Volunteers are at the core of what we do at HOPE. We’re celebrating National Volunteer Week by hyping up some of the incredible volunteers in our HOPE squad.
Join us in learning about Ana, one of our amazing Food Service Committee volunteers. Her role is essential for keeping everybody nourished, happy, and thriving at SummerFest.
Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.
How long have you been volunteering at HOPE?
For 19 years. Half my life… no [laughs] more! More than that.
What inspired you to join?
Well I said, “Hey, I’ve got to do some giving back to my community.” And that’s the closest to where I live, and it’s a big thing. And I said, “Hey, I could do that.” I did Security first.
You did security first?
Yeah! But then I got an email a year after asking if I’d like to join the Planning Team. “Sure,” I said, “why not, right?” When Laura asked me, I thought “hey, it’s an opportunity, why not?” I wanted the Registration [Committee], but they put me in Food Service.
Do you like doing Food Service?
Oh, I love it.
I remember at the first Planning Team meeting last year, you seemed very excited about it. You were like, “yeah! Food service! Let’s go!”
I know! See here’s the thing, you don’t do a lot of the planning at this time [in April], and I really work more on the day-of.
What is your favourite part about volunteering?
Seeing everybody happy on the day-of, and everything coming together. We start this [every April], and everything comes together at the end. [No matter] how tired you are on Friday, when it comes to Saturday, I’m there. I’m there early in the morning.
Do you have a funny story about volunteering at HOPE?
When we started the boxed food, it’s kept in a big truck, right? Those doors are heavy. And we had to pull it up, and pull it down. What happened was, I pulled it, I was pulling it down to close it… and IT PULLED ME UP. So I was hanging and I went, “oh my gosh… if people see me…” It was heavier than me! I hope nobody saw me!
Well, thankfully you got safely back down!
Mhmm!
Do you have a message to give people who wanted to volunteer with HOPE, or were thinking about it?
Be honest with it. You volunteer with your heart, and you don’t only volunteer for [a specific role]… I was put in Food Service but I volunteer for HOPE. So if I’m needed elsewhere, that’s what I do. And that’s what you do. You’re not just volunteering for that particular area, you’re with HOPE. You have to keep the commitment and enjoy it at the same time.
Thank you, Ana, for being a part of the HOPE family!
Join our volunteering squad! hopehelps.com/volunteer
