Alex's First Day at Hope of the Valley

Today was my first day volunteering at the Hope of the Valley Thrift store located in the Granada area. As soon as I entered in, I was welcomed by the cashier and I immediately asked if Ms. Claudia was available. The cashier proceeded to send me to the back of the store where I was introduced to the store manager: Ms. Claudia. She told me all of the rules which included checking in and out hours, getting the signature of the supervisor after I finish, no horseplaying, etc… After I got a brief overview of the store, she had me organize the toys, stuffed animals, bagged items, sports equipment, office supplies, school supplies, and all of the books. Although there was no music playing, I had many conversations with the customers about their favorite books and other activities they enjoyed participating in. One of the customers named Lisa enjoyed reading historical books such as The Odyssey and The Roman Civil War. Although organizing all of the items took a long time, it went by really quickly as I got to know different customer’s stories. All in all, I believe my first experience as a volunteer at Hope of the Valley was tiring, but also enjoyable as I got to communicate to those around me.