Gratitude manifests in forms beyond a “thank you” and arises more often than not from our volunteers themselves and the community we serve.

Have you ever forgotten an anniversary gift and gotten by with a line about loving your partner every day? Here at North Kitsap Fishline, we’re not forgetting about National Volunteer Appreciation Month, but we’re employing that line anyway — that every day really is volunteer appreciation day. This gratitude manifests in forms beyond a “thank you,” and arises more often than not from our volunteers themselves and the community we serve.

One unique thing about our volunteers as a whole is that many of them access Fishline’s services. This is not the norm in the food bank world for a myriad of reasons. Yet somehow we’ve created a space where people — even those experiencing hardship — feel compelled to give back.

Take Svetlana, for example. As a licensed aesthetician, her way of contributing is by hosting spa days for our market volunteers. They spend hours on a concrete floor unloading crates of bananas, pushing carts of bread and stocking shelves, so indulging in an on-site hand massage, eyebrow sculpting or other treatment is truly well-deserved.

Another is Lorie. Due to circumstances beyond her control, Lorie was prevented from working full-time. Not only that, but as an avid animal lover, the hiatus from her work as a dog groomer had her feeling down. Our client advocate suggested that she volunteer — and Lorie lit up. What she most wanted to do was offer her services to pet owners here at Fishline. She brought her mobile grooming truck, “Lorie’s Pampered Pups,” to our parking lot, and people loved it. Now, she’s coming monthly to give complimentary dog nail trims to canines owned by our volunteers and clients.

Gay, who is one of our shoppers, makes our volunteer crew fruit pies with probably the best crust you’ve ever tasted. Countless Fishline volunteers regularly replenish the volunteer break room with goodies, crockpot meals and artistically cut vegetables. When a volunteer misses a scheduled shift, their fellow workmates are the first to notice. When someone becomes a grandparent or falls ill, their friends in our market and thrift store are quick to congratulate or console. Around here, appreciating our volunteers is a serious business — or better stated — a serious cooperative.

I’d love to personally take all the credit for creating this environment, but it is glaringly obvious that it springs from the ethos of our community. To borrow the words of Voltaire, “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”

In the spirit of this sentiment, we break from the “us and them” model of charity and embrace the reality that we’re all in it together, working together, sometimes struggling together, and definitely appreciating each other together.

If you’d like to celebrate National Volunteer Month by volunteering or by appreciating our volunteers, please email Natalie Vaughan-Wynn at volunteer@nkfishline.org. To connect with Svetlana or Lorie about the services they offer, please call our office at 360-779-4191.