A Day in the Life of a Boutique Volunteer
The Starting Point Boutique.
Within our community, it has become a claim to fame. Individuals from across Knox County will unload bags full of baby items to be donated for our families in need. When taking someone on a tour of our facility, it is most frequently the favorite room of them all.
The material assistance component of our services is often what draws in our pregnant clients. Many are uncertain how they will be able to provide their child with all the necessary items.
Our Boutique is a crucial puzzle piece to our ministry— one that would be impossible without the support of our volunteers who keep it all running.
To better understand this work, keep reading for a typical day-in-the-life of a Starting Point Boutique volunteer.
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2:00 PM – I typically arrive a few minutes before 2:00 to get situated. The process is pretty quick and simple—turn all the lights on, open the doors, and ensure everything is in its proper place. Once all that is completed, I call up to the Administrative Assistant, Victoria, to let her know I have arrived. She briefs me on the day’s appointment schedule so that I am aware of the times when I may be busier than usual.
2:15 PM – I settle down at the front desk where I spend some time repackaging diapers according to their size and brand, making sure each bag contains 20 diapers. These are the packages our clients purchase when they shop. I restock our diaper closet with these bags once I have labeled them all.
3:00 PM – As I wrap up the diapers, I hear the door chime signaling a guest has arrived. A young couple greets me with excitement on their faces. They explain that they have finally saved enough Boutique Bucks to purchase their much anticipated crib. The size of the mother’s belly indicates that this little baby could be arriving any day now. I have helped them shop a few times before, and now it is almost her due date!
The purchase of the crib is a milestone goal for many of our clients and one of my favorite parts about working in our Boutique. We go through some of the paperwork needed for this transaction, and the couple hands me their stack of 16 grey Boutique Bucks. I enlist the help of a couple of staff members as we load their crib into the back of the couple’s car.
I congratulate them on their brand new crib and the work they did to earn it and send them on their way. I am so excited for them! The next time they come into the Center they will likely have a sweet baby in tow.
3:30 PM – Once they pull away, I take all the paperwork logging the couple’s visit up to Victoria where she will properly file it away.
I head back downstairs and decide to throw a load of maternity clothes into the washer.
3:45 PM – While the washer is running, I head to the back storage room to begin sorting through some recently donated items. I clean some of the toys and then take them to the front Boutique room where they are now ready to be purchased.
I sort through some baby clothes, placing most of the items in the “To Be Washed” pile, while putting a few of the heavily worn pieces in the “Donate” bin.
While I am in the middle of sorting, a woman stops by to donate a bag of clothes and a stroller. I thank her for the generous donation and write down her contact information. Another volunteer will write her a thank-you note at a later time.
4:15 PM – After wrapping up the sorting, I head back to the laundry room and switch the load over to the dryer.
4:30 PM – Soon after, I receive a call from Victoria asking me to gather some Emergency Assistance items. We sometimes have individuals that come in for emergency needs, and although they aren’t enrolled in our Start Here program, we still try to help them however we can.
This woman’s daughter is eight months old, so I gather some size three diapers. I also grab a few sleepers and add a blanket to her bag as well.
She is so grateful and surprised by what we have handed her, so I was eager to show her around the Boutique and share more about the opportunity she has to enroll in the Start Here program. She is very interested in enrolling, so I call Victoria to let her know to give this mother a follow-up call and invite her back.
5:00 PM – Soon after she leaves, it is about time for me to head home as well. I take the laundry out of the dryer and leave a note on the desk for tomorrow’s Boutique volunteer, letting her know there is laundry that will need to be folded.
I empty the trash on the Lower Level before checking with Angie, the Office Manager, to see if there is anything she needs before I head out.
I close up the Boutique, flip the sign to “CLOSED,” say my goodbyes to the Lower Level staff and head home for the evening.
As I turn onto Woodlake Trail, I reflect on the day I had at Starting Point. It feels rewarding to be able to display warmth and hospitality to these clients once a week. I took on this role to be a blessing to others, but oh how blessed I feel to be doing this work!
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To those in need, our Boutique is a place where they can find support and supplies to empower them to reach their full potential as parents. The volunteers operating the Boutique get to be a part of that work firsthand.
If you believe God might be calling you to serve others in this life-changing role, please email our Client Services Director, Abbey Ernst or fill out our volunteer contact form at https://knoxstartingpoint.com/partnership/volunteer/.
