First Time at St. Vincent De Paul

Last Saturday was the first time I went to St. Vincent De Paul to help out. Before going, I was a bit nervous about what I would be doing and who I would meet. Since I went with a couple other students, I wasn't as nervous as I could have been. I also tried to think of a few good questions to ask while I was there. The main thing I wanted to know is their exact mission. I knew they helped the poor, I just didn't know exactly how.
When we arrived there, we were greeted by one of the guys in charge (sorry, I can't think of his name off the top of my head). The first thing he asked us is if we were there by court order. This surprised me at first, but after some time I realized the court uses this place as a spot for people to perform their terms of community service. In a sense, those serving a court order here can be thought of as helping the poor. They may not necessarily be lacking money, but they can be lacking guidance of what's right and wrong.
When we went into the back room, our first task was to clean off the wooden furniture, which was no small task. Thanks to the generosity of others in the community, there was a mountain of tables, chairs, and cupboards waiting to be sold.
As we were cleaning, I asked the guy who assigned us this task about what they do with the money from all the sales. He explained that they give out vouchers to those who need a little help with such things as paying their bills. They also obtain food from the food bank and give it to families in need. He also mentioned that unlike Goodwill, all the money stays in the community and the CEOs of St. Vincent don't get paid a cent; they work purely on a volunteer basis. This struck me as a surprise because I thought that someone in charge like a CEO would be getting some monetary compensation for their efforts.
As the day went on, we were given more tasks, such as sweeping the back room, sorting different items, and carrying furniture to the display area. One of the furniture sets that we cleaned and set up for display was sold that day, which gives me a sense of accomplishment. It is a good feeling knowing that something I took part in went toward helping out someone less fortunate.
After about 5 hours, we decided it was time to call it a day. It would be best for us to come on a separate occasion so we can meet more of the other volunteers. I plan on going back this Saturday to help out some more, and possibly make a difference.