Reconnect with the Power of Small Acts of Service and Kindness

“return to me with all your heart,” Joel 2-12:18

During this Lenten period of reflection, we are called to renew our sense of purpose and rediscover what truly matters, heeding the call to “return to me with all your heart.” It is a time to be reminded of the power of small acts of service and kindness, exemplified by the work at St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, where a commitment to care and connection is in action every day.

Volunteering during Lent helps us reconnect with our own capacity for kindness, allowing the spirit of reflection to infuse our actions. By adopting this mindset, we can live with greater intentionality and love—values that underpin the essence of caring for one another.

Anyone who volunteers their time at St. Vincent Meals on Wheels experiences firsthand the power that “giving back” delivers. Lent is an opportunity to fulfill our plans to volunteer and make a significant difference.

When a volunteer prepares and delivers meals, not just the hungry, homebound client but also the volunteer is enriched. As Pope Paul VI noted, the encounter between the person who gives and the person who receives can “open the paths which lead to mutual assistance among peoples, to a deepening of human knowledge, to an enlargement of heart, to a more brotherly [or sisterly] way of living within a truly universal human society.”

Our hearts are changed by the joy we receive when we give.

As Pope Paul VI also said: “when work is done in common, when hope, hardship, ambition, and joy are shared, it brings together and firmly unites the wills, minds, and hearts of people: in its accomplishment, we find ourselves to be children of the same God.”

If you want to explore volunteering, during Lent or any time, please contact Sonia Sanchez, who oversees volunteer outreach at SVMOW and Hotel Dieu. Like so many on our staff, Sonia embodies the spirit of “returning with all one’s heart,” inspiring us all to pursue our mission with devotion and love.