At Caring Hands, we want to provide compassionate care to our neighbors in eastern Polk County. We couldn’t do that without reliable volunteers like Bill and Mari Stirler, our featured volunteers of the month. Before they retired, Bill was a Safety Officer at MercyOne and Mari was a Regional Director at Heartland Area Education Agency.
What is your church home? Lutheran Church of the Cross in Altoona.
What inspired you to serve at Caring Hands?
Mari facilitated the Hunger Team at LCC for several years so this was another way to work to alleviate food insecurity in our community. Bill had helped with winter and spring break food bags at LCC, so decided to join Mari in volunteering for Daily Bread once he retired in 2020.
What do you typically do when you volunteer?
We volunteer approximately twice a month at Daily Bread. Mari checks our neighbors in on the computer and Bill assists them while they shop.
Tell us about a time you were blessed by your work as a volunteer at Caring Hands.
We have been blessed to meet some wonderful people and have learned from hearing their stories and witnessing their resilience in facing life's challenges.
What do you wish people knew about Caring Hands?
We wish more people in our community were aware of the variety of ways that Caring Hands can support them if they are facing challenges. Also, that Caring Hands is a great place to volunteer because they are flexible in scheduling around trips and family events that come up.
Tell us one thing most people don't know about you.
With a driving trip to the Pacific Coast this winter that included sightseeing in Oregon, we have now visited all 50 states together.
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