A View From The Front Desk
2/22/2012 10:56:00 AM by Mary Givens
Mary Givens greets every guest that visits the St. Louis Area Foodbank / Photo by Bethany Prange
My name is Mary and I have the best job at the St. Louis Area Foodbank.
I work at the front desk, where I get to talk to and interact with our volunteers, staff, agency personnel and clients.
I am the voice on the other end of the line when someone wants to volunteer their time to help fight hunger in our community.
I am also the person who speaks to families in need when they call to locate a pantry in their neighborhood who can provide them with food.
I hear some of the most heart-wrenching stories from these families. But after they receive help and know someone cares, they are always very grateful.
I am humbled by the work we do and the number of wonderful people who pass by my desk every day.
One of my favorite parts of my job is greeting the volunteers who come into the Foodbank each day. When my other work overwhelms me, I can always count on our volunteers to make me smile!
We have volunteers from every age group - from young children to adults – who care enough about others to come in here and help pack boxes of food for those in need.
We have individuals and groups who volunteer every week, and we have those who only come once a year. But they all do their part to help fight hunger.
And from what I’ve seen, once they come in to volunteer with us once, they want to come back.
At the end of each shift, the volunteers are told how many people they have helped with their hard work. From my desk in the front, I can hear them clapping in the Volunteer Center and see their excitement as they leave.
One group of volunteers I enjoy seeing very much is a group of individuals with special needs. They come in every Wednesday. A couple of weeks ago, one of the men in the group came over to me. He shook my hand and gave me a huge smile.
One of the group leaders told me that this was a huge compliment because this gentleman does not respond well to strangers. It made me feel so good.
This past week, we also had a group of high school kids come in to volunteer.
I always have a basket of candy on my desk – everybody has a sweet tooth. On this day, one of the high school boys came in and grabbed the candy. He smiled, and looked surprised when I told him to go ahead and share with his friends.
At the end of the volunteer shift, I looked down the hall and there he was, bringing me back my basket with a huge smile.
My candy basket keeps the volunteers happy – it’s a small reward.
The candy also ensures that there is a steady stream of staff hovering around my desk throughout the day. I get to hear lots of stories from my
“Foodbank family” and see what kind of mischief they get into. I love it!
During the Cardinals playoff run last year, one of our volunteers came in and told me there was an injured squirrel lying on the Foodbank’s front lawn.
I called Will, our Volunteer Coordinator and in-house outdoorsman, and he went out to check on the squirrel. The next thing I knew, Will was carrying the squirrel like a baby in his arms. He gave the squirrel water and love and before long, the squirrel jumped out of his arms and ran away, good as new!
That squirrel was definitely our Rally Squirrel!
We laughed about that for a long time.
We have a good time here, and take pride in helping others. If you ever have three hours free, please consider coming in to volunteer.
You will be glad you did. I’d love to see you!
Mary Givens is an office assistant at the St. Louis Area Foodbank.
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