Shared by Kelley Chapman, Volunteer Manager…
The amazing duo, Barbara and Buddy Smith are the Volunteers of the Second Quarter of this epic year. This fabulous couple have been our dedicated Friday drivers since joining us in June of 2018. In addition to being our Friday drivers, Barbara and Buddy are ambassadors at many of our events and spend much time outside of their delivery day to assist recipients on their own time and much more. I recall when Buddy visited us one summer day because he simply wished to complete a volunteer application for both he and his wife, Barbara. Buddy was inquisitive and just plain fun during this short visit. The way he spoke of his wife was so kind and I felt strongly that these two would be great volunteers for us, despite not having met his wife. The day they arrived to be trained to deliver meals, my instinct was absolutely correct. Such warmth and care was immediately shown towards the staff, the volunteer who trained them as well as the recipients on their first route. In all honesty, the chemistry between us and this fun couple is as if we have all been friends for years.
Recently, I asked Mr. and Mrs. Smith what they enjoy most about volunteering with East Cooper Meals on Wheels. Barbara and Buddy’s replied “Having the opportunity to serve our recipients and visit with them on a weekly basis (prior to Covid 19). Learning about their families, meeting family members, learning about their hobbies and spending time with them during our visits makes every visit meaningful. We have developed some great relationships with many of our recipients and always look forward to seeing them and catching up with what is going on in their lives. It is a wonderful opportunity to give back to those in the community that truly need the meals that ECMOW provides. We had discussed volunteering prior to our retirements in 2017 and we felt that ECMOW would be a great opportunity for us to volunteer. We are blessed and happy that we chose ECMOW, it is very rewarding to us, personally, to help those that truly need our services. To us, it is much more that delivering meals, the recipients have become part of our extended family.”
Thank you, Barbara and Buddy, for being here for us and our recipients, for helping us at many of our Events, calling our volunteers weekly, helping the recipients on your route outside of your delivery day and much more. We are so very lucky!