Someone they loved walked through these doors.
Our volunteers come to Regeneration for different reasons.
Some come because they have time and want to give it. Some come because they once needed a place like this themselves. And some come because they watched someone they love walk through these doors, and showing up felt like the only thing left to do.
For one volunteer, it was exactly that.
For years, she didn’t know where her son was. Then she found out he’d found Regeneration, that he was coming in for breakfast seven days a week, and people knew his name.
One day during COVID, she walked in after him.
She met the staff. She saw the space. And then she found out they had taken her emergency contact information, so that if anything ever happened to him, someone could reach her.
For a mother who hadn’t known where her son was, that meant everything.
She stayed. She started volunteering. And somewhere along the way, she became everyone’s mom.
A Mother’s Love Has No Guest List.
Guests call her “Mom” from across the room. She knows their names, their orders, their days. She showed up for her son and kept showing up for everyone else.
That’s what this place does. It starts with one reason to walk through the door. And it gives you a hundred reasons to come back.
This is what volunteering at Regeneration looks like, in the words of the people who keep showing up.
I give back to Regen because they have given so much to my son, and I’ve received so much in return. The relationships I’ve been able to build with my son’s friends, I’m called Mom by some of them.
One Door. Many Reasons.
Her story is one. But walk through the doors at Regeneration and you’ll find others.
Volunteers who came to stock shelves and found a sense of purpose they hadn’t been looking for. People who showed up once and built friendships that have lasted for years. Some who once sat where the guests sit now — and come back because they know exactly what it means to be welcomed.
Every role matters. Whatever you bring, someone needs it. And the guests notice.
“They remember you, they see you, and they know that you’re trying. That’s what makes it meaningful.”
There’s a place here for you.
Maybe it’s the same for you. Maybe you don’t know yet. The only way to find out is to walk through the door.
If you can’t give your time right now, a $4 gift provides a meal and the reminder that someone belongs here.
Want the full picture? Read the 2025 Impact Report.