The Window, Miller, Working To Help People In Need
“I walked into The Window one day looking to volunteer. I was talking to someone and mentioned my development background and I was taken in to meet the executive director, Ed Swartley. We talked. I’d brought a copy of my resume, which I gave to him, and I started working the very next business day.
I’m a Northridge High School graduate—I moved back to Elkhart County in 2015—and until I began working at The Window I was working part time and tending to all things home and garden. I studied Marketing and Communications and some Public Relations at Augustana College, in Illinois, and over time I developed an appreciation for working for non-profits—so I was thrilled to get started at The Window as the Director of Development.
There are almost 260 non-profit organizations in Elkhart County, and they all are important, and they all have similar challenges. What’s special about The Window is that every single service and item we offer and give out is free. The people who come in here don’t pay a dime.
I have such a love for my job that it doesn’t usually feel like work. Obviously there are days and there are times; but even in tough moments I remember why I’m doing this—so we can provide people a place where they can get the help they need. It’s helping people that I most love about this job. This is my dream job and I’ve loved every second of it. That sounds cliche, I know, but it’s the truth.
Meeting essential needs, giving people hope
Our mission at The Window is to provide services to meet the essential needs of anyone with a limited income.
We’ve more than doubled the number of people we serve since before the Covid pandemic. We provide free hot lunches every weekday, and we have a Food Pantry people can visit once a month; we provide Meals on Wheels, and we have a clothing closet people can visit once a week. During the winter we constantly run drives for clothes, coats, socks, gloves, and other essential cold weather needs. We provide people with a place to take a shower. We act as a post office for people who don’t have their own home or address so they can get their Social Security checks and have a place for their food stamps to go; a lot of folks miss out on services like those simply on account of not having an address. I think we’re one of the few places to provide that.
We give people a sense of belonging; and, also, a place to socialize. When you’re homeless or struggling it can feel incredibly isolating, and this is a place where people can have a community. There are people who come here who are good friends with each other and have lunch here, together, every day.
I think The Window doesn’t just make a positive impact; I think our services are life-changing. People sometimes walk in hungry, in old, dirty clothes, and then end up walking out fed—and with clean clothes—and just feeling like a whole new person; like they can take on the world. We provide hope; a place where people don’t feel worthless to the world. Often, when someone returns after not having been here for a while, people are saying to them. ‘Hey, we missed you—where’ve you been?’ You have no idea how much it means to a homeless or struggling person to hear welcoming, loving words like those. It means everything to hear that you’ve been missed.
The Window offers a helping, and welcoming, hand
We live in a society that tends to judge people based on what they have. If you haven’t succeeded in expected ways, or don’t have what everyone else has, you feel like a failure. You have people who might have lost their job, or lost their house, or went through a divorce—who are feeling like they failed, but a lot of times it’s just due to circumstances. A lot of folks who come here for services are working, sometimes more than one job, but—between the bills, utilities, the increasing cost of living, and school supplies and clothes for their kids—they’re not making enough money to provide food.
People who come into The Window often feel or seem embarrassed, and that’s something we try to counter by doing everything we can to make everyone in here feel welcome and valued.
Sometimes people ask me why I’m so passionate about my work, and why it’s so important to me. I reply by asking them, ‘Have you ever been hungry and had no food to eat? Have you ever been hungry, or your kids were hungry, and you didn’t have money to buy food—and you didn’t know what you were going to do?’ A lot of people don’t know what that feels like, and if they don’t they should count their blessings and be thankful, because it’s a very, very low feeling.
By helping people with food to eat and clean clothes to wear, we give people who come in here the opportunity to feel good about themselves. Sometimes, that confidence helps people be able to take the next step, and they can improve their lives or sometimes even get a job and a fresh start.
Working for the good of people in Elkhart County
I’ve always volunteered in my spare time. I was brought up to Love they neighbor, and treat other people how you’d want to be treated. I think my drive to volunteer, and be of service to people, comes mostly from God and from my parents example. My parents cared about all people and would talk to anyone. They believed we’re all the same. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up but if there was someone who needed somewhere to go on Christmas or Thanksgiving, my parents would invite them to come eat with our family.
I think that feeling is so very strong, still, throughout the City of Goshen and throughout Elkhart County. We have volunteers for sorting and hanging clothes, transporting meals, packing lunches, and so much more—we literally would not exist without the many volunteers who work with us. I’ve also had times, out in public, when people simply overheard me talking about The Window and then came up to me to make a donation. I remember the first time that happened—someone walked over, handed me money, and walked away before I could even thank them. It was surprising, at first, but once it sank in it left me feeling overflowing with happiness and love.
That’s how I want people to feel when they come to The Window; I want them to feel cared for, and to know that they are loved.”
The Window, Inc., 223 South Main Street in Goshen, exists to help people on limited incomes meet their essential needs. For over 50 years The Window has served Goshen and neighboring communities and currently offers services such as a Food Pantry, hot lunches every weekday, a clothing closet, Meals on Wheels, and other important services that improve the lives of those in need—especially the elderly, the disadvantaged, and those living on low incomes. If you’d like to donate, please contact Susi at smiller@thewindowinc.com. To learn more about The Window, or to inquire about the many volunteering options, please visit https://www.thewindowofgoshen.com/.
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“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
– Sir Winston Churchill
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