Thirty Year Thursday: Jenny Jobson
To celebrate our thirtieth year anniversary, we’re interviewing a friend of Midtown Assistance Center each Thursday as part of a series call “Thirty Year Thursday.” This week, we interviewed MAC staff member Jenny Jobson.
How did you first find out about MAC?
I started volunteering at MAC in 1997. I am a parishioner at Sacred Heart, but I didn’t really know anything about Midtown Assistance Center until I went on a mission trip to Haiti. The Jesuit Volunteer from MAC went on the trip and was my roommate. She told me about MAC and invited me to volunteer. I didn’t think I would want to do it at first. I didn’t know that it was something I would be passionate about. The volunteer application asked that you commit six months to MAC, and I remember wondering if I would really be able to make that long of a commitment. It wasn’t necessarily the volunteer opportunity I wanted, but it was what I needed.
What initially drew you to volunteer at MAC?
I had made a resolution to go on a mission trip when I went on the mission trip to Haiti. I had always thought of a mission trip reaching outside of my community, but people gave me a hard time about not volunteering to help people here. I think they made a valid point. I used to drive through a housing project every day, and I realized that I wanted to explore the need we have here and learn more about poverty in my own community. I like that volunteer groups at MAC can see directly where their service is going and can match it to a building or a face.
What kept you at MAC?
How rewarding the work is. I was very nervous when I began volunteering, and I must have been the slowest volunteer here. I shadowed other volunteers for such a long time. But people are so grateful, and it is great to see that the assistance actually impacts people and makes a difference.
How has your experience at MAC influenced you?
It impacts the way my husband and I raise our kids. The work leaves a lasting impression, and it influences what I consider to be a priority. It is perspective shifting. You think that you are having a bad day, but you realize that you wouldn’t last a day in someone else’s shoes.
Do you have a favorite story from your time at MAC?
I like being able to see when our long-term clients finally make a change. We’ve put up with some people that have been given up on by other places. When they come back and have turned a corner, they want to thank you or give a donation. You get to see that you have made an impact, whether it was from something like rent, MARTA, or a few bags of groceries.