by Chiamaka Ubani ’22

The whole point of a community, according to Logan Ryan, is to look out for every one of its members. Logan, who volunteers regularly at the Essentials Closet, is at a point in his life where he is content. He has a stable job, a car, a home, and he doesn’t have to worry about his next meal. Logan wants to give back to the community, knowing that many members are struggling to get by. The least he can do is to volunteer his time to help others, he says. “Honestly, any opportunity to give back and help your fellow man, if you will, doesn’t hurt… and can make a positive impact.”

Logan was in search of opportunities to give back when his manager at work told him about the Waterville United Church of Christ and its focus on community-oriented volunteer work. Raised Catholic, Logan was turned off from religion. He found that he needed to pick and choose certain concepts, teachings, and morality to adopt for himself. Logan had trouble finding a church that met his needs until he joined the Waterville UCC and got involved with the Essentials Closet.

Logan’s faith doesn’t really play into his volunteer work, but he feels morally obligated to give back to the community. “I can be there for people, I can smile, I can help them out and volunteer my time and effort and actually be a part of the community.”

The Essentials Closet is not an organization that is assertive about the religion of the church that houses it or of the people that give their time to it. Its volunteers are just focused on helping people by providing them with household necessities. If someone wants to talk about God, they are happy to do so, but they are there to help, no strings attached. Through volunteering at the Essentials Closet, Logan has learned that the community needs more help than he realized, but is also much more appreciative than he would have thought. He sees lots of returning smiling faces and people that enjoy interacting with others as fellow members of the Waterville community. 

Logan believes that the Essentials Closet needs more volunteers younger than retirement age. He acknowledges that times are hard with low paying jobs and people working many hours, and that finding time to volunteer may not seem feasible, but those who choose to give a little bit of their time can make a big difference. 

Logan, who has lived in Waterville since 2013, sees the divides within our community, particularly divides based on income levels. “There are certain parts of the community that feel like a home, whereas others feel kind of like a drunk uncle that everyone knows is there but [tries not] to acknowledge.” As a volunteer at the Essentials Closet, Logan strives to break down those divides, helping those who stop by feel at home. Something as simple as a “Hi, how are you?,” or a smile usually does it and often starts a conversation. 

The greatest thing Logan has seen through volunteering at the Essentials Closet is the generosity of people, in particular those who are already down on their luck. Often times people would turn down extra items that they don’t need at the moment so that those who need it more can have it. This makes Logan proud of his community: proud that people are concerned about the well-being of others, even when they need to think about themselves. Logan is passionate about improving other people’s situations and the Essential Closet gives him a chance to do so: “I feel like what I do allows me, at least for a brief moment the 2 hours a week 2 days out of the month, to be a part of these people’s lives and help them.”