By Cameron Williams
The Charlotte Post
A ladle of soup and a friendly smile make a difference.
That is what the women’s ministry at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church have been doing for over 30 years at the Salvation Army Center of Hope, an emergency housing facility for women and children. The volunteers, who serve meals eight times a month, are well into their senior years and hanging up their aprons to make way for reinforcements.
“There is a need for the spirit of love,” said Pat White, the leader of volunteers at Friendship Missionary Baptist. “It may sound like a simple job that we do to come down here and serve lunch. I ask all our ladies to just come serve an hour a month. Volunteer and bring a smile and the spirit of love to the folks we serve.”
It was a difficult decision, but White said stepping aside opens the door for younger volunteers to continue the service. White recognizes that it may be difficult to find volunteers that can give the amount of time the church ladies have given they had been retired and didn’t have work obligations to uphold.
“I understand how things are these days,” White said. “A lot of people are younger than most of us. Most of us are retired now, so we have the time. We have that time in the day to give. But, over the last few years some younger ladies have come and served. It is important because I don’t know if the majority of people know the kind of work that needs to be done, so by putting the word out, hopefully somebody will pick it up.”
Volunteer Lillian Ward emphasized the urgency of others stepping in.
“It is a need,” she said. “We are retired seniors, and we need help. There are a lot of people that are younger than us that don’t see the same need for it that we do, or they might not be able to do it because they aren’t retired. But like Pat said, putting the word out to the community and to the younger folks that their help is needed and wanted so that we can continue to serve the community the way it needs to be served.”
Salvation Army Charlotte Area Commander Major Andrew Wiley understands the effects of these volunteers stepping aside.
“There is going to be a huge void,” he said. “They’ve done a number of days per month for over 30 years. They’ve given, I think we calculated, over 500,000 meals and over 200,000 volunteer hours they have put in. So, when you are trying to replace that, we desperately need groups that will step in and fill that gap. These ladies have been doing it for a long time and the need for younger folks to step up is crucial.”
Wiley added that volunteers don’t have to immediately serve in the same capacity as the women’s ministry, but make an effort.
“Anyone who is even remotely considering volunteering and they are on the fence,” he said, “just try it out and do it once. See what you think and then if you like it — because we think you will — keep coming back. But, if you are on the fence, do it once, try it out if you aren’t ready to make a long-term commitment and just get a taste of it because, we think, if you do, you will love it.”
White understands that most people think they are making an impact on the community, serving is equally large in her mind.
“I raised my child as a single parent, so I understand the struggle that it can be for a mother and child,” she said. “I had a support group, but I think a lot of these ladies don’t. … When we come down here, we aren’t expecting to be thanked, but when we walk out the door and one person lets us know how grateful they are for what we do, it means so much to us. It impacts the community but for younger people that we need to volunteer, I can tell them that it will make an impact on them as well.”
