August 2021: Volunteers of the Month
Valerie and Cassidy
Valerie and Cassidy Richardson are a mother-and-daughter team from Travelers Rest who wanted to volunteer over the summer and signed up at Project Host. They consistently volunteered each week, typically on Monday or Tuesday, but often whenever they saw a need, and they continue to do so now, into the fall. Project Host wanted to know what it was about volunteering in our Soup Kitchen that kept this pair coming back week after week.
How did you hear about Project Host?
I (Valerie) learned about Project Host through my connection with the Travelers Rest Farmers Market. We loved that Project Host not only serves the homeless community and those getting back on their feet, but also provides an education from gardening and cooking to culinary job skills.
There is a saying from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu,
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Project Host provides both a teaching environment for those who are unemployed or underemployed to learn the skills to thrive, and a hot meal for those stuck in a hard place. Project Host makes a difference, and we want to be part of it.
What motivates you to spend your time at Project Host?
It's purposeful, it's rewarding, and it's fun.
What is your relationship to our Soup Kitchen guests?
We want to be a smiling face for them to see in their day. We want to greet them with respect and encourage them on a day that might be particularly hard. Cassidy makes connections, learns names, and looks for regular guests each week. When they are not at lunch, we pray for their safety, and we pray that they return the next day/week.
How has volunteering at Project Host changed your view of Greenville?
Greenville is more than a pretty city. Under it all, a lot of people here care for those in need, either by providing generous donations or by volunteering. For example, Christ Church made hundreds of sandwiches for bag lunches when the dinning room was closed because of the pandemic and continues to do so to support Project Host’s free food truck outreach. There are countless other examples of similar acts of kindness.
What’s your favorite part of volunteering?
It's hard to pick just one thing.
The soup kitchen managers, Cathy and Anne...they're great at the job of juggling a different group of crazy volunteers daily while keeping their sense of humor. Project Host is blessed to have these two amazing women.
The other volunteers... We have made friends and listened to their stories, which allows us to give more grace and show more mercy. We say, everyone has a story. The volunteers haven't all been blessed with easy lives. Many have had real hardship and want to give back.
What if every American volunteered weekly? We might not feel so entitled, we might be better people, and we might not think so much about ‘me.’