Specialized Housing Community Members Give Back

By Michael Caballero  

BROOKLINE, MA — Most people, if they have the choice, would prefer to have a day off from their jobs on holidays or during their summer breaks. But Sarah and Richie, who both live in one of our Brookline communities and have jobs during the week, often volunteer on holidays and their days off. Their program manager, John, told me that they were scheduled to volunteer on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so I was hoping to catch up with them to talk about their most recent volunteer experience. It turned out the weather got in the way of their volunteering plans for MLK Day, but I thought it would be nice to talk to them about why they enjoy volunteering, even on holidays.

Rich works at one of the BU student cafeterias and helps with cleaning and prepping food in the kitchen. Sarah works at the UMass Boston campus, also helping with cleaning in one of their cafeterias. Both of them report that they enjoy their jobs, and they’re always busy, which seems to fit with their decisions to volunteer.

My first pressing question was why they volunteer on their holidays. Sarah was quick to answer: “I get vacations and summers off because of my job. I like to stay busy, and I’d rather be busy doing something than sitting around the house all day. I also like helping when I can.” Rich agreed. “I really like volunteering when I can. It’s fun, and the people are really nice, and they like us.”

Depending on their schedules, they volunteer at First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain, where they help with making meals for other volunteers to deliver. They also volunteer at East End House in Cambridge, where they help with organizing and preparing food items for pickup at the pantry. With a wide grin, Rich tells me that they appreciate his help: “They love the job that I’m doing over there because I love it, and I do a great job. I help them clean up after they are done and sweep the floor. When they are done handing out food, I help put tables back.” Aside from helping people, I asked what else he enjoys about volunteering. Rich said, “I like taking stuff off the truck and helping clean up. It’s my job when the Cisco truck comes with their deliveries.” 

Sarah explained that she enjoys being around other volunteers, organizing grocery items. “The people are nice, and I like helping. I sort different things in each category like candy bars, shampoos, milk and other random things, and then we put them into bags for groceries. Some items we have to limit because they only have a certain amount. Other things, people can have as much as they want.”

Richie and Sarah are not alone. Many of our SHI community members are out in the community working and/or volunteering, and we enjoy hearing about their experiences. Thanks to Sarah and Richie for sharing a little about their volunteering experiences, and we look forward to sharing more updates from SHI folks who are providing so much help and value to people within their communities.