We Hope She's Always Here

Patti works carefully, cheerfully. Her brilliant smile and her bubbling laughter leave their unmistakable traces along her designated aisles of the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank. Patti has volunteered here for over a decade. In those years she has made an impression on everyone around her. Truly, everyone.

"Patti will brighten [the clients’] day with the comments she makes and the conversations she will start with them. The other volunteers look for her on a regular basis and she brings them little gifts. She brings joy to all of our hearts. She really inspires the other volunteers and the employees with all the things she can do and how hard she works," said Food Bank Volunteer Coordinator Julie Kishpaugh.

Each month, the Food Bank provides food to roughly 300 people and agencies from five surrounding counties: King George, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Caroline, and Fredericksburg. Patti, a resident of the Kelly Home for adults with intellectual disabilities in Fredericksburg, spends one day a week stocking shelves at the food bank with dry goods, cereal, and other non-perishables. While some may consider the task tedious, Patti believes its important. Furthermore, Kishpaugh and the other Food Bank staff members know the task is important.

"Organization of the shelves is very important. The people who come in here are intimidated enough. The nicer and straighter and the better quality of food we keep on the shelves, the better they’re going to feel about their visit here. Patti makes sure everything on the shelves is neat and clean. Most of the products’ use dates are checked, but if she sees something she’s not sure about, she’ll let us know," explained Kishpaugh.

Patty began her time at the Food Bank when she once worked at a local fast food restaurant and had some extra time on her hands. Staff took her by the Food Bank to see if she might have an opportunity to volunteer or even work there. Soon after, Patti found a job that required more of her time, but she did not want to surrender her time at the Food Bank.

"She really enjoys helping others, so this is great for her. It has to do with Patty’s compassion for others. Even at home, she is always wanting to help," explained DDM Area Coordinator Gail Hylton. 

A true ‘go-getter’, Patti also holds a part-time job elsewhere in the area where she works three days a week. She is also active in her church. Like many of HopeTree’s Developmental Disabilities Ministry residents, Patti enjoys participating fully in the life she sees going on around her. The work she does at the food bank is just one of the ways she contributes to the overall quality of life in the Fredericksburg community. In doing so, Kishpaugh says, she becomes a shining example for others to follow.

 
"When you are giving yourself to volunteer, you do it whole-heartedly to your best ability and let people know that you are actually enjoying yourself. We’ve had younger kids come in here, either court-ordered or probated and they look at her and say ‘Wow, she comes here every week and she likes it and nobody makes her?’ Patti is the perfect example to hold up to the younger generations and say this is what it means to volunteer and help someone who truly needs it," said Kishpaugh.