Goodness gracious, great days with Grace. How many days a week does this fantastic lady volunteer? Once, twice, maybe even thrice Her beautiful spirit shined its light on our organization just two short years ago, and we have been grateful for every day she has served this mission since.
Want to volunteer with her on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, OR Friday? Take your pick because chances are Grace will be delivering meals, rescuing food, or sorting items in our Hub on any one of those days. She tends to be our go-to gal when we find ourselves in a pinch and has contributed over 550 hours since November 2017. Oh, and special events? Yeah, she volunteers at those, too.
How did we get so lucky, you ask? Well, back in 2017 the Heartland Film Festival partnered with Second Helpings to showcase a little film called Wasted! The Story of Food Waste. Grace being quite the movie-goer, happened to be at the showing where our CEO, Jennifer Vigran, spoke about Second Helpings and our efforts to fight food waste here in our own community. Let’s just say that Grace felt pretty empowered once the credits began to roll so she decided to take action.
When asked what she enjoys most about volunteering at Second Helpings she says, “The feeling of accomplishment and the people of all ages and from all walks of life that I meet.” She volunteers so often she knows the transportation family on every single day of the week!
When she’s not volunteering at Second Helpings, she and her husband enjoy traveling all over the world. Grace’s grand getaways might include a 7-week cruise on the Mediterranean with stops in 7-10 different countries or a trip down under to visit those friendly folks in the Outback. Her journeys always include a travel journal which she updates daily and shares with her friends and family at Second Helpings. It’s always a good day when you open your email to find one of her adventures waiting to be shared.
Oh, and did we mention that she once trained to be a grand opera coloratura soprano? In case you were wondering, that is the female role that, as she says, “sings into the high range that only dogs can hear.” Wow! What a fascinating lady! She’s got a lot of fun stories to share and she brings joy to everyone she meets.
Grace, words cannot begin to express how grateful we are that, not only do you like going to the movies, but that you are so passionate about serving our mission. It’s truly remarkable how willing you are to dedicate so much of your spare time to Second Helpings. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!