Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- More than 200 women received meals at Geraldine E. King Women's Resource Center.
- Volunteers emphasized the rewarding experience of providing meals and Christmas cheer.
- The shelter needs ongoing volunteer support and donations, with funds matched 2-1.
SALT LAKE CITY – More than 200 women in-need had a hot meal and a safe place to stay, thanks to an outsized effort from a small group of volunteers who want to make sure they aren't spending Christmas on the street.
A handful of volunteers spent the Saturday before Christmas at the Geraldine E. King Women's Resource Center in Salt Lake City, serving those seeking shelter.
While the plates were filled with hearty scoops of spaghetti, a little bread, and a salad, the volunteers were really serving Christmas cheer.
"It's a really rewarding feeling like you can give people a good, nourishing meal," said Stephanie Barber-Renteria, a volunteer.
"Certainly, we can donate money, which we do that too, but yeah, it's nice to do hands-on volunteer work," added Laura Anderson, another volunteer.
They're serving hundreds of Utah's homeless women looking for a hot meal. Staff at the shelter said each volunteer is essential.
"Without them, it would just be me and my partner Ryan trying to serve 100 ladies every single day," said Tate Hunsaker, the kitchen assistant at Geraldine E. King Women's Resource Center.
The shelter could use many more volunteers. Even after the holidays, Hunsaker said the need for volunteers doesn't go away.
"We're always needing people to volunteer quite a bit," Hunsaker said.
The volunteers said they enjoy the work so much that they've done it at least three or four times.
"Just feeling so much gratitude for everything that we have, we really do want to help those folks that are a little bit less fortunate," Barber-Renteria said.
The trade-off is that humble feeling they and the women they're serving share together.
"They're so grateful. You just, you know, see their eyes light up," Anderson said.
If you would like to volunteer at the shelter, you can visit the Volunteers of America website.
If you don't have time to volunteer, the shelter says that donations of money go a long way in supporting women in need. From Saturday to the end of 2024, every dollar donated to Volunteers of America is matched 2-1, up to $200,000.
The shelter's website also allows people to drop off essential items and purchase items through the shelter's Amazon wishlist.
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Brian Carlson
