Voice of a Volunteer: Renate
Once a month, Renate holds up a sign in the back of the soup kitchen, reading “Meditation – Food for the Soul – Come & join us!”
It’s been over 10 years since she started a meditation class at the soup kitchen, two years after she began volunteering here on a weekly basis. “The soup kitchen is such a warm and welcoming community,” says Renate. “From the beginning I loved helping people, and I found volunteering at the soup kitchen so rewarding.”
[blockquote]“I’m happy and joyful. If we learn to focus within, everyone can be happy and joyful despite all the difficult things going on in the world around us.”[cite]-Renate[/cite][/blockquote]
A retired psychotherapist with a doctoral degree in Sociology of Adult Education, Renate could see the daily stresses the soup kitchen guests faced every day. After two years of regular volunteering, setting up the meditation class seemed a natural next step.
“The soup kitchen is the perfect place for me to share the essentials of Light Meditation. The guests often spend so much time in the busy city streets,” Renate observes. ” Meditation is a great way for them to relax and find inner fulfillment.”
In addition to the meditation classes at the soup kitchen, Renate works with people of all ages across all the five boroughs, including children and seniors.
“I’m happy and joyful,” she explains. “If we learn to focus within, everyone can be happy and joyful despite all the difficult things going on in the world around us.”
