From Shelter to Stability
Metro Richmond Women's Bar Association and Bon Secours Volunteers, True CARITAS Ambassadors
December 2011
By Sharon Drescher
During a recent open Saturday at the CARITAS Furniture Bank we engaged a group of volunteers, approximately 12 attorneys along with their friends and spouses from the Women's Bar Assoc (Board President Ali Fannon was part of the group). They certainly made the most of their time with us, they built 3 kitchen tables, unloaded a tractor trailer, made dish packs and restocked shelves in the linens room. While they were working hard in the warehouse we also served 3 clients and their families and took in donations. At one point a convoy of pick up trucks and SUVs pulled into the parking lot. They backed up to the bay doors and the drivers jumped out and started unloading beds, tables, dressers and bags of linens. I realized they all knew each other so was very curious about the connection. As they continued to unload with the help of our Bar Assoc volunteers I asked how they heard about the FB, one of the women was just bursting with excitement and said "I work for Bon Secours and
volunteered here with a group of coworkers. I was so moved by the stories I heard and the dedication you all have to our community, I've been telling everyone about CARITAS". She then went on to say that a group of her friends got together, drove around their neighborhood and picked up items from those that didn't have trucks and then drove down to Commerce Rd.
They all had big smiles, some had children with them that were listening so intently while helping their parents unload donations. I was bursting with excitement too, this is exactly the experience we want to provide everyone that visits our facilities. Sharing our passion and mission empowers others to act on our behalf, sometimes without us even knowing they are doing it. Needless to say, I was proud to stand on that cold loading dock wearing my CARITAS fleece, knowing I was part of an awesome community...it was a great day!