by Jo Mayer and Paul Crandall

Take the zillions of words written in the last couple of decades about corporate culture and put them on a roll of paper and that scroll might extend to the moon and back.

Core principles, how people act, how they communicate and handle conflict, how they treat customers and each other—these are topics of interest from board rooms to factory floors. And they’re not just important in the corporate world; they’re just as critical to nonprofit organizations.

Much of the culture at Stockbridge Community Outreach boils down to a single quality: compassion. As part of that emphasis, a lot of the work done by Outreach staff and volunteers is encompassed in four often used words and phrases:

• How can we help you?
• Please
• Thank you
• I’m sorry

How can we help you?

This question opens the door to countless contacts over the phone and in person. It might lead to helping area residents who find themselves moving or clearing out a loved one’s house, or with redundant or obsolete things, calling Outreach to ask what we can productively take off their hands.

Or it may be folks looking to shop our pantry, needing help with paperwork, or needing assistance with a seemingly endless list of other needs.

In a way, the “how can we help you” query applies to our own volunteers. While Outreach relies for its very survival on volunteers, the volunteers themselves also get something out of the bargain. These people have time, energy and social needs, and volunteering at Outreach can help fill those. Matching Outreach needs with the desires, schedules and skills of our volunteers is an art, and when it is done well, everyone wins.

Please

Perhaps no single word is more used than “please.” Outreach operates within an environment of goodwill, supported by donations large and small. “Please help” applies to everything from donations of personal care items, to money, to food, to clothing, to small household items and more.

Thank you

Then there’s the counterpart to please: Thank you. We say it in so many ways and for so many gifts, and yet we don’t say it enough. Everyone who donates money, time, clothing, food, space or expertise is so vital to our continued success.

We have about 30 regular volunteers we see at least weekly who help keep the pantry stocked, the Tide Me Over bags packed, the clothing room full and attractive, pop-up food distributions running smoothly, plus so much more. The eleven members of our board do lots of thankless behind-the-scenes work such as keeping meeting minutes or balancing our accounts or keeping up our Facebook page or website, while also meeting monthly to help steer the ship. We are grateful.

We are also thankful to generous community members for the many ways they help, whether bringing in clothing and household items, buying food, giving money, or any of so many generous acts.

Monetary aid to Outreach helps us maintain our two-person part-time paid staff, our accounts, and our space and operations. It also enables us to help our community pay bills and get food. In 2025, we spent over $30,000 to keep our neighbors’ heat and lights on, over $12,000 helping our neighbors stay housed, and over $16,000 buying food.

I’m sorry

Finally, there’s the hardest phrase: “I’m sorry.” Outreach can’t help with everything for everyone. Sometimes we’ve reached our budget limits and can’t help a client as much as we’d like. Sometimes people have a really great appliance or couch, but we just don’t have the space to accommodate it. Sometimes we overlook writing a thank-you note.

In the course of our work, we hear heartbreaking stories of illness, loss of employment, and sometimes just plain bad luck. The worst is when one of our clients or supporters dies or suffers the loss of a loved one. At times, “I’m sorry” may seem inadequate, but it is always said with empathy and true compassion.

That’s who we are.