Coming on the heels of an extremely successful Coldest Night of the Year event, how could we spotlight any volunteer other than Jennifer Sarlo?
Jen works extremely hard year-round as a St. Vincent Place volunteer, leading a team in the Soup Kitchen, but things kick into high gear for her in November and December as the planning for Coldest Night of the Year starts. For those four months, Jen doesn’t stop working on making sure Coldest Night runs smoothly- even losing sleep at times over it!
St. Vincent Place is lucky to have somebody as dedicated and hardworking as Jen volunteering here. And it’s not only the staff and Board who feel that way: Jen’s fellow volunteers think she’s amazing as well.
Maria Bell, who nominated Jen to be recognized this month, helps with Jen’s Bethel Bible Chapel team in the soup kitchen. She said Jen deserves recognition “because she goes above and beyond what needs to be done and makes sure that the meal we make is above standard so that we can give those attending a good tasting and good for them meal.”
Even when she’s tired, Jen never lets anyone down and works just as hard as ever.
“I like working with Jen because she is always smiling and will do whatever she can to make it easier for us,” said Maria. “She can laugh at herself too and when things have gone wrong we find solutions because she does not panic.”
Maria said that Jen is always thinking of others, from lifting large pans so that others don’t hurt themselves to making sure there is enough food for all soup kitchen clients. And she shares her experiences to spread the enthusiasm.
“My best memory of working with Jen is when she tells us cooks stories about the joy that was felt at a Christmas dinner or the help that was given to someone that changed their life,” said Maria.
St. Vincent Place is fortunate to have many devoted and wonderful volunteers – so much so that it’s usually quite difficult to choose just one each month. But this month, as we celebrate the overwhelming success of Coldest Night of the Year, Jennifer Sarlo was an obvious choice. Thank you, Jen!