advice on what volunteering at one is like and what to expect?

Also if you have other suggestions on places to volunteer I'd be interested. Thank you

do it, don't talk about doing it! I sure you would find plenty of places to volunteer by a simple internet search or an enquiry at any of the churches around you.

 

[Lambano]

Does anyone have any advice on what volunteering at one is like and what to expect?

One of the downtown churches ran a soup kitchen and had standing invitations to all the city's churches to send volunteers, so I went with a team serve for a night. The lady who ran the place was barely 5 feet tall, but she was tough; I saw her back down a man twice her size who was starting a ruckus. She got her food by going to the local restaurants and asking for anything that was still edible that would've otherwise been thrown out, so we did things like cut the mold off the bread and trim the discolored parts off the meat. I don't know if she could do that nowadays; I think the state tightened up the health regulations. We saw a long line of people: Ragged men in ragged clothes, but no one who was obviously drunk, stoned, or strung out. Not sure about the mental stability of some of them, though. A lot of single moms with very young children. Some traditional families with Mom, Dad, and kids that must've hit hard times. There but for the grace of God... I earned a gentle rebuke from the tough lady because I gave a man seconds; she reminded me we had limited food and she wanted to make sure everybody got some. It was quite an experience.

 

[Nancy]

Hello,

I want to volunteer more, I'm ashamed to say I don't volunteer much, although I do a little.

I want to help at a soup kitchen on weekends, my church does not have one to my knowledge so I would go to another one. Does anyone have any advice on what volunteering at one is like and what to expect?

Also if you have other suggestions on places to volunteer I'd be interested. Thank you

One of the downtown churches ran a soup kitchen and had standing invitations to all the city's churches to send volunteers, so I went with a team serve for a night. The lady who ran the place was barely 5 feet tall, but she was tough; I saw her back down a man twice her size who was starting a ruckus. She got her food by going to the local restaurants and asking for anything that was still edible that would've otherwise been thrown out, so we did things like cut the mold off the bread and trim the discolored parts off the meat. I don't know if she could do that nowadays; I think the state tightened up the health regulations. We saw a long line of people: Ragged men in ragged clothes, but no one who was obviously drunk, stoned, or strung out. Not sure about the mental stability of some of them, though. A lot of single moms with very young children. Some traditional families with Mom, Dad, and kids that must've hit hard times. There but for the grace of God... I earned a gentle rebuke from the tough lady because I gave a man seconds; she reminded me we had limited food and she wanted to make sure everybody got some. It was quite an experience.

Yes brother, I once was spoken to about seconds too when just starting at the Genesis Center, lol.

 

[JohnDB]

Hello,

I want to volunteer more, I'm ashamed to say I don't volunteer much, although I do a little.

I want to help at a soup kitchen on weekends, my church does not have one to my knowledge so I would go to another one. Does anyone have any advice on what volunteering at one is like and what to expect?

Also if you have other suggestions on places to volunteer I'd be interested. Thank you

Yeah...
Senior citizen homes need volunteers for various tasks, errands or someone to just sit with them. (There are plenty of low income housing units for the poor Seniors and you would be surprised at how well a roll of quarters for the laundromat is received).

Then there's programs for parents of special needs children who just need respite for a while.

Then there a need for ESL volunteers to assist with people who have moved to the country and need help understanding english....you don't need a second language skills to help. Usually the lower your vocabulary skills the better.

Trust me when I say that the only reason the homeless are hungry is because they didn't go get any food....not because they actually didn't have any money to buy food. (Usually completely unnecessary) We have the best fed homeless in the world.

So....pick your poison.

 

[Chains Broken]

After some searching I found a place that looks like a good fit for me, so I'm excited about that.

We have the best fed homeless in the world.

Is this true? I'm not doubting you I'm just interested in hearing the background behind this.
And thank you for the suggestions, I think especially helping the parents of special needs children sounds like a great help.

 

[thelord's_pearl]

I wish you the best on whatever you volunteer for.

 

[Orkan]

help people always can be great

 

[dev553344]

Hello,

I want to volunteer more, I'm ashamed to say I don't volunteer much, although I do a little.

I want to help at a soup kitchen on weekends, my church does not have one to my knowledge so I would go to another one. Does anyone have any advice on what volunteering at one is like and what to expect?

