Eden Steinbeck - Abode Services Volunteer 2023

When Eden Steinbeck started her freshman year last fall at Santa Clara University, one of her goals was to get involved and take a leadership role on campus.

Well, it only took her a few months to reach that goal – all to the benefit of Abode Services and the clients we serve.

Steinbeck and her fellow students have become one of our most diligent and reliable volunteer groups, performing important organizational tasks at one of our South Bay sites. The work can be tedious and even thankless, but the student group always arrives prepared and ready to help Abode employees.

“It’s just really nice to be around people who have same values and understand the importance of giving back to the community,” she said.

Steinbeck’s group is part of the Neighborhood Perspectives department in the university’s Santa Clara Community Action Program (SCCAP), a program that cultivates volunteerism and activism. She serves as program coordinator, leading other volunteers to help address homelessness and other issues tied to housing. Steinbeck’s duties include signing up group members, providing transportation, and working to help peers feel fulfilled and stay involved.

“My goal is to make it as easy as possible for other students to volunteer,” she said. “What I’ve been trying to do, too, is raise awareness about the housing crisis in the Bay Area.”

The student group recently volunteered weekly for nearly three months in an Abode office, organizing hundreds of donated items in dozens of bins in a crucial part of one of our San Jose sites. Their work improved employees’ access to donated items amid previously inaccessible areas.

Next, they will set their sights on another Abode location in the South Bay. It will be similar to the work they performed at the San Jose site but on a bigger scale. There, they have already set up a staging area in which they will inventory, sort, and organize donated items in a new office, Steinbeck said.

“It was very satisfying see the final results of the project so far,” she said.

Steinbeck is excited to use her leadership abilities and passion for helping others, as the group expands its reach. We at Abode Services are grateful for everything she and her team of volunteers have done for to help our employees.

“I’ve always had a passion for volunteering,” Steinbeck said. ““Seeing the before-and-after of our work, and how helpful it was to Abode employees, that was gratifying. It has kept me motivated to keep coming back.”