Fall Around the Corner
September marks the beginning of Fall, which in theory, means cooler temperatures if you live anywhere else besides Arizona. I have had sweat dripping off me when trick-or-treating with my kids at the end of October in the evening, so it’s hard to say.
Speaking of sweat, this past weekend, I volunteered with our youngest daughter at a local foodbank (who shall remain nameless) with about 50+ other volunteers. The following story is meant to provide some humor, at my expense.
In the coordinator’s infinite wisdom, they put me in charge of breaking down 2 pallets of 24 lb. boxes of beans and keeping the volunteer on the conveyer belt stocked with beans to fill the boxes as they sped by. We were separated by about 10 feet. After an hour, I was in a lot of pain, all over.
While I grumbled for a good 48 hours about who in their right mind, would think that was the job for a 56-year-old woman volunteering, I also came away with a newfound respect for people who work in stocking and assembly lines. I also came to work on Monday, still in pain, but I’m grateful for my work.
I am also a wee bit competitive, and while I may be “old” as our daughter called me, I can still out-work her generation. I was very grateful when a nice girl volunteered to switch places with me for the last ½ an hour of our 2-hour shift. Then I got to stand still and put the pinto beans in the boxes as they sped by on the conveyor belt. She kindly broke down boxes and carried the pinto beans to my basket. She couldn’t keep up and had to have help. Small source of pride for my ego, while my body was screaming for days.
While I will never do that again, I have enjoyed volunteering with my daughter through the National Charity League (NCL) with a variety of charities. I wholeheartedly encourage connecting with local charities. We have met interesting people who volunteer with us, receive help, or work in these organizations. We have learned about different needs and issues that we would never have known about otherwise.
Currently, I am the liaison for our NCL chapter with Harvest Compassion Centers, and I am in awe of the people who run their centers and the mission of that charity. They are a wonderful organization HCC | Harvest Compassion Center Phoenix/Maryvale.
