Why volunteer?

By CAROL RYAN- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Every year, St Jude the Apostle parish in Wynantskill sponsors an international food festival fundraiser. This year's festival sealed the deal on this being my favorite fundraiser.

For 10 years, I have chaired the Irish booth, which simply means I have perfected the art of watching corned beef boil in a pot of water. We frequently ask local businesses to donate items. My annual victim is Old World Provisions, which purchased Helmbold's a few years back. Old World Provisions is arguably the best producers of corned beef on this side of the Atlantic.

For 10 years, Helmbold's and then Old World generously donated a pound of corned beef for every pound we purchased. This year, when picking up the corned beef, I noticed a t-shirt with the Helmbold's logo on it: a pig wearing a chef's hat.

I thought, "I'll buy a few shirts; we'll wear them while we serve as a way to say, 'Thank you.'"

"Les," I asked the butcher, "How much for the shirts?"

"You can have them," he said.

Two days before the food festival, my 11-year-old daughter turned up wearing one of the pig shirts. "Take that off," I said; "that's for us to wear on Saturday."

I'd noticed, however, that the shirt was a good fit for her, which meant there was no way it would fit me. "Oh, well," I thought; "I can hang them up behind our booth."

Saturday arrived and the food festival was in full swing. I forgot all about hanging up the shirts. Our corned beef was so delicious that we sold out. We started to clean up and I found the shirts. I folded them on the counter and headed to the beer tent.

When I returned, there was a woman at the counter who'd caught my eye earlier: Her son, Jonathon, had serious disabilities. I'd noticed how much joy they seemed to bring each other; I would look over and see Jonathon hugging his mother, and she'd return the hug with a loving smile.

She asked, "Are these your t-shirts? Can I buy one? My son really likes it."

"You can have them," I replied. Her son was so happy! We were all happy. It was one of those moments in life where you experience something special.

Was God trying to tell me something? This was so simple, but meaningful, spiritual. Weeks later, I'm still thinking of Jon and his mother. Who would have known that a t-shirt would have such an effect on so many people?

I learned that a simple act of kindness created happiness in a child, his mother and others. I learned to count my blessings: I have three healthy children.

I learned that God is present when we gather as a church community. Getting involved can bring rewards you don't expect. You need to be there, in the game, and not be distracted.

I am a pragmatist when it comes to fundraising, setting financial goals and trying to beat them. This is one I didn't plan and had no spreadsheet to track, but it paid off in ways I never expected.

Volunteer. A gift may be waiting for you.[[In-content Ad]]