My specific site was St. André Bessette. Referred to on the streets as the “big red doors,” the parish stands on the corner of Burnside and NW 6th Ave in Portland. Tuesday through Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., the doors are opened to the public to assist anyone.
The University of Notre Dame hosts a volunteer program through the Center for Social Concerns called the Summer Service Learning Program (SSLP). Every year, the university educates students in some preliminary coursework to prepare students for embarking on an immersion volunteer experience. These lessons include hearing from primary stakeholders of these communities, as well as information sessions on social responsibility and how to approach service in a meaningful and intentional manner.
Across the United States, there are a plethora of sites hosting these students, many of which relate to a myriad of social and economic issues such as immigration, homelessness, poverty, access to education, etc. When deciding what I wanted to spend my summer doing, a lot was up in the air with regards to COVID-19. I knew I wanted to contribute to a positive force for good, especially as marginalized communities are often the ones most impacted by the pandemic. I chose to serve in Portland, where I lived locally and commuted four days a week over the course of two months.
The hospitality service consists of handing out paper-bag lunches and offering a beverage. While the predominance of the guests consists of those on government assistance programs and those living on the streets, there are also visitors who stop by on their way to work to chat and drink coffee, and members of Portland’s Downtown Clean & Safe crew.
While I am grateful for the experience and I am proud of the efforts of the staff at my site, St. André Bessette wasn’t organized this way. The parish used to let people enter the building for the day, offering several additional services. Hot meals would be provided and a clothing closet was set up so guests could peruse for items of their desire. Furthermore, one of the most prevalent services was an arts program, where guests could use creativity to process their emotions as a form of rehabilitation. The hospitality room on the second floor is covered in paintings by guests over the years. (Pictured is the hospitality room wall with a prevalent image of St. André Bessette itself.)
Elizabeth Prater pours sugar in a cup of coffee while volunteering at St. André Bessette.Elizabeth Prater
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, St. André Bessette had to convert its resources to taking place exclusively from the lobby. Now, there is a distribution of lunches, a food pantry service for providing groceries and a supply of hygiene kits providing the essentials.
I think the main draw to volunteering for a lot of people is to create a positive impact. While volunteering is associated with a form of altruism, in a lot of ways, it can be self-serving as well. Helping others increases our serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine — all hormones that boost our moods and leave us with an increased sense of self.
Deep down, most people want to create an impact. We want to be able to look at ourselves at the end of the day and know we were able to create a positive contribution to something greater than ourselves.
However, we also live in an age of instant gratification. The fulfillment of creating a positive impact falls short when change is hard to see, or even seems negligible.
One of the appeals for me applying to this program was the aspect of direct service. While I’ve tutored and worked with nonprofits in the past, oftentimes, it was done digitally or behind the scenes, and I never got to interact one-on-one with the people I was serving.
However, due to restrictions caused by the pandemic, I was required to serve through the door, oftentimes only engaging with the guests for a few seconds with each interaction. I slowly began to learn names and the backstories of the guests, but merely snippets at a time.
As the weeks rolled on, I began to question what impact truly meant. It was difficult to watch the growing number of guests at the end of the month, knowing an increasing number of people weren’t able to afford a comfortable lifestyle.
I believe the notion of striving for an impact diverges many from the true nature of service. Those who we serve aren’t tally marks to determine efficiency or breadth, but rather, they are real people with intricate lives and stories to tell. When a guest who hasn’t come for a while pops up one week, the staff will take them aside and inquire about their families, and ask if they need anything. Guests form friendships with one another and catch up during the mornings outside of the parish. These moments can’t be quantified or explained in mere words.
Those who we serve aren’t tally marks to determine efficiency or breadth, but rather, they are real people with intricate lives and stories to tell.
In a world that is so divided and so many are neglected, St. André Bessette offers a form of unity in simple interactions but deep connections. I look forward to the day St. André is able to open its doors again. But for now, we stand by the big red doors, and over the thunder of traffic and buzzing life as Oregon reopens, we greet those who walk by.
These are the seeds dispersed after a fire, the regrowth generated after hardship. Even as record heats and wildfires have ravaged the Pacific Northwest, in the midst of destruction, new life is created.
There’s a simple beauty in mere moments of interaction. I used to crave impact, wanting to positively influence the lives around me. Now I understand creating a lasting impression isn’t the most important part. It’s about demonstrating care. Even if that instant is a fleeting feeling, it matters. When you put in the effort to help someone, it demonstrates they’re important. And maybe if you demonstrate that, they’ll start to believe it too.