Ms. Bruce shares how she lives out service

Many people in the St. John’s community dedicate their time to service. One of them is Ms. Bruce, a teacher in the Math Department. She is a volunteer at Loaves and Fishes, a non-profit organization that provides meals on Saturdays, Sundays, and all federal holidays to anyone in need of a meal. They do not check to verify if someone is homeless; as long as you come in, they will serve you.

Ms. Bruce volunteers at Loaves and Fishes every Sunday. She is a welcoming, helpful, and cheerful presence every week at St. John’s, as well as at service. She helps to lead and train the new volunteers, by showing them the rules on how to wash up and change their gloves.

Ms. Bruce volunteers because volunteering is a passion of hers. “I spent two years right out of college being a Lasallian Volunteer and living in communities with the Brothers, just teaching. I realized that helping people was something I enjoyed doing.”

Her first work as a volunteer was a requirement for a class in college, tutoring high school dropouts, and she realized her passion for it.  

Ms. Bruce said, “My favorite part of volunteering is the connection that I make with the people, the individuals I’m helping as well as the connections I make with the other people volunteering.”

Others inspired by Ms. Bruce should volunteer to become a part of something greater than themselves. It is a selfless act that allows us to connect to others different from us, but also to God. Through volunteering, we can learn to make sacrifices of ourselves to help those less fortunate.

“It’s good for the soul. Since God has blessed so many of us with so many different things. It is only right, and the Christian thing to do is to help others out,” Bruce said.