Thirty Year Thursday: Holley Forsyth

To celebrate our thirtieth year anniversary, we’re interviewing a friend of MAC each Thursday for thirty weeks as part of a series call “Thirty Year Thursday.” This week, we interviewed Holley Forsyth, four year MAC volunteer and Atlanta First United Methodist Church Parishioner.

How did you first find out about MAC?

Through First Methodist. The Church talked about MAC and Dorothy would come and speak sometimes. My father also had been volunteering for years before I started volunteering.

What initially drew you to volunteer?

I like helping people locally. Here you know that you are helping people in the city who are going through a rough patch and need help.

What kept you coming back?

The difference I saw MAC make in people’s lives. People get through times of difficulty because of the help MAC gave them. You really get to see a difference.

What is something you have learned during your time at MAC?

What a difference one bag of groceries or one MARTA card can make. Many clients just need one thing to help them get to their job or just a little push through a hard financial time. A little assistance can go a long way in helping someone make it to next month.

It also has shown me how hard some people have it, and it makes me realize how lucky I am. One client came in for assistance with his three month old son, and we gave him a teddy bear someone had donated. He teared up because he hadn’t been able to give his son many toys since he was experiencing a job loss. It can be easy to take something as small as giving your child a toy for granted.

Do you have a favorite story from your time at MAC?

It’s hard to pick one. I don’t remember her name, but we saw a client whose kid had been ill. While she was out of work caring for her child, she wasn’t sure what she would do about paying for electricity or food. We helped her with her power bill, and it was exactly what she needed. Our help allowed her to take care of her child until he was well and she was able to go back to work. We helped her make it through.