In celebration of Volunteer Appreciation Month, we spotlight Amy’s unwavering dedication to Miriam’s Kitchen—where her warmth, presence, and belief in dignity for all make a world of difference.
By Tedi Velo
Senior Case Manager
Amy Peck Abraham discovered Miriam’s Kitchen in a Washington Post article by John Kelly. She had long dedicated her time, talent, and treasure to numerous non-profit, social services organizations, but in the dining room at Miriam’s Kitchen, alongside the case managers on the Social Services team, she found more than an opportunity to give. “It’s a family,” she says. “I love that I know everybody here, and that I’m able to be helpful to the guests and also help you [the case managers].” Amy started by shadowing the case managers in the dining room. She quickly learned not only how to assist them in their everyday tasks, but also when to provide a much-needed word of encouragement, or a comforting hug on a particularly difficult day, so that they in turn could continue to provide dignifying, affirming care to the guests at Miriam’s Kitchen.
When she first identified the opportunity to volunteer alongside the case managers, she knew it was an ideal fit: “I said that’s for me. That’s the one!” From day one, she endeavored to provide a consistent, reliable presence at the front desk. “I’m going to be a regular volunteer and you can rely on me,” she remembers. To the case managers, Amy is far from “regular.” Her people skills facilitate productive introductions between guests and case managers, and her intuition for the team’s needs enables the case managers to devote their attention to the guests in need. Often, Amy goes above and beyond her responsibilities at the front desk. During a recent rainy day, she noticed a woman come into the dining room drenched. Amy sorted through the clothing closet, searching not simply for any dry clothing that would fit, but for what the guest might actually like. When she returned, clothing in tow, the woman beamed at the outfit that Amy had selected for her. Amy brings this thoughtfulness, awareness, and a “desire to do more” to each of her shifts. “I can do it, and I should do it,” she says. “This has given me a huge appreciation for people’s circumstances.”
In discussing her upbringing and her ongoing motivation to continue volunteering, Amy references the Judaic concept of “tikkun olam,” which she describes in her own words as, “if you help one person, you’ve saved the whole world.” Reflecting on her time in the dining room, and all the “big heart moments,” she affirms that “it’s been very rewarding. I was raised to help others, and I am living my values.” In particular, Amy looks after the women and children who come through the doors of the dining room. As she fosters the connections between the most vulnerable guests and the case managers who help them, Amy is relentless in her reassurance. “We’re going to see you,” she tells a particularly vulnerable guest. “We’re going to figure out a way to make this happen.” At the end of the day, “these are the ones I go home and feel good about,” she recalls. With her hands-in-the-Earth, “tending the soil” approach, Amy works to ensure that guests leave the dining room feeling better than when they arrived, with a new sense of hope for their lives. She encourages others to imagine themselves giving their time, once a week (but not on her Thursdays!), to work alongside the case managers in the dining room, saving the whole world, one person at a time.
Read our Spring Newsletter to find stories like this one.
