Volunteerism
VA Hospital and Medical Center — Danville, IL
I began volunteering at the VA Hospital in early 2026, but I actually started the application process in late 2025. It just takes forever, because to become a volunteer at the VA, you have to go through a full federal employment process.
When they asked me what kind of volunteer work I was interested in, I told them that I was working toward becoming a licensed social worker, so anything that let me work directly with veterans was something I would be interested in. I have had a lot of friends downrange over the years, and many of them never got the right support when they returned to civilian life, so I figured that this might be a good way to try and make a difference, however small.
They asked me if my driving record was good (it's flawless) and if I would be interested in driving veterans to and from the hospital. This seemed like important work, and also I knew from my experiences riding in cabs all over the world, that there is a special kind of conversation that seems to happen on long car rides. People have a way of opening up, and telling you their story, and I was eager to engage in exactly that kind of experience.
I spend about four to seven hours a week driving veterans to and from the hospital, and I really enjoy it. The driving part is nice, but it's the conversations and the connection that really make the job worthwhile. A lot of the people I drive are a bit lonely, often in failing health, and they seem to take a special joy in having the ear of someone who is actually interested in hearing about their life.
Feed the Need Food Bank — Saint Joseph, IL
I started working with Feed the Need in 2025. Feed the Need is a small, locally organized food drive that happens in the small town where I live. We try to feed 100 families every month.
One thing that I work hard at, in every single interaction I have with these families facing food scarcity, is shame reduction. You can see it in people's eyes: A glance cut short, a gaze that turns to the ground when you meet their eyes, or a timbre in their voice that lets you know just how hard it was to drive up and ask for help.
The thing is: Asking for help is bravery. And I try, without bringing too much attention to what they are doing, to let them know that. Sometimes that means thanking them for coming. Sometimes that means sharing that when my step-mother was young, she spent a lot of time in women's shelters and waiting in lines at food banks. Sometimes it just means smiling at them as they drive up, so the first thing they see when they stop is that we are happy to be helping them, and they are never a burden.
I will never forget one of the first times I worked the food drive: It was the end of the event and we had a small surplus of food kits. This woman pulled up with a van full of young children and I could instantly see in her eyes that whatever she was carrying that day was extremely heavy. I asked her if I gave her extra, could she use it? She was unable to speak at that moment, the words stolen from her by some combination of gratitude and shame, and just nodded her head and pointed to the kids in the van. After I loaded the van, she mouthed the words “thank you” to me, and I told her “You are doing great. Those kids are lucky to have you.”
I still think about her often, and I hope that whatever she was carrying that day, that we helped her put down even a small portion of it.