Lasting Friendship Between Youth Volunteer & Client

“In March of 2020, just as COVID hit, Ceres reached out to volunteers, promoting the Caring Calls program. I was assigned a client for four weeks to check in. For the first few weeks of calling, ‘June’ and I were just getting to know one another, a bit shy, with light-hearted conversations. But our chats got longer and longer. We still call today.

During COVID, we got to debrief about the effect of isolation on one another, mask mandates, and variants. Since we started calling, I've become a Teen Leader, we've gone through new years, birthdays, and lockdown. June has become a close friend of mine. I've learned about her story, received recommendations on gifts to give and advice heading into my first job.

June reminds me just how small this world is. We've missed one another by just a few hours at the same farmer's market, and talk about the same leaves on both our favorite walking routes. Working at Ceres, I work with a wonderful team to provide nutritious and loving meals to people like June, who are just a call away.

I'm so grateful for this loving community.” 

- Teen Leader Leah