Happy Holidays! How May I Help You?
IMG_5878, originally uploaded by Patty360.
Yesterday I led a group of One Brick volunteers at The Night Ministry. They sorted donations and stuffed stockings that are going to be distributed by the organization’s outreach bus to people living on the streets of Chicago.
This is a big project for TNM to organize each year and couldn’t be done without the donations of goods and volunteer power. With a fluctuating inventory of donated goods, it’s quite the challenge to pull off. TNM does their best to make sure the stockings are uniform and filled with appropriate supplies that will be of real value to the homeless population they serve. Despite their best efforts to communicate their wish list and needs with potential donors, they still receive donations that aren’t suitable for the needs of people living on the streets. The issue of uniformity is also frequently overlooked by donors. The volunteers found it frustrating yesterday to have to re-pack the stockings that were donated by other groups. Although it seemed tedious, the step of emptying the donated stockings and re-packing the supplies into special stockings with draw string closures was important. These stockings are not just a nice gesture but are valuable resources that people on the street need to help them get by. Having major discrepancies in the distributed supplies may cause problems at the distribution sites and would take away from the jovial tone the holiday stockings intend to elicit.
This serves as an important reminder for well-intentioned donors and volunteers to take the time understand the needs of the community. To have the greatest postive impact, instead of assuming what will be helpful, remember to first ask, “What is the genuine community need?” All resources and donations have a place and it may take extra work to find out where your resources are truly needed. It is necessary to take the steps to make sure your good intentions are doing good.
Next time you have something to give, make sure to ask::
- What do you have to contribute?
- What are the genuine community needs?
- Where do these meet?
Trust in the community agency leaders to tell you what their needs are and help you have the greatest positive impact. Ask, “How can I help?” and then follow their instructions.
This is some great advice with a great example. I often help my mom out with the hospice she volunteers for. It is a lot of work simply because people throw a curve ball at the volunteer staff with a well-intended donation.
I like the blog!
Thanks