When Christmas season rolls around, most elementary school kids begin making their lists for Santa. They want new video games, dolls, toys, and games, but Michael T. Simmon’s 4th grader, Rory Glassburn, wanted something different.
This past November, when her parents asked what she wanted for the holiday she said money. However, it wasn’t to buy presents for herself; she wanted to buy food to help homeless people. Rory’s mom, Carissa, tells me, “every time we see someone, she’s always scrambling for change to see if we have anything.” She adds that Rory has always shown a strong compassion for others.
Instead of just giving Rory the money, her mom suggested she could do a food drive at her office, the Washington Student Achievement Council.
Rory wrote a note to tell people, in her own words, why she needed their help. And she was willing to go above and beyond in return. “I said 20 items is equal to one hour volunteering at the food bank. We got more than 900 items so we ended up getting like 45 hours,” Rory tells me laughing. The funny part is Rory wanted to start at only 10 items per hour of volunteer time, but Carissa negotiated her down since she has a full-time job.
After filling the trunk and backseat of her mom’s car, Rory says they took all the food to the Thurston County Food Bank. They were greeted with enthusiastic employees and Rory says she felt very proud that she would be able to help people.
To fulfill her promise of doing volunteer hours, Rory and her mom attended an orientation class. Rory tells me she learned a lot, especially about how many children use the food bank, probably even some in her own school. Carissa adds, “It was an eye opener for Rory to learn what it’s like to ‘shop’ at the food bank.” She explained to her daughter, “when we go to the grocery store we pick what we want, and when people who go to the food bank they don’t really get to chose what they want. They are kind of at the mercy of what the food bank has that day.”
The impact of her donation really hit home for Rory when she saw someone at the food bank she recognized. “Rory got to see the full circle of the food we were giving. We had just met someone the week before that depended on it,” Carissa tells me.
But not everyone can get to the Thurston County Food Bank downtown. The satellite locations, in more rural areas, are stocked with boxes packed by hundreds of volunteers, like Rory, who donate their time.
Rory’s request for donations also inspired some new volunteers. Carissa says she was really impressed by the number of people she works with stepping up. “I thought it was really cool that just the little thing she did has inspired now all these other people to help that wouldn’t have done it before,” she says.
Rory’s dedication to helping others didn’t go unnoticed either. This spring, she was presented with the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award and recognized as the youngest recipient. On presentation day, Carissa tells me her daughter was treated like a celebrity and everyone couldn’t wait to meet her. Included in the festivities was a tour of the Governor’s mansion and meeting First Lady Trudi Inslee.
But the recognition wasn’t over yet. Rory was chosen to throw out the first pitch at a Seattle Mariner’s game, complete with receiving her own signed ball and jersey. She tells me it was a little scary being out on the field, but also the best part. “Nobody else that I know has ever got to be out on the Mariner’s field,” she says with a smile on her face.
What shines through is not the accolades Rory received in the end. “What was crazy is she didn’t know any of this was going to happen,” Carissa says. “She just wanted to help people and help feed the homeless. She didn’t do it because she knew she was going to get some reward. She had no idea any of this was going to happen. But sometimes when you do good things, then good things happen.”
And this family is not done helping their community yet. Carissa and Rory will continue their volunteer work at the food bank. Meanwhile, Rory’s 12-year-old brother, Harper, is planning an animal shelter food drive of his own. Harper shares with me that he and his mom are working out the details because right now resources are low at Joint Animal Services.
If you would like more information about volunteering or donating at the Thurston County Food Bank you can find information on their website or Facebook page.
