One of my favorite places that I get to go to regularly as a representative of Bethlehem is to Redding Social Services. Throughout the year the people of Bethlehem donate food, cleaning supplies and money to the food bank and I often am the one who gets to stop by and drop off those items. So I'm sure they love it when I stop by as well since often I have a donation with me.
Yesterday after senior lunch, I stopped in to RSS to drop off a check that a member of the congregation gave. (In all honesty I forgot to bring the check the last time I came and then forgot about the check in my computer bag pocket.) Carol greeted me with a huge hug and I took my usual seat and as always my 30 second errand turned into a 30 minute visit.
I see God in Carol. Carol has worked for RSS for the last few years, starting a few hours a week volunteering at the food pantry then being hired to organize it and now working part time also helping people apply for energy assistance along with other services. She is a ball of energy and has never met a stranger. Yesterday I got to hear a little bit more about her story and how she came to work there after being unemployed and finding RSS as a place to go just to get her out of the house while she was looking for another job.
I know her job is not an easy one. There is always more need than funds. She also deals with people who don't understand that they don't qualify for assistance because their homes are valued at half a million dollars. And there are always the stories of people who feel they deserve money without any work. But Carol is so caring and friendly and I know that she does more than is required of her. And it is always a joy to see her.
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