In January, New England Yachad partnered with ReachOut! as peer volunteers at Room to Grow in downtown Boston. Room to Grow’s mission is to enrich the lives of babies born into poverty by providing developmental information, customized support, and needed baby items to support a healthy and secure start to life (RoomToGrow.org/About-Us).
As volunteers, members of Yachad and ReachOut! learned about the organization, got a tour of the facility, and helped to organize inventory by sorting donated baby and toddler clothing by size. Not only was it an opportunity for our members to work side by side as equals with ReachOut! volunteers and a way for them to give back to the community, it was also a fun way to spend the evening together! Many of our Yachad members were interested in participating in such a fun volunteer event, some even traveled on the T for the first time, and one member has returned several times to volunteer at Room to Grow! Overall, it was a very successful partnership with ReachOut! and we look forward to working with them again in the future.
Below, members comment about their experience:
“It was very different [for me] to volunteer at Room to Grow…What I liked was getting a tour.”
—Faith T.
“It was nice volunteering because it reminded me of going to Cradles to Crayons with my father for Yom Chesed 2015. I enjoyed sorting the clothing depending on size and age…I’d like to schedule this event again.”
—Jesse C.
“It was fun traveling on the train. It was fun sorting the clothes for parents that don’t have money to get their kids clothes—they could come there to pick out clothes and toys. It was fun [to spend time] with some Yachad friends…It was fun taking the tour [of Room to Grow]!”
—Ashley G.
“First of all, I was very amazed by the amazing turnout for our “Room to Grow” volunteering night. I was very impressed by our great teamwork [in] organizing all the toddler’s clothes both by months [and] by season…What I enjoyed most was the welcoming, colorful, and friendly atmosphere. I enjoyed the tour and we even got to do a group photo shot, too. I also felt like I was making a wonderful contribution and was able to build on some of the organizing that I [have done in the past].
—Beth B.
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