Meet Our Volunteers: Stuart and Susan

We had the pleasure of having Stuart and Susan from the US join us for a two-week food rescue project while staying at Impact Beach House. During their time with us, we had the chance to sit down and talk about their journey, experiences, and reflections. You can read our conversation below.

What brought you here?

Susan: We came to Portugal because we think the country is beautiful and we found some opportunities for volunteering here, and so we escaped the heat of Arizona in August and came to this beautiful country and city. And we’re giving back while we’re enjoying the scenery. 

Stuart: What she said! 

Which project did you choose?

Stuart: We are in the food rescue project. Primarily, our job downtown is to go to restaurants that are donating food that they’re not using. We bring it back to repackage and then ultimately serve; give that food back into the community to folks in need. 

Will this experience change anything in your life?

Susan: It is my first time travelling for volunteering and I’ll definitely entertain the idea of taking advantage of that opportunity in the future. 

Stuart: I think it gives a bit of a different perspective on travel and vacation, and how volunteering gives you a different understanding of the culture rather than just being a tourist. We've gotten to know lots of folks who are locals who live here; a lot of people we've gotten to meet through volunteering we wouldn't have met if we just came as tourists.

How did you feel about spending your time helping other people?

Susan: It is just a win-win situation.

Stuart: I don't think it's a, “oh boy does this feel good,” because I think we have lives that try to do that anyway, so, for us it's not as much about going to do something to feel good as it is a natural part of how we live anyway. And we do some similar things at home; I think more than anything it just feels like a good right thing to do.

Would you consider participating in a similar project in the future?

Stuart: Yeah, back home we work with a similar organization in a little different way. We work with a group that gets food to people in need from a health standpoint. But I do think we really enjoyed our time here and we consider coming back working with the same groups here.

Did you have a good time in Portugal?

Susan: I love the country, yes. We actually are entertaining coming back for an even more extended stay in the future. And I don't think we would come back and just sit on the beach. I think we would always have to have busy hands.

What did you think of Impact Beach House?

Susan: Well we got the best room! No but, I love the location; it is close to the train stop, and we've gone out and explored and found a beautiful beach across the street that we can use in the morning, because we are doing our services in the afternoon. It’s comfortable and everyone’s friendly and it’s clean and - 

Stuart: I think what it offers is lots of support. Especially for folks who maybe haven't traveled as much. It's nice to show up and know that there's going to be meals here and people who are concerned with how you're doing. So there's lots of that type of support, which is really nice to have.