The Joy of Serving Others

By Michelle Martin

As we celebrate this festive holiday season with family and friends, enjoying the traditions of presents, parties, and elaborate dinners, it is important to remember that the holidays may not hold the same joy and blessings of abundance for others. Many families must rely upon community services for assistance with basic necessities not only during the holidays but also throughout the year. Community service organizations could not have nearly the positive impact they do without the generosity of volunteers, like Mary Good of Alpharetta. We hope Mary's story will inspire you to experience firsthand the joy of blessing others through the donation of your time, service and riches.

Mary Good, who lives in Alpharetta with her husband, Chris, and their daughter, Mary Elizabeth, 18, has been volunteering in North Fulton Community Charities' (NFCC) food pantry for approximately seven years. Mary's parents instilled in her and her four brothers from a young age the importance of serving in the community a value that Mary has also instilled in her daughter. "Alpharetta is a wonderful place to raise a child, but, with so much affluence in our community, we forget that we have neighbors in need," she says. "We feel it is important that we show Mary Elizabeth by our actions what it is to help others."

Mary says working weekly in the food pantry is a humbling experience. "We get to touch and feel their needs as we stock the pantry, sort food, and grocery shop for our families. I went in thinking I was changing our families, but they changed me." Over the years, Mary has helped coordinate various NFCC events and now serves on the NFCC board of directors while continuing her volunteer work in the food pantry.

Chris and Mary Elizabeth became involved with NFCC about three years ago, volunteering around their work, school and vacation schedules. "I am blessed that my family has adopted my passion," she says. "After retiring 2 years ago, Chris went to work with me at NFCC that next Monday morning, and every Monday since then!" Even before Mary Elizabeth was old enough to volunteer at NFCC, she made a difference. Mary Elizabeth saw the bare pantry shelves at NFCC and asked how the families were going to eat. "I told her we would do the best we could with what we had," Mary recalls. Immediately, Mary Elizabeth sent out a text blast asking her friends for food donations, and they brought the food to school and loaded it up in Mary's truck during carpool!

"If we have a goal as parents, it is to build Mary Elizabeth's servant heart," Mary says. "This young lady doesn't hesitate; she is an example of what Chris and I hope that we show others. We believe we all can make a small effort to impact change."