{"id":1400,"date":"2022-04-22T14:27:55","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T14:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bowery.org\/updates\/?p=1400"},"modified":"2026-01-21T21:32:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T21:32:25","slug":"the-power-of-volunteering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bowery.org\/updates\/2022\/04\/the-power-of-volunteering\/","title":{"rendered":"It all started with a shift: The power of volunteering at The Bowery Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At The Bowery Mission, we often say \u201cit all begins with a meal.\u201d Time and time again, we have seen people who first came to us for a meal go on to become part of our community and achieve full recovery and independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, what we don\u2019t always talk about is that our volunteers often frequently experience life transformation too \u2014 \u201cIt all begins with a meal\u201d can apply to people serving the meals as well! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, we\u2019ve seen countless New Yorkers begin by serving one shift, and then go on to use their gifts and talents to serve our community in deep and lasting ways. Some have found a new sense of meaning and purpose through volunteering. Others have found new friends. Still others have found a path to character development in their own lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month, as we celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Month, we are taking a moment to highlight a number of ways volunteers have continued to connect with our work after serving one shift. Here are five ways our volunteers have gone from serving one meal to engaging in something greater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Volunteering led me to\u2026 find a \u201chome away from home.”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many volunteers at The Bowery Mission say helping to serve meals has given them a place where they belong, a home away from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aretha Choi got the idea to volunteer at The Bowery Mission after passing by our campus on a walk. Her 9-5 tech job didn\u2019t afford many opportunities for human contact \u2014 and she wanted a way to give back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter serving that first shift, I just remember thinking, \u2018this is the best thing I do with my entire week,\u2019\u201d she recalls. \u201cI’m not thinking about anything else when I’m here, I’m just fully present.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aretha says she loves volunteering at the Mission because she gets to be part of a community that is empathetic and warm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Aretha
Volunteer Aretha Choi serves the breakfast shift weekly at The Bowery Mission.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was very complicated for me growing up. Having a \u2018home\u2019 was something that I never really understood as a child,\u201d Aretha says. \u201cBut when I come to the Mission I feel a sense of belonging. A home is not just a physical place. It\u2019s relationships. It can even be certain feelings you’re able to feel in a space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today Aretha loves being part of creating that \u201chome\u201d for others during her weekly breakfast shift. \u201cThere was a moment where I realized I remembered what people’s preferences were for breakfast \u2014 like, \u2018this person doesn’t want coffee,\u2019 or \u2018this person only takes a pastry.\u2019 That moment felt good for me. I was like, \u201coh, I have a place here at The Bowery Mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Volunteering led me to\u2026 become part of the Associate Board. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like Aretha, Rachel Margolin first decided to volunteer at The Bowery Mission after walking by our flagship location every single day on the way to work. \u201cIt always seemed like a really good environment,\u201d she says. \u201cEven the people standing in line seemed happy to be there and were hanging out and talking to one another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On her first meal shift, she remembers serving alongside a father and daughter. She was struck by the manner in which the other volunteers knew each other and were part of a larger community. \u201cIt was clear to me that people were there for a reason and wanted to keep coming back,\u201d Rachel says. \u201cAfter that first shift, I was like, \u2018OK, I need to do this more often.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After volunteering for a few months, Rachel began to feel that she was only seeing a small portion of The Bowery Mission\u2019s work. So, she took the initiative to deepen her engagement by joining The Bowery Mission\u2019s Associate Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Rachel,<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI’m very privileged to be working full time, but I think it\u2019s also crucial to give back and put my passion into something other than work…. As I started my career, it had become really important for me to find an organization I felt passionate about and could give time to on a regular basis.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Rachel<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Volunteering led me to\u2026 donate my skills and expertise.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After volunteering, many people have gone on to support our work by lending their professional expertise in a specialized area. Nurse practitioner Elaine Tsui first connected to The Bowery Mission as a general volunteer at the Don\u2019t Walk By winter outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Volunteers
Elaine Tsui (second from right) volunteering in 2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After seeing the impact of the work up close, she went on to serve as a triage nurse in The Bowery Mission\u2019s Wednesday night medical clinic. She then served as one of the clinic\u2019s chief directors for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I think about volunteering at The Bowery Mission I think about teamwork,\u201d Elaine says. \u201cI found myself staying late after the clinic, just talking to the other volunteers. It\u2019s so fulfilling to take care of people together, and we have a lot of fun. I think that\u2019s partly why I keep coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She continues: \u201cI’m so impressed with doctors and nurses who can come in after a long shift at work and then sit for another two and three hours and see patients. We just have a really caring, generous bunch of people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Volunteering led me to\u2026 join The Bowery Mission team.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A surprising number of volunteers have been inspired to join our staff. In fact, none other than our President & CEO James Winans began as a summer volunteer \u2014 and then climbed the ranks to become our organization\u2019s top leader.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Now
