Charities once believed that people gave their time out of pure 11, and that asking why was somehow rude. Recent studies suggest a gentler truth. Most volunteers say they are 12 for something in their own lives and simply want to pass it on. Others enjoy belonging to a 13 of people who expect them every Saturday morning. A wise manager therefore does not lecture new helpers about duty; she gives each of them a manageable 14 of the work, thanks them by name, and lets the habit grow in a 15 way. Guilt brings people once; belonging brings them back.
The shop on King Street is run entirely by volunteers, and the team 16 of eleven people, most of them over seventy. Damp air would quickly 17 the donated clothes, so nothing is stored in the cellar. Each Monday the members choose a new 18 for the window: winter coats, children's books, or wedding dresses. The money raised pays for a small van that delivers hot meals to people who cannot leave home. The manager admits the paperwork is a 19, yet she has never thought of leaving. The only 20 that she is tired is a longer coffee break on Thursdays.