LIFE IS WHAT YOU BAKE IT: VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

 

By Kendra Davila

For current Peace Connections staff, it feels like a little bit of magic (mixed with hard work) to hear the origin story of Harvey County Circle of Hope. Margaret Goering smiles when she tells the story, as she was a part of the planning committee 18 years ago that brought this initiative to town. At the time, Margaret worked as a Healthy Start Home Visitor, working with pregnant women in poverty, and believed this was an excellent way for families to get some extra help. Initially, her friend Cookie was facilitating a budgeting class while she coordinated casseroles and childcare, ensuring families had full bellies and a quiet environment in which to focus on the program material. Margaret marvels at the connections she has made in the ensuing time, sharing about people in the kitchen, volunteers from different churches, businesses and communities and program participants and guests, coming from all levels of the income spectrum. Some of the people she met she now refers to as family.

The only regret Margaret has about volunteering in the kitchen is that she cannot be in two places at once, as she would also like to be on the other side of the counter, hearing the conversations and sharing dinner with the attendees. The meals that Margaret helps prepare (totaling more than 20,500 in just the past eight years) make the program accessible. She acknowledges that when you come simply for a meeting or presentation, you might feel awkward or pressured to be speaking or listening or doing something. However, when there is food on the table and people are eating, it takes some of the pressure away and you can simply be in the presence of others.     Margaret tries to cook food that people enjoy eating, something healthy and economical and is pleased when all three of these things are true. She wants to make sure there is enough for everyone and for it to taste good. She is full of compassion and is quick to call people by their name and welcome them in. This practice also keeps her memory sharp.     Margaret is one of a handful of people who ensure a meal is prepared every Tuesday. The volunteers show up with consistency and are quick with a laugh. She says, “We all have fun in the kitchen and we all learn from each other. Sometimes there are ‘oops’ and things don’t go as planned. Our lives weave together.