Volunteer Voices featuring Stacey Benge. From a homeless addict to a home owner and volunteer!

In 2015, Stacy Benge had a meth addiction that caused her to hit rock bottom when she lost her son, her home, her job, everything was taken away but her will to survive, and the hope that someday she would get her son back. She ended up in a recovery center that helped her get off of her meth addiction, and after completing the program, had nowhere to go. That's when Stacey came to the Daniel Pitino Shelter- where she found her love for volunteer work. 

​They had to do chores around the shelter to stay there. She knows that everything happens for a reason and her experiences shaped her into who she is today and her love for helping others. She would do different chores at the shelter and discovered she loved cooking for others. Stacey realized what a difference you can make doing something as simple as making a meal for someone when she volunteered to cook for a first responders thank you event. 

Stacey was a recipient for Fresh Start for Women, a transitional housing and support services for women . Stacey was the second person to receive their services. They were dependent on volunteers to get them up and going so she saw first hand the difference volunteers were making and it inspired her even more to want to give back. Stacey wouldn't be where she is today if it wasn't for other people's passion to volunteer. While living there, Stacey volunteered to help with events and other things they needed.

Stacy is proud to say “volunteering helped me with my mental health. This was a huge factor in keeping me sober because it gave me a sense of purpose. Volunteer work has made me who I am today”. 

She then applied for a Habitat for Humanity home and had to work many sweet equity hours helping other Habitat home owners, before she got her own. Seeing so many people volunteering to help with her home, who did not even know her and wanted nothing in return, enforced her love for serving others. 

After getting settled in her new Habitat home, she finally got her son back. She continued to volunteer at Fresh Start for Women and meet her goal of becoming an Impact 100 member that had supported all of the organizations that helped Stacey get back on her feet. She also started volunteering at Friends of Sinners, because she knew what the women were going through and could help them. Even Habitat for Humanity reached out and asked if she would volunteer to be on the Home Owners Committee, and she accepted with gratitude, and eventually became a board member there as well. 

Stacy says “through losing everything, I gained it all, a relationship with God who was carrying me through it all”. “I really think it's important to volunteer because it has a ripple effect when you volunteer. It’s great to give back to a community who is supporting you as well. I discovered who I was by helping others. Volunteering isn't just about helping others, it's about discovering a deeper sense of purpose within yourself. We all have the power to make a difference, no matter how small and I’ve seen first hand that service to others has the power to cure.”

Watch Stacy share her story on Project Volunteer TV www.projectvolunteer.org

By Skylar Hartloff