Dear friends,

I didn’t realize how powerful a basket of cleaning supplies could be until I watched someone cry over it. It was just a regular day at Joshua Station. A volunteer had curated a small collection of household goodies as part of “sprucing a room” for a new resident who had just moved in. The woman looked stunned—almost confused. Then she said quietly, “No one has made something just for me in a long time.”

That moment stuck with me. Because it reminded me that hospitality isn’t about doing something big or impressive—it’s about offering small, consistent acts of care that say: You belong. You’re seen. You’re safe here.

Hospitality Is Who We Are

At Joshua Station, we don’t think of hospitality as a task or a role—it’s more like our heartbeat. It’s how we embody love in the most practical ways.

A lot of the families who come here have been through deep hardship—displacement, trauma, instability. They may have been treated as problems to manage or cases to solve. When we welcome them in, we want to do the opposite. We want to offer what Fr. Greg Boyle calls “kinship—not serving the other, but being one with the other.”

“There is no them and us—only us.” – Greg Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart

This kind of welcome doesn’t require a special skill set. It just asks for presence, humility, and a willingness to see each person as sacred.

What Hospitality Looks Like (in Real Life)

I’ve seen hospitality show up in all kinds of small but meaningful ways at Joshua Station:

• A volunteer remembering a child’s name and asking how their math test went

• A warm plate of food served without judgment

• A playroom that’s tidy, calm, and full of dignity

None of these things are complicated. But they all say: You matter.

Why It Matters So Much

When we practice hospitality—true, grounded, humble hospitality—we restore something that the world may have tried to take away: dignity.

One of the things I love about working here is that I get to see people begin to believe they’re worthy again. That they can belong somewhere.

Richard Rohr once wrote,

“The most courageous thing we will ever do is to bear humbly the mystery of our own reality.”

To me, hospitality is about that—holding space for someone else’s mystery. Not needing to fix or judge, just being present. That’s something we try to instill in every volunteer who comes through our doors.

If You’re Volunteering, Try This

Here are a few practical ways I try to practice hospitality, and how we train others to do the same:

• Be Present: Put your phone away. Make eye contact. Let the person in front of you feel like the most important person in the room—even just for a moment.

• Respect Boundaries: You don’t have to ask someone to share their story to show them you care. Trust builds over time.

• Use Names: It sounds small, but it means everything. If you can’t remember, it’s okay to ask again—it still communicates that they matter.

• Pay Attention: Notice who’s on the sidelines. Notice the parent who looks tired. The kid who’s hanging back. The person who might just need a little extra warmth.

Hospitality Is Planting Seeds

Not every act of kindness leads to a big moment. Sometimes, you won’t see the impact. But I believe—I’ve seen—that every kind, patient gesture is a seed. And over time, those seeds grow into trust, healing, and even hope.

And isn’t that what we’re all looking for?

“You stand with the least likely to succeed until success is succeeded by something more valuable: kinship.” – Greg Boyle

If this kind of community speaks to you, we’d love to have you join us.
Click here to check out our new volunteer welcome packet and learn how you can get involved as a volunteer at Joshua Station.

—Kira Leefers, Volunteer Coordinator

Ready to volunteer? Apply here to get started.