Also if you have other suggestions on places to volunteer I'd be interested. Thank you

I used to help the homeless and sometimes the homeless carry knives into the feeds and cause trouble so be careful in volunteering in one. My homeless brother in law told me about the other homeless guy bringing a large knife into the feed.

I volunteered thru my church years ago as an assistant scout master. And I had a military background so it was a lot of fun to teach the kids about orienteering. We had much needed outdoor time and the company was great.

 

[JohnDB]

After some searching I found a place that looks like a good fit for me, so I'm excited about that.

Is this true? I'm not doubting you I'm just interested in hearing the background behind this.
And thank you for the suggestions, I think especially helping the parents of special needs children sounds like a great help.

Here in the USA food is cheaper as a percentage of income than what most of the world experiences....because food is a commodity and under market pressure to be at certain levels.

Most of the modern world's families operate on average at the rough equivalent of $12,000/year income. (Real estate is much cheaper) Groceries still cost the same...so does energy because these are global commodities.
And if your Groceries still cost $300/week for a small family it means that somewhere between a third to half of your weekly income goes to feeding yourself instead of just a very small portion. (Which is common here in the USA with an average income of $80,000)

That's why I say we have the best fed homeless in the world. We have homeless people who are actually overweight. (Those without chemical dependency issues but instead have mental health issues)

Also, I've traveled extensively to various countries...poor people are everywhere. Every country except America has very skinny poor....just saying. (Not hard to tell when their clothes are literally rags...even the prostitute's)

Most families (globally) that have a house with a yard will have a garden to help alleviate the cost of food....not because it is a hobby or for better flavor tomatoes. Those who live in apartments usually work out a deal of some kind with those with land to garden some groceries PLUS they will have planter boxes on their balconies to grow things.
Then....
On top of this most large cities like Nashville have several churches that have ongoing mission projects to feed and clothe the poor.
I have worked with and around many of these. There is homeless designated food going downtown at a minimum of twice a day every day of the week on top of the Rescue Mission that provides a multitude of services including beds.

Those people who hold up signs saying "will work for food" are lying....they just want money for their chemical dependency. I've offered more than one a job (needed the labor on a regular basis)

 

[Chains Broken]

I used to help the homeless and sometimes the homeless carry knives into the feeds and cause trouble so be careful in volunteering in one.

Yeah I was a little worried about this, the place at which I want to volunteer is a homeless shelter in a major city. Do you have any advice about being safe at one?

Here in the USA food is cheaper as a percentage of income than what most of the world experiences

Thank you, this makes sense.

 

[dev553344]

Yeah I was a little worried about this, the place at which I want to volunteer is a homeless shelter in a major city. Do you have any advice about being safe at one?

Yes, get to know the aggressive types they usually have mannerisms and behavior that is wild. And keep your distance.

 

[Bob Estey]

Hello,

I want to volunteer more, I'm ashamed to say I don't volunteer much, although I do a little.

I want to help at a soup kitchen on weekends, my church does not have one to my knowledge so I would go to another one. Does anyone have any advice on what volunteering at one is like and what to expect?

Also if you have other suggestions on places to volunteer I'd be interested. Thank you

I'm retired, so I have more time to volunteer.

On Monday mornings I head to the church by 7:00 am, stock the restrooms, fill the candlesticks and candlestick lighters with oil, and pick up trash on our 2-acre property. Then I help unload the food pantry trucks, and sometimes date all the boxes of food. Then, for the rest of the morning, I am the assistant maintenance man, dealing with all the maintenance issues of our old buildings.

And I visit seniors in our church. That is a fun job. And I sing in the choir.

 

[Chains Broken]

I'm retired, so I have more time to volunteer.

On Monday mornings I head to the church by 7:00 am, stock the restrooms, fill the candlesticks and candlestick lighters with oil, and pick up trash on our 2-acre property. Then I help unload the food pantry trucks, and sometimes date all the boxes of food. Then, for the rest of the morning, I am the assistant maintenance man, dealing with all the maintenance issues of our old buildings.

And I visit seniors in our church. That is a fun job. And I sing in the choir.

That's great, thank you for helping your church!