Volunteer Spotlight: Barbara

Celebrating 20 years of Volunteerism

Since 2003 Barbara has dedicated her time to managing and organizing the Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence (NDS) pantry of emergency supplies. Our pantry of food and hygiene items is available to anyone who has escaped an unsafe living situation and needs essential items. 

Barbara regularly conducts an inventory of our supplies, including toiletries, diapers, feminine products, and essential items needed in an emergency. Her vigilance allows us to notify donors of any shortage when there is an urgent need, such as the one we recently experienced with a new client that was expecting her first baby just weeks after arriving at our door.

Our clients use the pantry daily, and we are grateful that Barbara keeps the space organized and sorted.

We are proud to say that Barbara has been a faithful volunteer not only to the urgent needs of managing our pantry but in various manners, including preparing our office for the Winter Open House distribution of holiday gifts and encouraging her church to become active and ongoing supporters.

Without Barbara’s enthusiasm and generous nature over the last 20 years to serve survivors of domestic violence- our pantry would not be as accessible or available to meet the growing needs of those that have often run out the front door with only what they can carry.

Barbara’s tenure of 20 years here at NDS spans much longer than most of the staff, so she is a pillar of how we can support those in crisis by providing the survivors with the most basic needs.

To give a perspective of scale, we are open for walk-in crisis services, with no appointment required, and last year we had 1,892 clients come through our front doors. Our pantry is available to all those in need.

Over the 20 years, Barbara has volunteered an average of 4 hours a week.

Barbara shares, “I love knowing that mothers and children have a safe place to come.”