BOSTON, Mass. – When Kelly Sajous walked in 17 years ago as a helper with the Greater Boston Food Bank, he had no idea just what a perfect marriage this would be. Since emigrating from Haiti to New York in 1975, Sajous had worked on buildings and bridges, a far cry from his future duties coordinating thousands of volunteers in the fight against hunger.
These days, Sajous commutes six times each week from his Wendell Street home in Pawtucket to the GBFB’s headquarters in Dorchester, Mass., spending 53 hours coordinating, managing and training volunteers. In 2012, the GBFB reached a record 20,000 volunteers.
“I’m a people person, so I make it work,” Sajous told The Breeze.
Sajous, the production specialist, manages more than 14,000 volunteers each year at GBFB, the largest hunger-relief organization in New England. Those volunteers save the GBFB more than $1 million in labor costs annually, money that can then be used to purchase more food.
According to representatives for the GBFB, Sajous “is great at engaging these groups by making sure they have a fun and rewarding experience.”
Lydia Hart, volunteer coordinator for the GBFB, said that “one of Kelly’s amazing skills, day in and day out,” is to work so well with so many different kinds of people, from corporate and retiree groups to religious organizations and schools. Sajous is great at “interacting with every volunteer to make it a positive experience,” said Hart.
Many of the people who start out completing community service hours with the GBFB end up loving it so much that they stay, in large part because of the “magic” worked by Sajous when he shows them what kind of an impact they are having with their work, said Hart.
The goal at the GBFB is to help eradicate hunger. The organization provides nearly 41 million pounds of food and grocery products each year to more than 500,000 needy children and adults representing 190 Massachusetts cities and towns.
Having found his calling, says Sajous, he has no plans to ever leave the GBFB. Why would someone leave a job where they have such an impact on the lives of others?
“I’ll be here until I win the lottery,” he said, laughing. “I love it here.”
For more on the Greater Boston Food Bank, visit www.gbfb.org .