I recently had the opportunity to volunteer at GraceFull Home in Denver. They provide essential household goods including furniture, linens, kitchen items, electronics, and clothing to those transitioning out of homelessness. I actually didn't know about this non-profit previously but when I received an email from the local NAPO chapter (National Association of Productivity and Organizing) asking for volunteers to help sort through and organize the contents of hundreds of boxes from an elderly couple's entire home cleanout, I immediately signed up.
It doesn't matter to me that I am not a member of NAPO. I will still support their efforts and most other organizations that ask for help for those in need. If you have ever read any of my previous blogs or follow any of my social media or know me in real life, you know that I struggle with all of the injustices in our world especially as I sit here in my very safe, warm and comfortable home while writing this blog. But for those who are homeless, it is devastating to think what it must be like to try to seek shelter at any time especially during the harsh winter months.
And while we are not a service that works directly with the homeless, we proudly offer to help when and where we can to support the needs of the homeless in our community. It was my honor and privilege to participate even for just 3 or 4 hours on what was a beautiful January day along the Colorado Front Range...or at least it was beautiful when I walked in at 9:30 am.
Walking out around 1 pm?
Different story...a storm was moving in from the mountains, the winds had picked up, the temperature had dropped significantly and the sky had turned cloudy and gray.
My thoughts immediately turned to all of the people who would be facing a very cold night sleeping on the streets and it just made the previous few hours with several other professional organizers sharing the same passion and compassion that much more impactful.
And humbling.
But this was not just about helping the community; it was about using our skills to make a difference in many lives.
It was also about learning how GraceFull Home can be a great community partner for us and our clients looking to donate a significant amount of stuff. They are not going to spend the intentional and deliberate time that many of our clients need to sift through years of memories to decide what they are keeping vs. donating, stuff like the following items...
When I came across this little ivory gem, I immediately thought of my grandmother. Elephants were her spirit animal even though I doubt she even knew what it meant to have a spirit animal as she had several pieces of elephant art including a mini elephant ivory "tower" like this that I had for years until it broke in a move. ☹️
And this is? I had absolutely no emotional trigger but just thought it was cute and now wonder what the story is behind it.
This transistor radio though immediately evoked memories again of my grandmother who bought me one to use my first summer at sleepaway camp. I was (and still am) a terrible sleeper so I would plug in the wired earphones (only one earbud in those days) and tried to tune into the only radio station in the nearby town playing Frank Sinatra, Lawrence Welk or other "old fart" music as we referred to it back then until I would hopefully drift off to sleep without disrupting my cabinmates and counselors.
I'm relatively certain anyone born after 1980 would have no clue what this is but for those of us who had Instamatic cameras in the 1960s and 70s, how many of these flashbulb cubes did you end up cracking before ever being able to use them???
Anyway, the point in all of this is to demonstrate that when we are going through a cleanout of stuff accumulated over an entire life, we have to spend the time sorting through everything to really determine what is trash vs. treasure before it would ever get boxed up to move and/or donate...unless the client doesn't care. That does happen often when a loved one has passed away and the family doesn't really care about any of it, doesn't want to spend the time or money sorting through it and decides the easiest thing to do is throw the majority of it away. Can we quickly put things aside we know can be recycled or repurposed? Yes, but not if it is going to increase the cost to complete the cleanout per the client's wishes. Having a group of professional organizers spend a few days going through all of the stuff we did on the backend did still accomplish the goal but it involved coordinating a lot of volunteers and required having the space like we did in a warehouse to spread everything out.
Takeaways From Volunteering As A Professional Organizer
So when all was said and done, the ability to volunteer my time as a professional organizer was not just about the physical work we put in but also and, more importantly, helping spread awareness about GraceFull Home's vital mission: to provide practical support to individuals exiting homelessness with the belief that a well-furnished home instills dignity and promotes healing. And as our country is literally fighting over funding for social services, I am going to say the same thing I have said countless times before...we have to believe that by raising people up instead of pushing them down they will begin to thrive in ways that wouldn't be possible given all of the challenges the homeless and so many others face. Those donations to GraceFull Home truly help create environments where families can rebuild their lives.
And they are about igniting hope.
Each item has its own story so a handmade quilt from a relative long gone can still represent comfort to a child today who has experienced disruption in their life. The chance to cultivate a welcoming space for someone starting anew is incredibly heartwarming and fulfilling so even if you think the quilt is too old-fashioned, there is always going to be someone who sees it as something completely different.
Volunteering with GraceFull Home transcended sorting and organizing household goods; it embodied compassion and hope for those overcoming homelessness. Remember, we all can make a difference using our skills and resources to support those in need. We just have to make a little effort to create a ripple effect that will extend well beyond the time we commit to volunteering.
As things continue to evolve with the rapid changes our current administration is trying to make to what is the fabric of our society, non-profits like GraceFull Home are going to need more help than ever so please consider joining any non-profit initiative in your area. Each small effort contributes to significant change, and the satisfaction gained from giving back is immeasurable and really can help make the world a brighter place for everyone.
My parting words?
Breathe through the chaos and believe you are part of the solution and don't just the problem.
One more thing, I did a little impromptu "interview" of EmilyJane Zahreddine, the Executive Director at GraceFull Home while volunteering and hope you will watch it to get a little more sense of their mission but by all means check out their website.
Be safe and remember, always be kind,
Beth
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