Patrice started volunteering at our Pearl Street Cupboard & Café at the start of the pandemic after it hit her: So many of her neighbors were hungry. "I was on the bus and I saw the people in line and I thought, 'That's what I can do. I can help these people.'"
Three years later, she's still here three days a week. Patrice has Parkinson's disease but doesn't let it stop her from giving back. She's in her glory sorting out the bread and pastry donations we get from Starbucks and other retailers: Sandwiches, bagels, bread and treats like Madeleine cakes that go to our pantry and café clients.
"It feels really good when you go home after," Patrice said. "I imagine people taking the food home and liking what they got."
In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, we held three recognition events this spring to thank Patrice and our hundreds of other dedicated volunteers who serve at Pearl Street, the Marlborough Community Cupboard and WHEAT Community Connections.
To everyone who donates their time and muscle to help us feed the hungry, THANK YOU! Volunteers are the heart and backbone of our organization and we're incredibly grateful for all that you do—from helping Chef Shelley make and box up 200 lunches at WHEAT to wheeling carts of groceries outside in all weather to our clients' cars in Marlborough to welcoming our guests and serving them dinner with dignity at our café in Framingham. We have incredible individuals and teams that help with our Tools for School and Hope for the Holidays programs, Feed-A-Family distribution and the MetroWest Crossdock. And we're always lucky to have corporate groups that come and make a huge difference.
Patrice said she's always encouraging others to volunteer. "You really feel good about what you've done for other people, and we are shorthanded. It feels good to help," she said.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer visit uwotc.org/volunteer