The caller mistakenly hit the wrong numbers when she was in the voice mail system, so she ended up ringing my desk. She was a former client - we helped her find employment through JobNet and provided food during her job search. She was distraught because she was unemployed again and needed help, so I gave her information on how to begin again at JobNet.
She gave me few details on her current situation, but spent most of the phone call describing the different volunteers who had helped her, wondering if they were still with us. The conversation went something like this, "When I was at JobNet, a woman in her 50s with brown hair was especially kind to me in the computer lab. Is she still there?" Or, "The man who bagged my groceries each time I needed food always asked how I was doing."
She didn't have enough information for me to determine who these volunteers were, but her point was clear: the volunteers made her feel wanted and welcomed and cared about. She wanted assurance that her experience this time around would be similar.
I told her I couldn't identify the volunteers, but let her know the behavior she was describing was part of our culture, and that the volunteers who helped her this time would also be wonderful. She sighed in relief, thanked me, and hung up.
To all the CCSC volunteers who are reading this blog: thank you for exuding kindness to those who come through our doors. Hebrews 13:2 tells us Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
