By Kristine Thomas
Verna Scharbach believes her life would be “empty” if it weren’t for the time she dedicated to volunteering in Mount Angel.
“Volunteering allows me to connect with my friends and meet all the wonderful people I do through volunteering,” said Scharbach, 94.
For her commitment to volunteering at the Mount Angel Senior Center for more than 40 years and to Mission Benedict for 25 years, the Mount Angel Chamber of Commerce community awards committee selected Scharbach as 2012 Volunteer of the Year.
She takes Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays off and spends Tuesdays and Thursdays volunteering at the Mount Angel Senior Center and Wednesdays and Fridays at Mission Benedict, the food bank sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters.
Her duties at the food bank include putting away food donations and working with the people who visit to receive food, clothing or household donations. At the senior center, she helps prepare meals to be served at the center and delivered to homes.
Working at both nonprofit organizations has “made me more compassionate for people who need help,” she said.
She gets “mad” when people criticize those who seek assistance from Mission Benedict or other organizations. She always encourages people to learn about who is being served by working at the food bank so they will have a better understanding and perhaps learn their perceptions are incorrect.
“When you don’t work with people who need some assistance, you don’t think about them,” she said. “When you work with people who need help, you really begin to understand their stories and what the help they are receiving means to them.”
Remembering how she feels when someone does something good for her, she wants to make others feel just as blessed.
“I remember a young fellow, he was in his 20s, who came to Mission Benedict and asked if we had a blanket he could have,” she said. “I asked where he was living and he told me under a tree. I asked him wouldn’t he rather have a sleeping bag and he said yes. I asked what else he would need and he told me so I got it for him. When I was done, he got down on one knee and kissed my hand. It was very touching.”
A widow, Scharbach has four children who she adores and takes great pride in: Bob, John, Susan and Nancy. When she’s not volunteering, she spends time with her family and reads at least three books a week.
There was a time in her life when she wasn’t a positive person, she said, adding she wasn’t in a good place.
“I received a lot of help from people who taught me to be positive and to be happy,” she said. “They taught me that worrying doesn’t do any good and it doesn’t change anything.”
She wakes up every morning thanking God that she has another day to do something to make a difference in someone’s day.
“I try to make the most of every day,” she said. “I am so happy. I am grateful for the award but mostly I just try to help get what needs to be done. I wouldn’t want anyone to have to do the work by themselves.”
