Wendy Liebhart gathered a group of volunteers together one recent Thursday night shortly before the Greater Wayne County Food Pantry opened to the public. The pantry manager let the volunteers know that the Wooster Hope Center is merely a building, but the work they do to serve the community is what makes it come alive. She spoke about how important the volunteers are to the operations.
Indeed, volunteers are vitally important: No one at the Wooster Hope Center is paid, and this includes Executive Director Richard Frazier and Pantry Manager Wendy Liebhart.
Before offering a prayer to get started, Wendy mentioned it was the first time for two volunteers, and they literally showed up from near and far.
Volunteer: Nancy from Dallas
One of the first-timer volunteers was Nancy Wechsler from Dallas. Her daughter, Ashley, is a student at the College of Wooster. Nancy decided to travel from the Lone Star State to the Buckeye State to visit her daughter over the Easter holiday.
Because Ashley was busy with school activities, Nancy searched for a place where she could volunteer. She picked up a local weekly publication and found a place that caught her eye: The Wooster Hope Center.
“I was trying to fill in some time,” Nancy said. “We have the Texas Food Bank, and I worked there quite a bit.”
Nancy was impressed with the Wooster Hope Center’s operations.
“This is a great mission,” Nancy said. “At the Texas Food Bank, you just come in and stock shelves; you don’t meet the people. There’s no interaction with the people, and you don’t see where the outreach is to the different ministries or different agencies. You are just taking pallets of food and putting them on shelves. I love this. You are actually seeing the people come in and [involved in] the outreach to the people themselves. It’s so good to see them serving so many people.”
Volunteer: Stacey from next door
Stacey Howell, the other of the first-time volunteers, came from pretty close to the Wooster Hope Center: She lives right next door. Stacey has a little bit of a history with the food pantry and with Wendy.
“I used to come over here for the food bank,” Stacey said. “I started talking with Wendy, and we got close.”
However, Stacey said she “got in trouble with the courts,” so, she started volunteering at the Wooster Hope Center to satisfy her community service hours. “Just to see the smiles on people’s faces and to be helping other people made it something I wanted to do even after it wasn’t court-ordered.”
And, that is just what she did. That Thursday night was the first time Stacey was there volunteering to help on her own.
“It feels better knowing I am doing it because I want to do it and not because I am forced to do it by the court,” Stacey said.
Volunteer: Dennis from Wooster
Dennis Lust has been volunteering for a year. One night during dinner, his friend, Joe Wenger, was talking about the Wooster Hope Center. (Joe is a volunteer, too.) Dennis told Joe he would go down and give it a try.
“I started doing it and enjoyed it,” Dennis said. He tries to volunteer one or two shifts a week.
We need volunteers
As Wendy pointed out to the volunteers before their shift: They are the lifeblood of Wooster Hope Center.
“We couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers,” Pastor Rich said. “They give so much of their time to serve a cause greater than themselves.”
For Stacey, who has been in the line to receive food and walked through the line helping others get food, volunteering at the food pantry is “a great thing. I like that they are not only a food bank, but they make you feel welcome, that you are not just here just for food.”
Stacey also said she enjoys helping others, especially the homeless, to let them know they have hope and are not alone.
“I enjoy serving other people and helping people in need,” Dennis said. “When you work the wagons [and take the people through the line], you get to talk with the people. You see another world out there that many people don’t realize.”
For those who are thinking about volunteering at the Wooster Hope Center, Dennis said: “Give it a shot. You can be flexible with it. It’s a friendly atmosphere. You can be flexible with how often you volunteer.”
The Greater Wayne County Food Pantry at the Wooster Hope Center, 807 Spruce St., Wooster, is open noon to 3 p.m. Wednesdays; 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays; and 10 a.m. to noon on Fridays. About 100,000 pounds of food is distributed each week, and it takes about 80 volunteers. Learn more about being a volunteer by clicking here.