Monday, September 19, 2011

In giving, this group of volunteers received

A dozen of our customer operations supervisors received more than they gave when they shared their time at a meal program on Milwaukee’s south side in August. The 12 customer service and field service supervisors volunteered for an event hosted by The Gathering.

The volunteers worked together for three hours in the late afternoon and early evening, assisting with final food preparation, set up, serving and cleanup. Besides sharing their time, they surprised The Gathering staff with a donation of nine gallons of milk and four containers of coffee, paid with money pooled by the group.

“We had the privilege to not only serve but speak with members of the community who were either homeless or living on a very limited income,” said Jennifer Eisner, customer service supervisor – WAOC, who organized the activity for her peers. “Many of the people who were served didn’t know where their next meal would come from. Though these individuals may struggle daily with circumstances most of us may never encounter, they had wonderful attitudes and outlooks on life. They were pleasant, polite and hopeful for a change in their near future.”

Eisner said the team found the opportunity to serve to be an overwhelmingly positive experience. “The smiles and meaningful words of appreciation were more than we expected and could ask for,” she said. “The experience was humbling, inspiring and motivating. When we left The Gathering, we were already talking about volunteering at The Gathering again and devoting time to other places, people or activities that may need our help.”

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