Tirzah - Meals on Wheels of Loveland & Berthoud
Tirzah has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud for about nine months. She shared a bit about her experience with us. You can read her story below or watch the full interview here.
How did you start volunteering with Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud?
I knew people that were volunteering and I was very interested so I asked them, “What are some of the points and parts that you are getting out of this?” because I wanted to help in my community. I’m very pro-volunteer. I also drive by this facility a lot.
I became more interested when I felt like I was talking to a lot of people about volunteering, but I wasn’t actually volunteering. So I thought, I need to step through that door and actually make a difference. It’s easy to say I want to, but then I wasn’t doing it. So that’s how I originally started - just walking through the doors.
How has volunteering impacted you?
It’s impacted me in different ways. I do give back to the community in different ways, but this one particularly - I thought I would just drop off meals and that would be it. But the reciprocity piece has been a big deal for me.
Going into people’s homes, at first they aren’t sure, and a lot of people don’t really see other people throughout their day. So we are a face of hope and bring them food so they don’t have to cook, but also camaraderie and friendship. I have gotten to know a few of the people that I deliver to and it’s become much more personal. I’ve gotten to know their families. They’re just amazing people and some weren’t very friendly in the beginning. So I think it also represents a small piece of hope for each person.
It’s become a colder world where sometimes people just don’t interact. So it has represented that to me, that I get to see and connect with people and be a part of their life. I love it. It’s been great.
And it is a reciprocity piece. I think when people talk about volunteering, it is a piece where you’re giving your time, you’re giving your energy and you’re not getting money for it, but you’re getting so much more back.
Karin - CASA of Larimer County
Karin has been volunteering with CASA of Larimer County for three years. She shared a bit about her experience with us. You can read her story below or watch the full interview here.
How did you start volunteering with CASA of Larimer County?
I retired almost five years ago and at that time we moved to Colorado. It’s always been my wish to be intentional with my retirement time and CASA was on my bucket list to be a part of. I have always had kids in my life and it just felt like it was important to weave that in here.
How has volunteering impacted you?
CASA has been just an amazing organization for me. When I first started it was a little overwhelming in terms of the process and exposure to what our kids are going through in a new way for me. I’ve had a lot of friends say, “That’s something I could never do.” But over time, I’ve really tried to challenge that because really the beauty of advocating for these kids is trying to plant seeds in them of what their wonder is, what their hope is for the future, what they’re capable of, their uniqueness, showing examples of advocating for them and encouraging them to advocate for themselves – these are older kids that I’ve worked with. For me, it’s just been a super endearing time to be able to be part of these kids' lives in what is one of the most tragic times and try to walk side by side with these kids and offer them hope for what’s to come.
North Forty Mountain Alliance Food Pantry
Darlene, Shirley, Charlie, Jill, and Lillie volunteer at the North Forty Mountain Alliance Food Pantry in Red Feather Lakes. They shared a bit about their experience with us. You can read their story below or watch the full interview here.
How did you start volunteering at the North Forty Mountain Alliance Food Pantry?
Shirley & Charlie: It was a personal need that we had at the time and a friend recommended the pantry. So we came and we started to volunteer. We thought, you know, we’re partaking of all the wonderful things and that we ought to give back.
Jill: I found out about the North Forty Food Bank through the library when I went there one day asking what volunteer opportunities there were in Red Feather.
Lillie: I retired from nursing in Fort Collins and was looking for something to do to fill some time and a friend of mine who was already volunteering told me about this. So I came and volunteered one day and that’s all it took - I was hooked.
How has volunteering impacted you?
Shirley & Charlie: I like seeing people get what they need. I see people go through the basement here at the church and they’re filling up with stuff that keeps them going through the week. And that’s just so good to see: here’s people getting food that is not going to go to waste. And the other pantry is all the way in Fort Collins.
If you want to volunteer, we have so much fun. Volunteers are such kind, warm-hearted people and we have fun too, so that is an added bonus.
Jill: The reason why I chose to volunteer with the food bank is that my background is in food and nutrition. I find it very important for people to have good healthful food and a variety of foods. I feel grateful for the food choices that are offered at this food bank.
