Taking Care of Other New Yorkers

Josephine Son

Superstar Volunteer, The Bowery Mission (Pictured Left)

Volunteering Early in the Pandemic: I’ll never forget that first shift. It was quite an interesting day. It was just four of us volunteers rushing to get the bagged lunches packed and ready to give out. It was raining, it was cold, and I think we handed out close to 400 meals. It was really sad to see how many people needed food.

What Motivated You: Seeing the need up close is definitely one reason why I do it. I wanted to help people, and this was something I could physically do. I was also stuck in my home five days a week working, and I needed to get out and do something productive where I felt safe.

Feeling Safe at the Mission: I'm Asian-American, and the increased violence against Asian-American communities since COVID-19 has made me a little fearful of going places. In my mind, The Bowery Mission is one of the safest places for me to go. I suppose to some people that might sound strange, but it is. Everyone knows we’re there for a purpose, and I’ve gotten to know so many of the staff and regular volunteers. The people I see week to week don't do it for gratitude or any other reason than they want to help. It's really lovely to be part of a community like that.

Interacting with Others: As a volunteer, you get to interact with residents. It's really heartwarming to see many of them graduate and become able to get their own apartments and jobs. Often, when people think of homelessness and these kinds of spaces, they have a certain vision in their minds. They don’t quite realize the goal is to help people live their own lives.

A Meaningful Moment: There was one resident I remember seeing every week. Every time we came, he was so kind and thanked us for coming. At the end of last year, he officially moved into his own apartment. It was really moving to see him go full circle. I had been seeing him over the course of the year, and he was now doing really well and getting his own place. I was actually there when he was saying goodbye to the chefs. You could see the emotional connection he had with the staff, how they were so happy for him.

Words of Encouragement: I’ve purposefully shared photos and videos of me volunteering, because I want people to see that volunteering here is easy and safe. When a couple friends asked me about safety early on I thought, ‘maybe if I talk about it people will see that it’s not too difficult, it’s not scary, and it’s really helpful.’ Everybody needs a little help at some point in their lives, and I really believe in New Yorkers helping other New Yorkers. We live here, this is our city, so we have to take care of each other.