Volunteer Spotlight: Margot Frankel, Joel Goldberg and Julia Ty Goldberg

Posted on May 21, 2020

In this time of crisis, the Karsh Center has been privileged to see families making the most of this surreal moment by embracing a new (or renewed) opportunity for family time and volunteering together. Families volunteering together has dramatically increased the amount of groceries and meals we can prepare for distribution, while helping us keep a safe environment with limited exposure to volunteers and clients. Veteran Mobile Food Pantry volunteer Margot Frankel is a prime example. 

Since the safer-at-home order started, Margot has turned her volunteering at the Karsh Center has turned into a family affair. These days, her husband Joel Goldberg and their daughter Julia Ty Goldberg, who recently completed a college semester abroad virtually, join her in helping prepare produce and grocery bags for some of the 800+ households receiving food each week through the Karsh Center’s community relief efforts. 

Margot, Joel and Julia sat down over zoom to speak with Elizabeth Green, the Karsh Center’s Associate Director of Volunteer Engagement, about what it has been like to volunteer as a family during the COVID-19 crisis. 

How did you each get involved with volunteering at the Karsh Center?

Margot Frankel: I started volunteering at the Karsh Center when my friend Joan Harrison threw herself a birthday party by having people volunteer at the Sunday pantry. That was my first taste of it and then I followed up and joined the Tuesday Mobile Food Pantry group, and I’ve been doing that almost two years now! When COVID hit, it sort of mutated into this new form of [helping], which I’m really glad we can do as a family. I think we all appreciate being able to help and [providing] food is at the frontlines of what people need most. So it’s nice to be able to help out in that way. 

Joel Goldberg: Really, Margot’s our connection and she brought this opportunity for all of us to kind of get involved in what felt like a meaningful and safe way to do it, and a chance to work together as a family doesn’t come up that often. It’s wonderful to have meaningful opportunities to get out of the house. We’re happy we can help the Karsh Center and feel like the Karsh Center is helping us, so we appreciate that. 

Julia Ty Goldberg: This has been a wonderful way to yes get out of the house, but also feel like there’s a purpose, especially right now. I think everything feels, especially for myself and my peers, some [sense] of futility in all of this. I was abroad for the first part of the year…and then thrown back here unexpectedly, so [volunteering at the Karsh Center] was a wonderful way to refocus energy that had already built up and didn’t have a place to translate to. The fact that it can be something that helps someone else — I am really grateful for that. And I really feel like it’s been valuable for us, valuable learning, and hopefully valuable to the community to an extent.

Can you describe a little bit of the kinds of projects you’ve been doing and how you’ve been using your time on site at Karsh?

Margot: We’ve been basically packing bags with various staples. Usually some protein, some basic carbs, a vegetable, a fruit, and then when possible, fresh produce. We’ve been packing bags for KYCC and for People Concern. Through each week it kind of gets modified and streamlined I would say, and perfected in certain ways so it’s been really good to see that. 

Joel: So many of our other activities can have less immediate tangible results, so to be able to see: okay, we start with the set-up, and then the end result is these 100 bags that go [to client families]. And how you get from the beginning to the end is satisfying and different from our day to day, to be able to see the fruits of our labor so immediately. 

Julia: I haven’t done too many service jobs that have felt not only like the results were immediate for us, but could potentially be immediate for someone else. Seeing people come in and like, say their name and get their bag — I was noting the last time we were there, the windows were open and you could see outside and you could see people lining up. The cycle is going, and we’re a part of that tangible cycle too. 

Margot: It is interesting just to learn about [what is happening in the food world]. What’s happening the greater area and how Karsh works, where you guys get your supplies and then actually working firsthand to sort [those supplies], seeing what other people are getting and how it’s working in the broader community as well as the Karsh community: it’s just fascinating to learn about the food chain and supply that way. 

[Seeing] the seemingly random selection of produce from strawberries and mushrooms one week to grapefruits the next week to squash and cucumbers and onions. It’s very interesting to see what comes through. Last week my struggle was, what onions were going to be okay? You know, if I went to a store I would never choose this onion, but if you scrape away a few layers is there something still there [that’s usable]? You know, [balancing] not wanting to throw away food making quick judgements about things that are simple but in the end bring out a lot of little issues! 

Margot, thanks to relationships built through your mobile food pantry volunteering, you sometimes know families who will be receiving the bags you put together now. Can you talk a little bit about how your previous mobile food pantry experience may impact the experience you’re having now?

Margot: It’s more I wonder about what’s going on in certain households now and how they’re faring, particularly ones that seemed a little more fragile to begin with…I wonder where they’re at now. One client needed medication, seriously needed medication…[are they] still able to get the medication? How is that family coping? It’s more sort of wondering and hoping that they’re still getting the supplies that they need. And I am hopeful that these packages in some way or other are still getting to them, but I wish I still had that peek every week to just know that they’re okay. 

Have you all learned anything new about each other while volunteering? What’s it been for your family dynamic to plug in? 

Joel: I think in some ways in this setting I try very hard to pull back from taking charge or taking any kind of leadership role, because it’s a wonderful opportunity to get to see how both members of my family but particularly Julia, how she will lead something. Any opportunity to just be able to collaborate with people, and what you make of that experience, I think is really fascinating. So it’s been fun for me to see that process [with my family ] a little bit. 

Is there anything else you’d want to share with the community, or someone thinking about volunteering? 

Julia: I’ve been talking to all these friends… and it’s amazing to me that volunteering is not first on people’s minds right now. I told a friend of mine that this is something I’ve been doing and they were like, I should look into that in my area! And I was like, yeah! [For those of us on pause], how do we use that time effectively? I feel lucky that I had this connection as an entry point. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.