Get to Know WoodmenLife’s Partner Organization: Open Door Mission

At WoodmenLife, community involvement is in our DNA. Our associates enjoy giving back, and WoodmenLife supports their passion by offering paid time off for volunteering. Many choose to use that time to work with one of our eight partner organizations.

Learn more about one of those organizations, Open Door Mission, as told by the WoodmenLife team leaders Amanda Long and Deidre Snow.

Tell us a little about Open Door Mission.

Long and Snow: The Open Door Mission offers shelter, warm meals and services to those in need to help them break the cycle of homelessness. It is also the only shelter in Omaha that provides housing to children, so it is almost always full with about 550 people staying there.

How does Open Door Mission align with WoodmenLife and our values?

Long and Snow: Fighting hunger is WoodmenLife’s National Community Focus. By serving meals, we are fighting hunger in our community. WoodmenLife has more than 800 chapters across the country, filled with volunteers who fight hunger almost daily as a part of their community outreach efforts.

Why is Open Door Mission important to you personally?

Snow: I enjoy interacting with the residents while we’re serving lunch. We strive to be positive and upbeat, and we treat the residents with dignity and respect. We want to ensure they have a positive experience while our WoodmenLife folks are there to help.

Long: Alleviating poverty is an issue that I am passionate about. I started volunteering in homeless shelters in college and spent many years working in a high-poverty neighborhood in Chicago. Volunteering at Open Door Mission is a way to support both those experiencing homelessness and poverty and those who are working all day, every day to help people get back on their feet.

What inspired you to start volunteering in your community?

Snow: As a Community Outreach Advisor at WoodmenLife, it is in my nature to want to help people. A lot of folks want to volunteer and help in their community, and this is an easy way to start getting involved.

Long: Volunteering is and always has been a big part of my life. I don’t remember what inspired it — it just seems natural. I love to serve, and I also find that it’s a great way to meet incredible people and develop deeper relationships.

What kind of work do WoodmenLife volunteers do for Open Door Mission?

Long and Snow: Mostly we help serve lunch. When there are lots of volunteers, we also help out by preparing sack lunches or other meal prep duties.

Tell us a little about how you feel after completing a volunteer shift.

Snow: Any time you can give back to your community, it’s a great feeling. I think sometimes we can think of volunteering as a chore — until you’ve completed the task, and you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Long: I agree with Deidre, about feeling pride and accomplishment. Once I get back to my desk, I also feel gratitude that I have a warm place to sit and food to eat.

Can you talk a little about the camaraderie among WoodmenLife associates as they volunteer together?

Long: When you volunteer at Open Door Mission, you have a lot of time to chat with the person standing next to you and get to know them better. It is an opportunity to deepen relationships with your team and get to know people who work in other WoodmenLife divisions. I really value the relationships I have with people who I don’t work with on a day-to-day basis — I don’t think I would know some of these associates other than through our volunteer time together. I really appreciate all the remote associates that volunteer, as well — it is so nice to get to know them in person instead of through a computer screen.

Additionally, a lot of teams volunteer and then eat lunch together afterward. This is a great way to serve and build camaraderie outside of the office.

Are there any particularly memorable moments from your time working with Open Door Mission?

Long and Snow: Ken, the kitchen manager, is typically our point of contact when we arrive at the Open Door Mission. We asked him one day how he got involved with the Open Door Mission, and he explained that he’s a graduate of its program. He shared with our WoodmenLife volunteers his success story of overcoming poverty and addiction. Ken is a great speaker, and his story was very heartwarming. His first-hand account of his personal experience really brought home why we are all there.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Long and Snow: Volunteering at Open Door Mission may seem intimidating, but the people who come through the line are so appreciative and gracious. If you can come and bring a smile, you can be assured that you are making a positive impact in your community.

Read More

Get to Know WoodmenLife’s Partner Organization: Food Bank for the Heartland

Get to Know WoodmenLife’s Partner Organization: Meals on Wheels

Get to Know WoodmenLife’s Partner Organization: Keep Omaha Beautiful

Get to Know WoodmenLife’s Partner Organization: Wakonda Elementary

WEB825