For volunteer pantry manager Cheri Harrison, the opportunity to serve is an honor and a privilege.
“I’ve been a member of Eugene Faith Center for over 36 years,” said Cheri. “During those years I’ve had a lot of roles and done all kinds of volunteer work. About three years ago I was asked to manage the food pantry.”
Eugene Faith Center Food Pantry is one of 33 food pantries and 150 programs that partner with FOOD for Lane County to distribute food.
“When I was asked to do this job I jumped at the chance,” she said. “Every time you pull up to a stop sign or a red light and you see people on the corner needing help, your heart just breaks for them. It absolutely breaks. And you feel helpless. Sure you can give them a few dollars here and there, but you feel like there’s no way you can do enough. So when I was asked to do this job I thought, ‘That’s the answer for me. That’s the way I can do my part to help’.”
Cheri loves to sing her volunteers’ praises.
“We have an incredible group of volunteers,” she said. “I have grown to love and admire and trust and cherish every single volunteer that we have. The people who serve in a food pantry are generally people with incredible hearts who really care about other people and want to give back to the community.”
Cheri and her team have a big heart for the people they serve.
“So often through no fault of their own, people end up in a place where they need help,” said Cheri. “Like all the rest of us, they’re doing their very best to get through each day. If we can help them a little bit with food and make that part of their life a little bit easier, then we’re really happy to get to do that.”
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