Meet Manny
This week at the Philadelphia Furniture Bank we interviewed Manny, a Mission Year volunteer. Manny has been working at the furniture bank for seven months. Mission Year is a Christian volunteer program meant to provide a lifestyle led by faith, community, and service. This program provides services in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Houston and partners with local churches, non-profits, and activists trying to transform their communities. Before Manny's experience at the furniture bank comes to a close on July 27th, we sat down and asked him a few questions.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and how you became interested in volunteering.
A: I was adopted from Ethiopia into a family that was living in Illinois. I lived there for 12 years and graduated from high school. My family suggested that I look into being a Mission Year volunteer. I did my research and applied, and thankfully I got in.
Q: Who qualifies for Mission Year and what is the purpose?
A: Anyone out of high school or college can be a Mission Year volunteer. The program teaches us about life lessons and how to live simply. The main sentiment is "Love God. Love People. Nothing Else Matters."
Q: How has your experience with the furniture bank been?
A: It has been amazing! I'm honored to be a part of the mission of the furniture bank. I enjoy being able to help house the homeless.
Q: What has volunteering at the furniture bank taught you?
A: It has taught me how to live simply, because not many people know what it's like to live in the city. It taught me an example of how others live, trying to make small amounts of money last a whole month. It has taught me to look at my neighbors and live as they do.
Q: What is your favorite part about being at the furniture bank?
A: I like to see the different faces that come in to finally get furniture to fill their empty houses or apartments. I get to learn about why they are here and how they got here. I get to see how they got connected to Pathways to Housing PA and the furniture bank.
Q: What is one story that has really stood out to you?
A: All the people stand out; they all relate in some way and differ in others. The workers here are inspiring, especially those that were formerly incarcerated and are now working here. They'll tell you about how they got caught up in the wrong crowd or went to prison for something small, leading them to do things that they didn't want to do to survive. They eventually had to pay the consequences, and now they are here getting their lives back. I'm learning from all of them.
We're so grateful for Manny's help this year and wish him all the best!
About the Authors:
Gracie Harrington graduated in 2015 from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in Politics and International Affairs, where she served as President of the Gay-Straight Student Alliance, a Resident Advisor, President's Aide, member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, and recipient of the 2014 Martin Luther King Jr. "Building the Dream Award." In 2015, Gracie was awarded the Campus Pride Voice & Action Sorority/Fraternity Award for her work in LGBTQ activism. Gracie hopes to have a career in development work so everyone can have the opportunity to flourish in their life.
Gaby Amado is a senior in high school about to graduate in June. She is fulfilling her graduation project here at Pathways to Housing PA. She will be attending the University of South Carolina in the fall and hopes to major in International Business. She loves helping with nonprofits and philanthropies, and she helped organize her school’s Mini-THON which raised $310,000 in the past two years for kids with pediatric cancer. She thanks her mom (and dad) for exposing her to this program and always supporting her. She likes to travel, eat lots of food, and help others.
