This Is the Reason I Volunteer

By Amy Earley

Today I was reminded why I volunteer at DaySpring Villa. I do a bit of everything except cook (they don't let me in the kitchen), but my main job is to sort incoming donations. We receive everything from shoes to clothing to household items to computer parts to garage sale leftovers.

I love what I do—mostly. It can get overwhelming at times, and every now and then I want to quit because it seems there is just no way I will catch up. Then days like today happen.

At DaySpring Villa, we strive to meet all of our guests' needs: physically, emotionally, spiritually, medically, and so on. Some of our guests need food. Many need sleep. Some need clothes. Others just need to cry and know they are finally safe. Some of them arrive with little more than the clothes on their backs. Maybe they managed to bring baby formula with them; maybe they didn't. Maybe they have a hairbrush; maybe they don't. Maybe they got out the door with a pair of matching shoes; maybe they didn't. We had a guest arrive this week who said, "The shoes I'm wearing don't even match." We found her some shoes.

I ran into a new guest in the hall today with her two children. The little one was asleep in a stroller, which had sat empty in our hall the day before, waiting for someone to need it. The little one was wearing an outfit I recognized from our baby room. I was glad she had found him something warm and cozy. I asked her if there was anything specific she needed for him or her other child. She responded, "No, not that I can think of. We are so use to doing without that I don't even know what we need." I assured her that we would have plenty of opportunity to shop in our storeroom and we would see that she received anything she needed. If we didn't have it, God would send it soon.

Then I met another guest and her three children. They all found coats in the storeroom. Later, I took some laundry baskets that had been donated and gave them to the new guests. I have never seen someone's eyes light up over a laundry basket. But this woman's eyes did.

As I left that day, I saw another new guest arriving with several children and wondered about their story. A man in a truck helped her unload things: a collapsing laundry basket, an old suitcase, and a few other assorted bags or containers holding their belongings. He can't be her abuser, I thought. Maybe he's her dad. He picked up one of the kids and gave him a big hug. Grandpa? The woman came back outside carrying anther child to see the man before he left. I wondered if he was crying over having to leave her and the kids there, or if he was relieved that they were finally safe.

So these are the reasons I volunteer. Because people need shoes. Because babies need formula and warm blankets. Because students need supplies to go to school. Because sometimes, just knowing that someone cares enough to get you something you need can give you enough hope to keep going. But most of all, I do what I do because God has called me. He has equipped me for this, and so far He hasn't told me to stop.