Ren Autry, Outsiders Inn

“There really needs to be support in place for these youth that are aging into adulthood. These are the people who are going to be running our country in the next ten years. If we don’t support them, they aren’t going to be able to support us later on in life. They are our kids: nieces, nephews, sons, and daughters. They all deserve a helping hand. We’re all better off when everyone has a safe, stable home.”

Adam Kravitz, Outsiders Inn

I regularly go into the SOS and other emergency shelters, and some of my favorite memories are when the volunteers and guests don’t know who I am. I get treated like a guest; I’m repeatedly asked if I need food, and people will re-check in with me and see if I need something and make sure I’m okay. Just sitting in the space, listening, taking it all in, and feeling it out. It happens every season, and I know the volunteers and guests are showing each other care and kindness. We love new volunteers coming in, and we love the home-cooked meals. This is our fourth season of doing the SOS, and we’ve built lots of beautiful relationships, and lots of folks have gone into housing, so we want to continue that and keep being successful.

Brian Norris, Live Love Warming Shelter

My favorite memory that always comes to mind is about a family that came in a few years ago. It happened to be their daughter’s birthday. It was so cool watching. Human nature just took over, and everyone rallied to provide an amazing birthday party for this little girl. Even outside of the volunteers, the guests took over, and some ran to the Winco nearby. Before we knew it, we even had a birthday cake. It was beautiful. Situations like that are what I always look forward to. I’m in another season where volunteers have moved on to other things and are doing outreach work in our community year-round. Now, we’re working on training up a new group of volunteers and seeing how their hearts are going to be touched by others. All of us on this webinar panel have been there. There’s something just amazing that happens when you volunteer yourself, and when I see that with the new volunteers, it’s just truly amazing. That’s why we do what we do.

Jane Seidel, Winter Hospitality Overflow and St. Andrew Lutheran Church Vancouver, WA

This is a recurring memory for me. When I was first year at St. Andrews. One of the first shifts I worked, they didn’t let me do very much cause I was just getting started. They did let me open the front door. When it was time to invite the guests in, I opened the front door, and there was a line of people waiting in various states, sitting and standing. I turned around and said, “Hey, good to see you, how are you?”. They just kind of looked around, and I realized at that moment how I often walk down the street and maybe look away or avoid people. I thought this was probably the first time today that someone has noticed them and said, “Hey, I’m glad to see ya. Come on in.” That has really stuck in my mind. The experience and surprised look on people’s faces. It’s been one of my biggest values. I want to be sure that volunteers are seeing, greeting, and recognizing people and not just getting tied up in the grind of providing services. Just a small gesture can make a difference. It’s an amazing thing.