Audrey koepp

Audrey Koepp has been volunteering and donating to Arlington Charities for around thirty years. She started volunteering when Arlington Charities was just a little storefront in the Municipal Building on Stanford. There was nowhere near as much activity back then and Audrey has enjoyed seeing Arlington Charities evolve into the robust client choice pantry it is today. Audrey was the mission chair at her church when she discovered Arlington Charities. She advocated for “never wasting old pots, pans, towels, and other household goods.” “Someone’s junk is someone else’s treasure.”

Audrey appreciates that Arlington Charities focuses on emergency items like food and clothing. These items get donated to us, which in turn get donated to the people who need them. Audrey also enjoys the many specialty programs we offer with her favorite being layettes for expectant mothers. Every item Arlington Charities offers is “respectable” and there is “no junk” stipulates Audrey.

The impact that Arlington Charities has on the community is obvious to Audrey. She explains it as the “difference between happy faces or tears at the dinner table.” Many of these people work paycheck to paycheck and something simple like a sick day can throw off their entire budget. Other times, unexpected disasters like a fire or an illness can create huge burdens for someone who would otherwise be doing fine. Whatever the case is, Arlington Charities is here to help.

Audrey would always encourage others to extend a helping hand by “giving very often, you reap what you sew.” “What we give might not be a big difference to us, but it could be huge for somebody else.”