How Service Changed Me

This post is written by one of SHARE Community's many dedicated volunteers.

I signed up to volunteer with SHARE Community thinking I was going to help someone else. I had no idea that the work would end up changing me.

At first, I showed up to help with the showers because it felt like the right thing to do. I believed in the mission, but I did not yet understand the depth of it. I thought I was giving my time, my energy, and my effort. What I did not expect was how much hope and meaning I would receive in return.

Over time, something shifted. The work I do with SHARE Community has become the most important work in my life.

Week after week, I began to recognize faces. Conversations that started with small talk turned into real connection. Stories were shared. Laughter happened. Trust grew. Somewhere along the way, the guests at the showers stopped feeling like strangers. They became my friends.

These are people I never would have met otherwise. People whose lives look very different from mine. People who live outside and navigate hardships I once barely understood. And yet, standing beside them while handing out towels or sharing a cup of coffee has become the most meaningful time I spend all week.

Before this, I searched for purpose in all the usual places. Work. Achievements. Busy schedules. None of it filled the space I did not know was empty. Serving with SHARE Community did. It gave my life a sense of clarity and direction I never thought possible.

There is something powerful about showing up consistently for others. About being present without trying to fix everything. About offering dignity, respect, and Radical Hospitality simply because every person deserves it. Through this work, I have learned that hope is not something you give. It is something you build together.

I have watched people take showers after months or years without access to one and stand a little taller when they walk away. I have listened to stories of loss, resilience, and survival. I have witnessed moments of joy that felt almost sacred. These moments stay with me long after the day is done.

The biggest surprise of all is realizing that the most meaningful time in my life is spent with people I did not know before, people many pass by without noticing. SHARE Community has taught me that community is not about sameness. It is about connection.

This experience has changed how I see the world and my place in it. I no longer measure the value of my time by what I gain, but by how deeply I am able to show up for others. Volunteering here has given me hope, purpose, and a sense of belonging I did not know I was missing.

Serving with SHARE Community is not just something I do. It is now a part of who I am.

If you would like to sign up to volunteer at our Shower Services on Tuesdays and Thursdays, click here.