奉献什么

Sayra has been a volunteer and a client with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for seven years. Her desire to support the community that supported her is what led her to take on the commitment of becoming a site lead at one of our free grocery distributions.

The responsibilities of a site leader include everything from loading boxes into car trunks to setting up tables and awnings for volunteers to directing traffic. When Sayra gets home from her shift, she is tired. She knows she needs to rest to take care of herself.

“患有狼疮和类风湿关节炎，我太累了。 [但是]当我做志愿者时，我并不累。当我在那里时，[任务]使我获得更多帮助和更多工作。”

When Sayra has the opportunity to talk about volunteering she is simply bursting with passion and her hands become animated. Her deep connection to the mission of Second Harvest stems from her own intimate understanding of the challenges Silicon Valley residents experience when trying to make ends meet.

“I was in a bad relationship and in 2014 I got separated. I have no family here. I didn’t know what to do and where to go. I said let me apply for Medi-Cal. I went to apply, and they told me there was a free food distribution near my house.” Sayra is a single mother living with her two adult daughters, and she remembers the concerns she felt when she received free food for the first time; now she uses her experiences to help others. “When people feel embarrassed, I say, ‘Don’t be afraid. Come so you can get help and don’t have to worry.’” She’s grateful for the fresh produce and high-quality dairy products she gets every month because it supports her vegetarian diet.

Her favorite food to make with her daughters is khaman dhokla, a popular Gujarati snack in India made from chickpeas and flour, and thepla, which is made from wheat flower and spices, which Sayra says is kind of like a tortilla. “My daughters were born here, so they also cook all the roasted vegetables in the oven. Whatever I get from Second Harvest, we use all of it.”

Sayra is a proud Indian Muslim woman and she enjoys speaking with clients in her native language of Gujarati, but she can also speak Hindi and Punjabi as well. Being able to communicate in several languages has helped her connect with the community. “They ask me, ‘What vegetables do you have today?’ and ‘How many boxes can I take?’ I always tell them that there is a lot of food here. They’ll say, ‘Oh, we found someone that speaks our language!’ and they get so happy to see me. And I get so happy to see them!”

Sayra said being able to be of service to our clients, many of whom she calls friends, is a blessing.

“当您帮助他人时，这是最好的祝福。祝福正在治愈。如果您想从某事上康复，请帮助其他人。”