Voice of a Volunteer: Linda
Having dedicated her life to helping others, Linda began volunteering at the soup kitchen in 2009.
As a young woman, soon after her son was born, Linda trained to be a certified nursing assistant, caring for both newborns and the elderly. “Both of those experiences gave me a feeling of accomplishment, knowing that I brought a smile to an infant or comfort to a grandmother,” she recalls.
So as a natural caregiver, Linda was grateful to be able to care for her aging mother in 2002. But when her mother passed away seven years later, Linda knew she needed an outlet for her grief. “Her passing on created days where I could spend time as I wanted,” she remembers. “I decided that volunteering at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen was what I needed during my grieving period,” she says.
Now, all these years later and enduring chronic arthritic pain, Linda still volunteers.
she says. “I greet them with a ‘Good Morning!’” she says. “I receive many “Thank Yous” and that does warm my heart!”
The gratitude our guests offer Linda has been a priceless gift. “My son had an expensive winter jacket he no longer wanted. I gave it to one of our guests who became so overwhelmed he hugged me and continued to thank me days after.”
“I come back to help serve the hungry and to laugh with my fellow volunteers. When I return home from volunteering, I experience a feeling of accomplishment knowing that I’ve done all I could do.”
