Volunteer Spotlight: Carly Boos

Carly Boos, a Broad Ripple resident for more than 20 years, is passionate about helping people. She works as a nurse and does telephonic counseling for those with diabetes. Carly, a mother of three, has been married for 30 years and believes that feeding her family nutritious, fresh food is crucial to living a healthy life. She has been an avid volunteer for The Patachou Foundation for a year and a half and has enjoyed being able to introduce kids to foods they may have otherwise never enjoyed. We are very grateful for Carly’s passion for helping the kids in her community. Thank you, Carly!How did you first hear about The Patachou Foundation?We’ve always gone to the Patachou restaurants and so we’ve seen things about the Foundation.What prompted you to start volunteering for The Patachou Foundation?The election. I wanted to do something positive and something to help. To feel like I was doing something good. It’s been a really good thing. We’ve always been really into food in our family– whole food, good food, and fresh food. And so to be able to try to help people that don’t have that is a big thing, too.What about your volunteer experience has been fulfilling to you?It just always makes you feel good. Even when you have one of those days where you’re so busy and you don’t think you have time. It’s just fun to be around the kids and the other volunteers and to hear their stories and to meet different people. The kids just make you feel good. You always come away going, “I’m really glad I did that.”– even though you think you can’t fit one more hour in.Do you have a favorite memory or story about your volunteer experience?There are some kids that, even when you haven’t seen them for a couple of weeks, they come up and they’ll give you a hug or ask about you and what you’re doing. They do make you laugh. Certain foods–when we have something with chickpeas in it, for example–that always makes for some good conversations.What school do you typically volunteer with and can you tell me a little bit about that school?Brookside. So the kids are from kindergarten to 8th grade... a big range. The kids are just sweet.What would you tell people who may be considering volunteering for TPF but aren’t sure? What advice would you give them before volunteering?It definitely is very easy to do. You can pick your day and your time. And if something happens to come up, that’s not a problem, either. Obviously sometimes life gets in the way but it’s very, very easy to do. Why do you think The Patachou Foundation is important for our community as a whole?It’s just valuable. There are so many kids and families that don’t have food, let alone good food. And to just be put in touch with stuff that, like a chickpea. Half those kids would never see anything like that or know that that’s out there. And the only way to learn how to have good nutrition is to be exposed to good nutrition.Want to join our team of volunteers? Apply now.