Volunteer Spotlight: An Interview with Bill

A hard worker and dedicated volunteer, Bill brings an empathetic perspective to his work at the Food Center. He took a few minutes to talk with us about why volunteering with United Way is important for the community and for him personally.

Hi! Tell us a little about yourself and your volunteer work here at United Way.

My name is Bill; I’ve been volunteering since just before Thanksgiving, and it’s a perfect opportunity to give back to the services that New London County offers. I myself have had to use the services, reaching out to the community in ways of trying to make ends meet. And I think it’s an opportunity for me to come back here and give back to the people who get up early in the morning and go down in every kind of weather conditions and put their time in to help people in the community who are struggling- whether it be seniors, people with tight incomes, have children, [or] can’t afford to put all the meals on the table. So it’s a really good opportunity, a good place, a fun environment- it is, it’s enjoyable, all the volunteers here are very pleasant to work with, Lamar is a fantastic man who runs this place and the job that he does, he’s got a good attitude and personality, and it’s a very relaxing environment.

What made you want to volunteer at the Food Center?

I specifically chose this site to come and volunteer because of the outreach that they have. It’s like a headquarters if you will for the food centers, and it’s a large scale operation. I knew they could use the extra hands, it’s close to my home so it’s convenient, and again I think most importantly because of the fact that I’ve had to myself reach out and be a part of the people who are in need, and as a result seen the different places that people are in their lives, it just gives you a good feeling to know that you’re a part of the solution rather than being a part of the problem.

What would you say to someone thinking of volunteering?

This center here, it’s really centrally located, it’s in a good area, meaning that it’s not far from people’s homes who want to volunteer, and I again I can’t emphasize enough the energy here and why people are here, and you see it in how they work and how they work together.