My favorite volunteer activity at the church is working in the gift shop. I started doing it shortly after we moved to Ocala and have worked at least once a month ever since then. It’s not a very challenging job, but it really makes me feel good to help people find religious items that they have been looking for and can’t find anywhere else. We have even had customers come from parishes thirty minutes away to purchase things from our gift shop, because they know we will custom order them if we do not immediately have what they want.
Another added benefit to working in the shop is that I have gotten to meet other parishioners. When I first started volunteering at the gift shop, I knew very few people and now I see a friendly face whenever I come to mass. In the beginning, I was always scheduled to work after the 8:45 a.m. mass. Over the past year, I have switched to exclusively working after the 11 AM mass, because it works better for the scheduler and we like going to the later mass. It gives Doug and I time to take a morning walk or get a few things done around the house before we leave for church. Since I have enjoyed my time in the gift shop so much, I have now started volunteering twice a month. I thought that doubling my shifts would lead to burn out, but instead, it just makes it so much more enjoyable. Plus, it keeps me on top of the new inventory. I know that it’s not much in the grand scheme of volunteering, but I really do like helping in the gift shop and I don’t think that will be changing anytime soon.
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