by Sarah Kaplan ’20

“Good morning, sunshine!” is typically the first thing Beth Thomas says to me whenever I walk into the Waterville Food Bank. When volunteering with her, Beth asks you about your day, moves your belongings away from food stain potential, and introduces you to everyone else. She always has a smile on her face and is grateful for what each day brings her. Volunteers and clients alike appreciate Beth’s welcoming presence. For Beth, working at the food bank is just another way of showing kindness to the world.

When Beth retired, one of the ladies in her knitting group told her, “If ever you get bored, I’ll give you a number to call.” The rest is history, Beth says: she has been working at the Waterville Food Bank for the past nine and a half years. Beth first started as a substitute volunteer and eventually took on a full-time role. When the previous volunteer coordinator stepped down, Beth took on the position and has held it ever since.

“I can’t claim any success personally,” Beth says. “I feel all the volunteers here as a group are all very successful. I believe the volunteers that are here, the new ones and the old ones, also have a passion for people, respect, kindness, and they share that with the clients, every single one of them. It’s a wonderful thing.” Beth, too, has always placed her belief in kindness and respect for other people at the forefront of her life. The volunteer community that Beth has worked to build is remarkable. When you step inside the building, you feel cared for and ready to care. 

“Everybody that comes [to the food bank] is treated as a person, not as a number. That’s something that you can’t teach people. That’s who [the volunteers] are, and we are so fortunate to have so many volunteers like that… When an individual reaches out and it’s because they want to volunteer, they are one special person.” Beth knows this about every single food bank volunteer, and it’s why she keeps coming back. Even though she does not live in Waterville, she knows that it is a special place. “The residents of Waterville are very, very supportive of people in need. Whether it be through the food bank, the Soup Kitchen, the schools, the Alfond Center, the Homeless Shelter… People that live in Waterville that are in need are very fortunate to be living in Waterville.”

The first time I arrived at the Waterville Food Bank, Beth took the time to tell me about the organization’s history. She walked me from the back closet that was the food bank’s  first home all the way through the many storage rooms that now make up the food bank. Beth’s tour ends at the new WFB building on the Pleasant St. United Methodist Church grounds, which was established a few years before she began volunteering. Support from the church, from Waterville residents, and from neighboring towns enabled the food bank to grow as much as did in both size and the number of volunteers.

Beth’s values of respect and kindness animate the volunteer community and also the client community. The welcoming atmosphere she has helped to create is part of the food bank’s success. What Beth wants the world to realize is that kindness can come from anyone. So, if you ever get bored, Beth’s number is the one to call… and the rest will be history.