Lillie: I’ve really enjoyed meeting so many people from Red Feather. We live up at Crystal Lakes, so I didn’t know that many people in Red Feather. I’ve met so many people.
I love the fact that I’m able to help get the food from Fort Collins up here to Red Feather. We help so many families, so many young families, that really need this to be able to feed their families. So it just feels good to be part of that.
Darlene: Currently we have probably 30 to 40, 50 people that continuously volunteer. What’s amazing to watch is how they help each other - they create their own community. I’ve had one of our volunteers say that this is now her family, everyone that is here. It connects people when we are isolated. It is a form of connection - food always brings people together. By doing that we are able to strengthen our community and our resilience here by offering a way to help people in such a direct and immediate fashion, with food.
The volunteers have created this very strong community and a feeling of being needed, knowing they are valuable, and they are not alone. We are their family and we take care of each other.
Our culture can be very insular, where everyone is expected to care for themselves and provide everything they need and not ask for help and I think that makes us not as strong as we can be. When we come together, then we’re stronger as a whole than we are just as a singular unit. That is what this has created.
SAINT Volunteer Transportation
Dennis, Mike, Sue, and Bill volunteer with SAINT Volunteer Transportation. They shared a bit about their experience with us. You can read their story below or watch the full interview here.
How did you start volunteering with SAINT Volunteer Transportation?
Dennis: I saw an article in the Coloradoan. It was a part time SAINT driver who wrote the article and he worked for the newspaper and I thought that sounded like a pretty good opportunity.
Mike: I knew Gary - he was the director here - through some political action stuff and I was bored, wanted something to do. I had seen the SAINT signs on the cars. So Gary said, "Well, I’ve got something for you to do."
Sue: I got into this because one of the women that works here at SAINT I go to church with and she had some brochures on our table and I’m retired and I thought, "Yeah, you’ve got to give back."
Bill: I started when I saw the sign on someone else’s car. I was phasing out something else that I was involved in and looking for something new to do. So I called and volunteered.
How has volunteering impacted you?
Bill: It’s been great. It’s been a wonderful experience and I don’t see any sign of quitting. My riders are wonderful. They all bring me a little bit of joy because they make me understand how well-off I am.
Sue: I too share your feelings about our regulars. We just pick up where we left off. They'll get in the car and I say, "Hey, so how’s that smoking cessation going?" or you know whatever, and they ask me questions like, "How was your vacation?"
Dennis: It’s a lot of nice conversations with people, so I really enjoy it.
Sue: I have done so many volunteer things after I retired, looking for work. Nothing really gelled like this. And it’s not only old people - it’s people that have not only physical, but mental disabilities. And I have learned so much from them. Like there’s one young woman that is very autistic and she says she doesn’t speak. Well I can’t get her out of the car. She’s talking all the time. And you know when you have that kind of rapport with somebody, it just makes you feel good.
Mike: I was on the fire department here and of course you go out and you help people, that’s what you do. I wasn’t able to do that anymore, so it’s like giving back, that’s what I want to do. I drive on Thursday mornings and, like these guys said, I have my regulars and then I have a few that I meet for the first time. I went to CSU and got a B.A. in history, so I love talking to some of these older people who have been here a while or who came here later from somewhere else. I can get them going. I’ve heard some amazing, amazing stories and that they would share that with me is really fun and it makes me feel good.
Dennis: I drove him home I think 11 years ago from the grocery store and opened up the garage door and there were two kayaks in the garage. No car because he couldn’t drive with the vision problems from all the accidents. Anyway, we started talking and I said, "Yeah, I like to kayak." So for 14 years, he and I have been going kayaking. We just went two weeks ago in Douglas. We go maybe 6 or 7 times a summer, usually reservoirs.
Sue: Keeping them mobile, keeping them part of community, and getting them to their doctors appointments. You know the fun thing is some of these little old ladies still like to get their hair done on Fridays, and why shouldn’t they. It makes them feel pretty. And otherwise a lot of these people can’t afford Ubers or Lyfts, their children aren’t in town, so it’s nothing, it’s just nothing for us to do this.
Bill: I’d like to add something in terms of volunteering in general. A lot of times, especially with seniors and SAINT riders, it’s commonly said that we are in the life enhancing and extending business and my response to that is no, you’re enhancing and extending my life.
