ECHO


May 1998:
I can still remember my first day at ECHO(Ecumenical Community for Helping Others). I met a man who I will call Bill, as I don’t have permission to use his name. Bill had recently lost his job and between interviews, he volunteered at ECHO because it was putting food on the table for his family. Since Pat, the teen supervisor, was busy, Bill showed me the ropes. My first duty (and not one I’d recommend for an introduction) was to bag sanitary napkins in newspaper sleeves for needy families. It was then that the stark reality of the Northern Virginia community hit me. People didn’t have jobs, they didn’t have food, they didn’t have money for basic necessities. ECHO is not a shelter, simply a collection and distribution center. They have a ‘store’ where their signed individuals and families could get two or three pairs of used clothes every season. They have toys and books for children, and a storeroom of food sorted by type and date. Every Thanksgiving, boy scouts collect food for a huge local drive. Every September they compile packs of school supplies for children, and every Halloween, they put together costumes for needy children. New clothing and pristine items went to two different consignment shops. Winter clothes in the summer got boxed up in the spare storeroom. Summer clothes in the winter went to Mustard Seed Africa. Bikes went to a local resident who fixed them up and gave them to children’s centers. Baby items and appliances went directly to families on a long waiting list. My first computer went to a 'faceless' Latino family with three children. There was such a science to donations that I think I will forever remember the details. And every time I go home, I volunteer at least twice a week there. It makes me feel so wonderful to help out, and I know I will always have a place at ECHO.