Meet Peggy,
Pathways Cooks Volunteer!

Tell us how you first got involved with The Connection/Pathways:
I retired 5 1/2 years ago and am fortunate to be able to live the same lifestyle I did when working. My beloved father died from Stage 4 Melanoma and my husband has had three different cancers. Since I enjoy cooking and baking, I decided a good way to “give back” would be to volunteer. I had a friend who volunteered at Pathways and I decided it would be a good fit for me.  I thoroughly enjoy all of our menus and the other volunteers are great fun.

How have you seen lives/the community impacted because of your efforts?
Knowing I am helping those with a rough road ahead of them with their journey allows me to feel as though I am contributing to their good health.

Can you share a personal experience you’ve had while volunteering?
I also volunteer at my church’s food pantry and one Thanksgiving a woman who came days before the holiday was saying that turkeys were just too expensive (clearly she didn’t spend the $400 to get one free), so I gave her about a 20 lb. turkey and she was so happy she started to cry and say that her family would have a “real” Thanksgiving dinner. A week later when she came back she told me she shared the turnkey dinner with neighbors who weren’t going to have turkey either. Knowing this made me feel as though I had accomplished my goal of “giving back”.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about volunteering at The Connection/for Pathways?
Volunteering for Pathways is a way of spending a few hours with fun volunteers who want to do good for people going through a difficult time.

What do you do when you aren’t volunteering?
I spend time with my family and friends – most fun with my four grandnephews who are the delight of my life!

Anything else you’d like us to know about your experience? 
I am happy to know there are places like Pathways to help those people in need.