January 2023: Volunteer Spotlight
Pamela working with the Tuesday crew to get lunch ready.
Pamela Graham is a Tuesday regular here at Project Host. She started volunteering with us in the summer of 2021, as soon as the kitchen reopened for service. Pamela is always ready to lend a helping hand, whether that be cutting onions or greeting guests at the door. Project Host wanted to know why she dedicates her free time every week.
Where are you originally from? How long have you lived in Greenville?
Hailing from Ohio, my husband and I moved to the Carolinas in 1998. We bounced around and settled in Greenville in 2005. We have raised three boys here and now call Greenville, SC home.
How long/often do you volunteer at PH? How did you learn about Project Host and what drew you to volunteering in the Soup Kitchen?
I started at Project Host in the summer of 2021. I decided to take early retirement from work and was looking to fill some of my time volunteering. Missing some of the work social interaction, I knew I wanted to find something with a group of people. I considered several different options. It also became important to me to find something that would employ the corporal works of mercy. There are so many opportunities in Greenville, but it was a posting in our church bulletin in the summer of 2021 that caught my eye. Project Host would be reopening the dining room and they were needing volunteers. I didn’t know much about the inner workings, but I remember dropping off some donations from one of my children’s elementary school class years ago. I remembered when the door opened, seeing a busy kitchen, full of people with a focused energy. I remember the people who gathered outside waiting for the meal. Feed the hungry. It seemed perfect. So, I started filling in on the schedule here and there and eventually settled into a particular day. I now come weekly, as the schedule allows. And love being part of the Tuesday crew.
What motivates you to spend your time at Project Host?
While my original motivation was to fill some of my free time and meet people while giving back, I find that it has become more than that. None of what we do is about us. It is about cutting onions for the soup even though it makes you cry. (And finally figuring out how to do it without crying.) Sorting, and organizing donations. Welcoming people at the door. Getting food on a tray to keep the line going. Wiping down tables, or even cleaning a bathroom. Doing whatever is asked of me. All this so someone else can have a good day, a healthy meal, a place to come and interact with others. I am motivated to serve in a selfless way. And even though some days I go home exhausted, I feel more fulfilled each time. It seems selfish in an odd way, that in trying to be selfless, I may be getting more out of it than those we serve.
What’s your favorite part of volunteering at Project Host?
Now when I open the door and walk in, I am a part of that energy I saw years ago. I walk into a kitchen of familiar faces, along with new ones each week. We catch up, introduce, and have a sense of comradery. Everyone is working together, helping, laughing. And the interaction shifts at 11 am when the doors open, and hungry people start streaming in. There are familiar faces, those we call by name and new faces. Everyone is thankful for the meal - you can see it. And many make a point to thank us, say hello or “have a good day!” The people make Project Host. Being part of that is my favorite part.
How has volunteering at Project Host shaped/changed your view of Greenville?
I don’t know that volunteering at Project Host has necessarily changed my view of Greenville. I think it has been a wonderful place to live and raise a family. But since I have begun volunteering, I am much more aware of the community of Greenville. I walk around downtown and see people who have stopped in for a meal. Or I run into someone I worked alongside of in the kitchen chopping vegetables. I have met people from hospitals, businesses, schools, churches who volunteered along side of me. I have met students in the CC Pearce Culinary School who have shared their aspirations. I have helped unload donations from organizations and individuals. I see people weekly who have just finished a meal, stay to help take out the trash or push in chairs. And every Tuesday I see people who gladly return a smile and wave goodbye as I leave the parking lot. Greenville has become a community of people.