Rockford Rescue Mission leader say they’re always welcoming volunteers

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Leaders at the Rockford Rescue Mission said they are always looking for volunteers.

Taffey Graham has been volunteering at the Rockford Rescue Mission for over ten years. One of the many things she does there is serve food to those the mission helps. She says doing so is fulfilling.

“It’s just the serving the community, I want to give back,” Graham said. “I find that even something that you think is a small act of service has a great impact. It has a great impact on the people, and it has a great impact on my own life.”

She says there’s nothing better than helping others.

“I’ve gotten to know so many of the people here,” she said. “The men that come in from off the street or the men that are in the recovery program, they want to share their story with me. I listen to them and I think they’re seeing some tough times, but we’re here to support them and we interact with them and they say ‘hi’ to me and they know my name and I love it.”

Leaders at the mission said they rely on volunteers to keep the place running smoothly.

“We’re truly grateful to all our volunteers who are coming here every day and helping out with volunteering” said Sabuj Sarker, the mission’s associate development director. “If anyone is interesting in volunteering at the mission, we always request them to visit our website. Over there, they will find a volunteer tab. Click on the volunteer tab and it will take them to a volunteer registration page. Over there, they can click on sign up and fill out the form and submit it and then we will contact them regarding volunteering.>

He said they have many needs. Volunteers can help in food services, doing things like preparing meals and serving food. They can serve in the food pantry, roll silverware, or clean in the kitchen area after the 450-plus meals they serve a day.

Sarker said people can also help at the thrift store, among a long list of services they can volunteer for.

“We have the Hope Clinic over here where we can use help. Different doctors, nurses, chiropractors, dentists, they’re coming over here and helping,” Sarker said.

“We have a crisis center, men’s crisis center and women’s crisis center, where we can use help. We have a life recovery program where we can use help as well,” he said.

“We have a work center, where we are taking classes, providing training and other things. We need teachers, mentors, counselors, so if anyone is interested for this, we can use their help,” Sarker said.

Graham says her family has been involved with the mission since the 70s. She’s proud to keep that legacy of service going.

“For me, it’s giving me compassion as I realize these are people, too, that they’ve gone through struggles, that maybe they haven’t had the support that I’ve had,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of support with my family, and a lot of support from my church, First Free. Just knowing that I can help them and be a support system for them is very fulfilling. Volunteering is very fulfilling.”