James Winans volunteers at the Mission in 1999.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"CEO
Bowery Mission CEO James Winans volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic, June 2021.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Many leaders in our kitchen \u2014 like Chef Susan, Chef Aisha, Chef Yolanda and Chef Beckie \u2014 started out working just one shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chef Yolanda was working as a teacher when COVID-19 hit. Concerned for her neighbors who had nowhere to shelter in place, she began handing out supplies on the street \u2014 walking from 34th street all the way up to 59th while talking to people and handing out food. \u201cI realized then there was a lot more that I could not see and that I needed to be part of something bigger,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eager to connect even more with people in need, Yolanda began volunteering regularly at The Bowery Mission. \u201cI was able to see people more regularly, to sit down with them and get to know their stories,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was mind-blowing to connect with people on a deeper level.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chef Yolanda went on to serve more than 200 volunteer hours at The Bowery Mission, becoming a critical part of our daily operations. \u201cEventually, I could not sleep without dreaming about The Bowery Mission. I could not wake up without wondering what was happening in the mornings there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With encouragement from our staff, Yolanda finally applied for a position on The Bowery Mission\u2019s Food Services team. Despite having never worked in food or hospitality before, she had gained hands-on experience by volunteering almost daily at the Mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Chef Yolanda oversees the preparation and service of full meals at the Mission \u2014 and she even recently coordinated meals for the Don\u2019t Walk By winter outreach. In less than two years, she went from being a concerned bystander to a regular volunteer to a part-time staff member to a full-time dishwasher and prep cook to a full-time Food Services Associate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Chef<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cIt started with me wanting to help people and put \u2018feet to my faith.\u2019 And then it turned into me growing and developing as a person…. I just feel so embraced here. The Mission is my family.\u201d \u2014 Chef Yolanda<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

5. Volunteering led me to\u2026 get my company involved to provide financial support and employee service opportunities.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Time and time again, our volunteers have rallied their families and networks, their companies and their churches to engage in our work. Volunteering is a great way to connect with others \u2014 and what better way to build rapport than serving your community together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patrick Fitzgerald is one of those solo volunteers who went on to get his entire company, VideoAmp, involved in financially supporting and serving at The Bowery Mission each month. He also became part of our \u201cSWAT\u201d volunteer team \u2014 a group of high impact volunteers committed to serving last minute shifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patrick, who works in sales, says volunteering began as a great way to demonstrate his personal commitment to giving back. <\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s about paying it forward without expecting anything in return,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd in the meantime, you get the enjoyment of making someone else\u2019s day just a little <\/em>bit better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, VideoAmp employees volunteer once a month together at the Mission. \u201cIt\u2019s been great to have our team step out of the normal workday and get involved in the community that we all love and live in,\u201d Patrick says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Volunteers
VideoAmp employees volunteering at The Bowery Mission<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Volunteer Today! <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We at The Bowery Mission are so thankful for the many friends who come alongside us, filling in gaps with their hands and hearts to care for our community in need. Volunteering to serve another person can be a life-changing experience, sparking a ripple of compassion that begins with one life and goes on to impact an entire community. Learn more and sign up today.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At The Bowery Mission, we often say \u201cit all begins with a meal.\u201d Time and time again, we have seen people who first came to us for a meal go on to become part of our community and achieve full recovery and independence. However, what we don\u2019t always talk about is that our volunteers often […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[55,31,74,30],"class_list":["post-1400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlight","tag-action","tag-compassionate-care","tag-staff","tag-volunteers"],"yoast_head":"\nIt all started with a shift: The power of volunteering at The Bowery Mission - The Bowery Mission: Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here are five ways our volunteers have gone from serving just one meal at The Bowery Mission to engaging in something greater.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bowery.org\/updates\/2022\/04\/the-power-of-volunteering\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It all started with a shift: The power of volunteering at The Bowery Mission - 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