Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Glenn and Terrie Fry
About this story: In the spirit of National Volunteer Week, True North Housing Alliance is recognizing some of our incredibly hardworking, dedicated volunteers.
Glenn Fry and his wife, Terrie, have been volunteers with the Torres Community Shelter for almost a year now, cooking one meal a month for our homeless guests. In the spirit of National Volunteer Week, we asked Glenn what he loves about giving back, and how he continues to do so during the coronavirus pandemic.
Preparing a meal for the guests at the Torres Community Shelter is a labor of love for Glenn and Terrie Fry. For almost a year now, they have been cooking and serving a fresh, warm meal once a month.
Even during the coronavirus pandemic, the couple still have found ways to give back. This month, they purchased all the ingredients for a meal and donated them to the shelter, where the guests in our vocational meal program use that donation to prepare the meal on-site.
Here’s what Glenn had to say about what volunteering with True North has meant to him.
How do you approach volunteering with us?
I enjoy cooking. It’s one of the things I can do to give back to people. I cook with love. I don’t just open a can and drop it in and call it dinner. I take my time to prepare it, cook it slowly and make a little love.
What have you enjoyed about volunteering with us?
I just enjoy giving people hope, not judging them, and providing them with a little bit of happiness for that moment. I’m just very aware of how appreciative the folks that are staying there are. They enjoy the food. They’re happy with it. … The gratitude that they give back to us is just so rewarding.
We want your help!
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve temporarily modified how we operate in order to keep our volunteers, staff and guests safe. However, we still need your help!
We’re looking for volunteer meal providers. You can donate pre-packaged (e.g., canned or boxed) foods or drop-off all the fresh ingredients needed for a meal. The guests in our vocational meal program will then prepare your generously donated items on-site in our kitchen.
Hygiene products are always useful! This includes items like shampoo, conditioner, soap/body wash, deodorant and lip balm.
Monetary donations also help us purchase these important hygiene items, as well as delicious, nutritious food for our guests.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at (530) 891-9048. Thank you so much!
Terrie and Glenn Fry have provided a meal for our guests at the Torres Community Shelter once a month for almost a year now. Photo courtesy of Glenn Fry