Finding quiet inspiration

There are many people doing incredible things to build community around the world. From José Andrés and the World Central Kitchen, which has served 350 million meals around the globe, to MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, who has given away $16.5 billion since 2019. These jaw-dropping, massive moments are inspirational to be sure.

Sometimes when I look at this impact, it makes me wonder if the local volunteer work I do matters. But then I realize, of course it matters. All those meals get served because volunteers show up to plan, prepare and distribute them. Countless collections of food, clothing, and other necessities reach the hands of deserving families because nonprofit staff and volunteers show up every day.

Speaking of showing up, I want to share a story with you about Diego. My husband, daughter and I recently volunteered with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County for a food distribution at a local church. We had never volunteered at this location before so were impressed to see what a large and well-organized event it was. There were dozens of volunteers, multiple huge trucks filled with food and many cars lining up to receive necessities.

We signed in and were assigned to station #1 with several high schoolers who needed their volunteer hours to graduate. Behind them stood a tall young man with a baseball cap. We asked him his name and he replied, very quietly, “Diego.” He told us he didn’t speak much English and he seemed quite shy.

We got to work, sorting ourselves into different tasks: some loaded food into the cars while others gathered items on the table so we had supplies at the ready. We got into a groove and loaded up car after car.?

Diego stood back watching everything and suddenly he sprang into action — just when we needed him the most. He would notice when we were running low on items, go collect the weighty crates and restock them without missing a beat. He would be paying attention so when a large truck would show up requiring multiple units of food, he would move over to help heft large boxes or carefully place cartons of eggs in a vehicle. He would quietly watch other volunteers so when they would run to the restroom or grab a snack, he would simply fill in whatever job they were doing.?

No one ever asked for his help — he just paid attention and did whatever needed to be done. He quietly and simply pitched in to help, no matter what. He wasn’t showy but he sure was efficient. He wasn’t chatty, in fact, he barely spoke. He just showed up, made a difference and didn’t need or want any recognition.

After we served nearly 1,000 people with fresh food, all the high school students lined up to have their volunteer hours recorded. The rest of us finished cleaning up and then all the tired volunteers headed home. I didn’t see where Diego went but I also didn’t see him in the line to get his community service sheet signed. I didn’t think much about it until we got into our car and pulled out of the church parking lot. Just as we headed out, we looked over and saw Diego riding his bike down the street, presumably toward home.

He was like a quiet superhero who just showed up and lent a helping hand without any expectation. The grand gestures and huge impact large organizations make are amazing and important, but it’s also the selfless dedication and countless hours that each individual contributes that lifts up our communities. So the next time you wonder if that volunteer shift you’re considering makes a difference, maybe you can find inspiration in Diego and just show up.