During my first day volunteering with Hope & Comfort, we moved dozens of boxes and helped sort and fill hygiene kits for students in Boston. It was a physical process and afterward I very much looked forward to a shower. It struck me at that time that such a small comfort would make all the difference in how I felt for the rest of the day. Without the soap and shampoo I had waiting for me, would I have been able to face work the next day? Would I choose to speak to someone new if I had been unable to brush my teeth? Would I have volunteered at all? I came to realize that so much of my day was predicated on how I felt in my own skin and how much of the way I acted and was treated was based on the simple act of bathing. The message of Hope & Comfort stuck with me after that first day, and I am grateful to get the chance to continue helping such an important organization.”

-Colin Gillis