Community Is Built, Funding Follows

Built by people, sustained by love, still showing up.

There are people I am connected to for life because of Community Market.

Even after I stepped away.
Even after years passed.
Even after one of the hardest seasons any of us have lived through.

Community Market came to life at St. Luke’s during the pandemic, when fear and need collided all at once. Families needed food immediately. Systems were stretched thin. Access to basics like fresh produce and protein became uncertain almost overnight. When St. Luke’s was asked to step into leadership of a weekly food distribution effort, we said yes because it was the right thing to do. None of us fully understood what that yes would require.

What emerged was not just a program. It became a living, breathing community.

Volunteers and staff from St. Luke’s Methodist Church and the Oklahoma City County Health Department run a shift of Community (Mobile) Market.

If you have ever served alongside Community Market volunteers, you understand this in your bones. Friday mornings felt sacred. I have written before that I felt closest to God on those mornings, surrounded by people who showed up again and again, not for recognition or credit, but because love demanded action.

COVID created intense and immediate needs. And these church members and community partners met them head on. Week after week. In heat, cold, wind, and rain. They packed bags, drove trucks, lifted pallets, directed traffic, and greeted every person in line with dignity. It did not matter who someone was, where they came from, or what their story looked like. People were fed. People were seen.

What made it work was not luck or hustle. It was leadership rooted in seeing people fully.

From the beginning, volunteers were not treated as free labor. They were trusted as leaders. People were placed where their gifts could shine. Some brought strength. Some brought steadiness. Some brought calm in chaos. Some brought humor that lightened heavy moments. Retirees became the backbone of the program. They ran trucks, trained others, anticipated problems before they happened, and brought consistency that no short term staffing model ever could. Their value cannot be overstated.

Connie Harrison, AKA, “Rosie the Riveter”

Connie has been with Community Market since Day One in April 2020. She drives a refrigerated box truck every Friday to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to get pallets of food for the community. She is a rock in the program.

We cross trained intentionally. Not to squeeze more productivity out of people, but to build empathy and respect. When you have packed food, loaded trucks, and stood in the heat directing traffic, you understand the whole system. Silos disappear. Teams form.

Clear communication mattered. Every Friday had a plan, but flexibility was built in because real life demanded it. Volunteers knew where to be, what mattered most, and how decisions would be made when something inevitably went sideways. That clarity created confidence. People stopped waiting to be told what to do and started leading alongside one another.

Culture carried us. Community Market took the work seriously, but we did not remove joy from it. Music played while bags were packed. Donuts showed up early in the morning. Small surprises reminded people they were appreciated. Fun was not extra. It was essential. Joy sustained people when the work was exhausting and the world felt upside down.

Being in the trenches together changed us. Hard work in the elements has a way of leveling people quickly. Titles fall away when everyone is tired, dirty, and focused on serving someone else. What remains is shared purpose, mutual respect, and deep connection.

COVID created an immediate need. Volunteers began showing up in droves, no matter the risk or conditions.

Marc and Connie unloaded pallets of milk products at a Market stop during the pandemic.

I still feel a profound bond with the volunteers who continue this work today. Even after three years without me, Community Market remains a consistent source of support for our community. That kind of continuity does not happen by accident. It happens when culture is strong enough to last beyond any one leader.

Community Market taught me something I will carry forever. Community is not built by money alone. It is built when people are seen, trusted, and invited to bring their whole selves to meaningful work.

My last day on Community Market. I carry a lifetime of love and memories because of these amazing people.

For nonprofit leaders, there is an invitation here.

Be intentional about who leads your volunteers. That role is critical, yet often undervalued. The right volunteer director does more than fill shifts. They create the vibe. They listen. They see gifts others overlook. They protect culture and build community. They make people feel like they belong.

Think differently about what volunteers can do. With trust, training, and clear expectations, volunteers can take on real responsibility, not just support tasks. Retirees, in particular, bring wisdom, consistency, and leadership that many organizations desperately need. When we rely solely on paid staff, we limit impact and accelerate burnout. When we empower volunteers, capacity expands and community deepens.

COVID showed us what is possible when we stop playing small. When we trust people. When we build systems that allow volunteers to lead, support one another, and grow into the work.

Community Market continues because people were placed in the right seats, trusted with meaningful responsibility, and surrounded by a culture that made service joyful and sustaining.

That is not accidental.
That is leadership.
And it is worth doing well.