The second time I went, I was with Paul. Other than a set of new faces to meet, it was similar work. We moved heavy items out to the sales floor, swept, and helped carry heavy donations inside. This time there were a lot of people bringing in things to donate, which is nice to see. We also sorted clothes, which was something new. It was simply a matter of sifting through the bags of donated clothing, folding the good articles and disposing of the ones unfit to sell.
On one occasion, a man needed us to carry a piece of furniture to his car and help him load it in. It was a small car, but we managed to fit it in. The man was very grateful for our help, even though I didn't think what we did was that big of a deal. Then again, I'm used to my old job at Target where I had to fit large purchases into people's cars without any thanks. That man's appreciation was quite lifting and it stuck with me as motivation to continue working.
When our time was up, we went to talk to the man nicknamed Lonely to see if he needed us for anything else. He just joked with us and thanked us for our help. As we walked with him, one of the other volunteers started to smoke in the warehouse. Lonely joked by acting as if we were bouncers and told us to throw him out. His sense of joking around with us made me feel as if I was an actual part of the community and not just a visitor. It's these little things that I know will stick with me.
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