Maggie Slepian

Today’s working world doesn’t leave much room for anything outside of work and the slivers of recreation we piece together outside of our jobs. Slogging through capitalist hell, paying rent, bills, and student loans, then still allocating funds to enjoy glimmers of things that bring us joy doesn’t leave space for much else. For some, the joy is being a weekend warrior. For others, it’s working odd jobs to pursue hobbies. Others save for half the year and thru-hike the other half of the year. 

One thing most of us don’t leave time for is volunteering. Volunteering likely went out the window once you were done with high school. The weekly soup kitchen shifts through your church’s youth group served their purpose in filling out the line on your college application or summer job resume scooping ice cream. But don’t you miss the feeling of giving back in a way where you aren’t compensated with a paycheck? That’s not supposed to be sarcastic—it really does feel different.

A study published in 2020 displayed extensive data showing that people who volunteered were more likely to experience overall satisfaction with their lives and have greater confidence. They also reported better mental health. Naturally the question arises as to whether happier people are more likely to volunteer, thus skewing the results, but more reports state the same: volunteering gives you a more positive outlook on life and helps you feel more connected to the community. You’re giving back—how could you not feel good?

I used to volunteer a lot. I served food at the Salvation Army soup kitchen in middle school, and I was president of Interact Club (teenage Rotary Club) in high school. I mentored at a leadership camp, I was a horseback instructor for my university’s non-profit therapeutic riding program, and I helped teach art to at-risk teenagers. When I moved out west, I kept volunteering, but it was more sporadic. I had my own rent to pay, was holding down multiple jobs, and my schedule filled up. I found time to volunteer at the Cancer Support Center, and for a full year I had a senior citizen companion who I played checkers with once a week through this amazing program called Befrienders. But as my travel schedule ramped up for work and I couldn’t commit to weekly gigs, I had to give those up.

Then a few years ago, a friend overextended herself, signing up for a monthly grocery route through the local food bank that she couldn’t do. It was a flexible, low-commitment volunteer gig, and seemed like the perfect solution to my dilemma: I wanted to volunteer, but couldn’t sign up for the roles that required a heftier time commitment. 

Senior Groceries became my thing. I roped another friend into the route (Hailey, who appears in my bikepacking disaster and my avalanche course disaster) and we were assigned a beefy route with 10 separate deliveries. These were senior citizens who were housebound, food insecure, or both. They were registered through a partnership with local nonprofits, including the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. We started doing this route nearly three years ago, and while there have been months that we’ve had to sub other friends in, we’ve pretty much seen these seniors every single month.

In the middle of each month I get an email. It has a list of the seniors and their phone numbers, as well as the days the food is available for pickup. I text Hailey, see when she’s available, then email the food bank with our pickup time and date. I call the seniors the day before and tell them when we’re delivering, and if they pick up, they’re a blast to talk to. On the morning of our delivery we grab coffee, then take my truck to the food bank where our carts are waiting. Each senior gets several bags custom packed with non-perishables, then boxes of cereal, cheese, juice, and milk. We have a spreadsheet and checklist to make sure nothing gets forgotten, then we pack the first Costco-sized reusable bag and start our route. 

The route takes us on a compact circuit around the east side of downtown. It’s arranged so we never double back, and we have one massive delivery with six apartments all in the same building. Hailey and I are a well-oiled machine. One of us packs the bags while the other runs the first load in. Once all of the deliveries are done, we usually get more coffee, break down the boxes in my truck, and high five for our efficiency. The whole route, from pickup to the final delivery, takes no more than an hour and a half. It might be a small time commitment, but we’re told over and over how much it helps, especially since most of the volunteers themselves are older, and haven’t been able to do their routes during the pandemic.

Since Covid, we aren’t allowed to see the seniors face-to-face, so we knock, yell “HELLO! GROCERIES!” and run. This makes it much faster, but we also miss saying hi to them. Last month, one of the houses on the route left a note on his door where we left the groceries on the stoop. It said “Thank you, it really helps.” 

It might just be a monthly volunteer gig, but knowing that our humble grocery route makes a difference is enough to make me feel less bad about not doing more. I wish there were more volunteer opportunities like this. I have so many friends who have tried to volunteer for other organizations in different roles, but had to quit or stop training because the time commitment was too much. I understand that different places require different amounts of training and time, but if you feel like you’re too busy for those, I suggest seeking out something like the senior grocery route. You won’t regret it.