Hannah Marill

In the past year we have welcomed many new volunteers who have impacted Boston with their dedicated service. Hannah Marill is a high school student who began volunteering with Boston Cares at the MLK Day of Service in 2021. It has been a little over a year now and she has devoted over 113 hours of her time to volunteer with Boston Cares. 

She began volunteering during the pandemic when she found herself with a lot more free time and wanting to do something meaningful. In this short span of time, she has worked with a variety of organizations on diverse projects within the Greater Boston area.

Her first event was a discussion about food insecurity. She then volunteered with My Brother’s Table organizing and distributing food and then joined the virtual knitting and crocheting group to create cold weather accessories. She has continued to attend the knitting projects and plans to donate all the scarves she’s made to the organization Room to Grow in Boston. 

During the summer, Hannah volunteered with Gaining Ground for the first time and it quickly became her favorite event to take part in. There she is able to combine her love of gardening and volunteering while working on the farm in Concord.

“I remember one time when I was volunteering, I helped cut the stems off of garlic bulbs, and although there were a lot of stems that needed to be cut the time went by quickly because it was such a satisfying job, and I was talking with other volunteers while working!”

Hannah shares how being able to interact with other volunteers outside and picking healthy produce that the community grew together to give to people who need it, is impactful and inspiring. 

Through all of these events she has fostered her outside interests and love for volunteering to impact the community. As a student she has just begun her volunteering career and is excited to continue working with new partners and return to Gaining Ground in the spring!

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Allison Kaminsky

Allison Kaminsky is another standout volunteer with Boston Cares. She has been donating a lot of her time at the American Red Cross Food Pantry. Her volunteer work with Boston Cares began in July of 2020 midst the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic influenced her to combat the unavoidable isolation that it caused through giving back to her community. After finding Boston Cares on her own she began volunteering at the American Red Cross Food Pantry weekly. 

“I enjoy spending time with the other volunteers and I love seeing the tangible impact each time I volunteer.”

Volunteering is an enjoyable experience with the friendships she has made within the volunteer community which have sustained her during the pandemic. Her work has aided in diminishing food insecurity which has significantly increased since the start of the pandemic. Allison is inspired by how each volunteer shift and each individual can impact their community.

As a current master’s candidate in museum studies at Johns Hopkins University scheduling time to volunteer that is flexible and works to her demanding schedule is necessary. While working with Boston Cares she has been able to find volunteer opportunities that match her interests and try new opportunities whenever possible. Allison is one volunteer who has found how Boston Cares is about creating meaningful experiences for the volunteers and the communities they are serving.