This week at the Mooresville Soup Kitchen (MSK) we decided to explore the benefits of volunteerism by taking the time to ask our volunteers a few questions about their service at the soup kitchen. We thought it would be nice to share a summary of some of their answers.

 

What do you think are the benefits of being an MSK volunteer?

 

We asked our volunteers what they thought were some benefits of being a MSK volunteer. Some said they had a sense of self satisfaction.

Some said that they felt being at MSK gave them happiness in the moment and happiness that was long lasting after they left for the day.

Others expressed that volunteering benefited them as their way to be an obedient servant to others and the lord. Also said was that coming to MSK was a great way to meet people in the community that enjoy helping others.

 

 

 

How much of an impact do you think your work makes on our guests?

Next, we asked our volunteers how much of an impact they felt their work made on our guests. Our volunteers felt that they encourage nutrition here at MSK by being able to provide our guests with meals on a daily basis, that they may not have gotten otherwise. One volunteer expressed that they loved being able to provide a home-like experience for guests by giving a listening ear, using kind words, and establishing a welcoming spirit and atmosphere here at MSK.

 

How do you impact the community?

 

Then, we asked our volunteers how they thought they impacted not only the guests, but the community. Here at MSK our volunteers feel they are given the opportunity to bring people together in a judgment-free zone—to show them that there are people in their community, be it their neighbor or someone they’ve never met that share the same struggles. By meeting these people we can prove to them that they are not alone in this world. There are people in their community, not just at MSK, that care about them and support them. Our volunteers at MSK are able to see the impact they make in the community when our guests leave radiating with positivity and go out into the community to continue to spread that positivity. It’s a great thing when we get new guests and they say they heard about how great of an experience their friend or family member had at MSK and that they wanted to come experience it for themselves. That is how much of an impact our volunteers make in the community and it is a wonderfully awesome thing!

 

 

 

What have you learned from our guests?

 

 

The last thing we asked our volunteers was how much they learned from the guests they meet while serving at MSK. While society stereotypes people that go to soup kitchens, our volunteers have learned that there all kinds of people that come to the soup kitchen hungry and in need. They have learned that people are not as they appear and they have met people that come to MSK that are their neighbors, church members, or coworkers. Our volunteers come to learn that every one of our guests has something different going on in their lives and that everyone lives a different life than the person they may sit next to in church. Overall, our volunteers know what it means to be grateful, thankful, and appreciative of the lives they’ve been given by seeing the hands of people in their community reach out in need and being able to fill them.

 

 

 

Our volunteers are the best part of MSK

Our volunteers are the best part of MSK. Without them we would cease to exist and with them we strive in being able to provide the best that we can to our guests and community by helping those who cannot help themselves. As said by one of volunteers Sabrina, “It is a privilege to be able to serve others in such a wonderful atmosphere of MSK and to do so under the name and with the strength of Jesus Christ.”

 

For more information and to volunteer

The Mooresville Soup Kitchen is at 275 S. Broad St. and volunteers are always needed. For more information, go to www.mooresvillesoupkitchen.com or contact Ty Hollins at volunteer@mooresvillesoupkitchen.com.

 

 

Lara B. Ingram, MSW, LCSW
Executive Director, Mooresville Soup Kitchen