Press Room
July Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Stella Parks
Stella Parks and her husband, John, were already financial supporters of God’s Pantry Food Bank when they received a pot of mums in gratitude of their contributions. But the flowers weren’t the only things blossoming. So was a friendship between Stella and the flower delivery person: development coordinator Kristin Ingwell Goode.When some free time opened up in Stella’s schedule a few months ago, she asked Kristin about volunteering and soon thereafter was coming in every Wednesday afternoon to work in Central Intake.
Stella keeps busy by answering phone calls from social workers and representatives of human service organizations around Lexington who arrange food assistance for their clients. Most clients visit one of the five emergency food pantries the same day as they receive their referral, so it is important that ample central intake volunteers be on hand during referral hours.
“It’s very simple work,” Stella says, “but all of those phone calls would fall into the busy laps of others at the food bank if there weren’t extra people to answer the phone. So by just sitting at a desk for two hours and taking a few calls, I feel like I’m freeing up others to have that uninterrupted time.”
Stella even goes above and beyond what is asked of her as a volunteer. It is well-known throughout the office that when Stella is not volunteering in Central Intake, she’s working as a pastry chef at Holly Hill Inn (dearly loved by Taste of the Bluegrass aficionados). Stella jokes that her first “mistake” was bringing in cookies or cupcakes to share with the staff. Now, people routinely remind her that “if I have any ‘extras,’ I shouldn’t forget to bring them with me on Wednesdays. I won’t name names, but some people have discreetly reminded me of their favorite flavors for ‘next time.’”
Nonetheless, the value of volunteering doesn’t stop with benefits to the food bank. Stella explains that volunteering “makes me feel connected to a larger community of people in Central Kentucky. It has been very sobering to gain some insight into some of the people who need food assistance – especially to see how many people are not ‘regulars’ and have only received food assistance a few times before, if at all.”
Individuals interested in volunteering in central intake may e-mail Linda@godspantry.org. With any luck, you might get to sample some of Stella’s sweet treats, too! To schedule a volunteer opportunity for your group, family, or teenager, please e-mail mandy@godspantry.org.