When Deb Schwartz walked into the Bill Dionne Luncheon Club last Christmas, she wasn't looking for a new career. She was looking for a way to spend the holiday doing something good — and she found out the Luncheon Club, just a couple of blocks from her home, needed volunteers to deliver meals to homebound older adults on Christmas Day.
"I walked into the center and I was amazed," Deb recalls. "There was this incredibly lively, festive, buzzing hive of activity." A luncheon was being set up for the day, and Deb headed out with a small group of volunteers to deliver meals across several apartment buildings in the neighborhood. The response from the older adults she met left an impression that has stayed with her since. "All the older adults were so happy to see us," she says. "And I thought to myself, I want to go back."
So she did. What started as a one-time holiday shift turned into a weekly commitment. Every Friday, Deb came in to help with on-site meal service and every time, she left feeling energized. "I think it's the combination of the energy of the staff that work here and the positivity, and then the community members who come in are so full of life and personality," she says. "It's just a very upbeat feeling."
A few months into her weekly visits, a position opened up: Volunteer Coordinator. Staff who had come to know Deb encouraged her to apply. She was flattered and also at a crossroads. Between jobs, she had considered retiring. She applied, got the job, and hasn't looked back.
Today, Deb's role is as varied as the community she serves. She works with corporate groups and social service organizations who come in to help prepare and serve lunch, and she coordinates volunteers who lead activities for members. "It's just a lot of variety," she says. But underneath the day-to-day tasks, she sees a common thread running through all of it: "Contribution to my neighborhood and my neighbors, and a sense of community and a sense of positivity — that we're able to come together and fill an important need in the neighborhood where I live."
Deb's story is a reminder that volunteering doesn't always stay a side project. Sometimes it becomes a calling. If you're looking for a way to give back — whether it's a single shift or a standing weekly commitment — there's a place for you at CBN, just like there was for Deb.
