Meet German—All-Star Volunteer & Neighbor (Story 6/40)
This is German, and he is incredible.
A volunteer of nearly three years, it’s hard to say just how helpful German (pronounced her-man) has been.
“He’s the most committed volunteer we’ve ever had,” said one staff member.
Most of the time we’re with German, he’s hauling food or filling food bags, and when asked why he does all this, he instantly responded: “I wanted to work directly with people,” he said. “I knew I wanted to help face-to-face, in-person and in a relational way.”
He planned to volunteer one Tuesday a month but then immediately increased that to twice a month.
“I could tell this work was about more than just delivering food. The way the resident services team deals with people, you can really see they care about the people. I remember feeling surprised at how they knew people’s dietary needs, who was diabetic, or who didn’t like certain foods. They took all that into account because they care, and of course they know everyone’s name.”
When asked about his favorite moments here in the community, he said “When we first arrive. The people are so happy to see us, and we all know each other. If people need to talk or laugh or cry or something, we can do that. We make time.”
What do you see when you read about German?
To some, his work could seem small. He sets his alarm, rolls out of bed, drives to the food bank, lifts boxes, shakes hands and hugs necks, helps elderly or the visually impaired up steps, places groceries on their kitchen counter. He also smiles. A lot.
When we think about German, though, we don’t see anything ‘small’ about his volunteer work. As we celebrate our 40th anniversary with 40 stories of community, we have to stop and honor volunteers like German because it’s people like him who hold communities together. Some people argue or fight their way up the ladder, some are just battling to survive and make rent, and others are so numb they barely seem to notice the world around them. German serves, and his service has made a huge difference!
