This volunteer post comes from Thrive DC board m ember Rochelle Sanchirico!

On Friday, April 10^th seven energetic Webs employees got a jump on National Volunteer Week by preparing and serving breakfast at Thrive DC in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington.

Thrive’s mission is to prevent and end homelessness by providing vulnerable individuals a comprehensive range of services to help stabilize their lives.  The organization and mission are very near and dear to my heart; I’ve served on their Board of Directors for the past five years and am currently Vice President.

Our volunteer team showed up in the Thrive DC kitchen at 8 AM sharp, ready to don our hairnets, name tags, gloves and aprons and get to work.  Erin King, Halsey Hayes, Deanna Zaucha, Alexandra Rolfs, and Rochelle Sanchirico took on several important jobs, from getting the breakfast items prepared, to organizing take-and-go lunch items gleaned from Pret a Manger, to queuing up clients and serving a full hot breakfast to over 170 people.

Eddie de Jesus leveraged his Spanish skills and extensive Americorps experience by administering vital hygiene items and monitoring the shower service.  And George Goodman was there to lend a hand wherever needed; all while capturing the experience on film (see some shots of our adventure below)!

I’m always grateful for the opportunity to serve our community as well as introduce others to Thrive DC and their wonderful work, which spans meal services, job training, case management, shower and mail services, computer training, health screenings, art and music therapy, and so many other services that assist our clients in establishing a more stable future for themselves and their families.

And I am very grateful to Cimpress and the 20^th Anniversary Community Giving Campaign for supporting this very important organization!