Sacrificial service

PAUL BUTLER, HOST: Today is Thursday, July 11th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I’m Paul Butler.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: volunteering.

The rate of volunteering in the U.S. is on the decline, according to the Census Bureau. But in one corner of Iowa, volunteers find purpose and fulfillment at a local food pantry.

At this year’s World Journalism Institute college course, student Elena Olvera put together this story.

AUDIO: [Hangers clinking, background dialogue, shopping cart noises]

ELENA OLVERA: Shoppers of all ages browse the racks and shelves of the Hope Food Pantry. Half of them are below the poverty line, and are here not only for food but for clothing, books, even bedding and small pieces of furniture.

For some, going to a food pantry is embarrassing, or even shameful. That isn’t the case here, though, and it’s because of her.

AUDIO: [Barb speaking]

Barb Dubbelde is a native of Sioux Center, Iowa. For the past year and a half, she’s managed the home-goods corner of the food pantry.

BARB DUBBELDE: Every box here has clothes in it, so you can see the sorting and organizing that has to go into it. It’s amazing.

What’s also amazing is that seven years ago, she needed this food pantry—not for work, but for food.

DUBBELDE: I wasn’t able to keep my eye on the ball of everything—raising our kids and his business and my own small business.

Barb isn’t your stereotypical food pantry client. She grew up comfortably and had a job as a hairdresser. Both she and her husband worked to support their family. But one day he came to her with bad news.

DUBBELDE: And he was like, “We’re in major financial debt.”

They found themselves on the brink.

DUBBELDE: I’m like, trusting my husband to take care of it but he was drowning and he didn’t want to tell me, and so Marianne was a client of mine and she said, “Do you guys need food?” when I told her what was happening.

She’s talking about the food pantry’s coordinator Marianne Sjaarda.

MARIANNE SJAARDA: I, of course, know those people, and I know their situation, and they needed to come.

Marianne encouraged Barb to use the food pantry, even though Barb was self-conscious. She worried about taking resources from people who needed them more than she did.

DUBBELDE: I didn’t want to take from anyone that was in more need than us, because we had a home, we had two jobs. And I just didn’t feel it was right. So Marianne would allow me to come in, like after everyone else was done getting food. And it was really hard. It was really humbling.

Barb and her husband were able to use their grocery money for other things, like medical bills and car repairs. Her husband picked up a second job and they worked together to get out of debt. She credits the food pantry for helping them through the worst of it.

These days, Barb is back at the food pantry—but this time, she’s the one giving people hope.

AUDIO: [Barb’s dialogue with other volunteer, “Yes, I’m gonna check my shelves”]

She’s felt the call to do mission work ever since she was a teenager. Now, God’s brought her full circle and her mission field is the food pantry.

Barb isn’t alone. Marianne also understands how important it is to follow God’s call.

SJAARDA: I get a chance to testify to what it looks like to help others. And this isn’t a once and done deal. You were put on this earth for a reason.

To Marianne, helping others looks like running the food pantry, but it also looks like simply meeting shoppers where they are.

SJAARDA: When you’re in the car, and I’m talking to you, you’re the most important person in the world.

She’s also grateful for what the work has taught her.

SJAARDA: I guess I’ve realized more and more that everybody has a story. And don’t put people, or people groups, in boxes because it’s not a one-size-fits-all.

Barb’s family now lives on her husband’s income alone. She devotes her time and attention to the food pantry, even with all the challenges that come with it.

DUBBELDE: It’s definitely a sacrifice for my family because I’m not providing towards our household expenses. And there are times when we go without things that we need.

Still, she says, it’s all worth it.

DUBBELDE: Every trial I’ve gone through, every test that the Lord has given me has brought me here, to serving these people, and I just love them so much.

Reporting for the World Journalism Institute, I’m Elena Olvera.

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