By PAUL PAYNETHE PRESS DEMOCRAT
When people in need in Sonoma County pick up the phone for food assistance, there's a good chance they'll hear the reassuring voice of Dorothy Guest.
Guest, a volunteer at the FISH food bank in Santa Rosa, often is the first contact with the non-profit agency for the more than 65,000 people a year who receive its emergency relief groceries.
And with the struggling economy sending more and more people into poverty, Guest is on the phone longer than ever.
On a recent Friday, Guest took 76 calls in a four-hour period, lining up thankful families with donated food that will help them get by.
"You can tell by their voices it's embarrassing to ask for help," said Guest, 84, of Santa Rosa. "So many people are losing their jobs now. Losing their homes. They reach a point where they have to call the food bank."
Guest, a retired newspaper advertising worker, is one of the longest-serving volunteers at FISH, having started in 1987 after long stints at The Press Democrat and Marin Independent Journal.
She said someone stood up in church one Sunday, asking for help at the food bank. Guest raised her hand and has been with them ever since.
"I like working with people," Guest said. "I like doing something I feel is helpful to other people."
Jeanne-Marie Jones, director of the all-volunteer organization, said recruiting volunteers is difficult. Guest is one of just two who have served since the 1980s.
Guest is a dispatcher charged with taking people's names and assigning food bags handled by other volunteers. During her once-a-week shifts, the phone often rings nonstop, but Guest manages to keep it under control.
"She's just an excellent person and outstanding volunteer who has been loyal to us for so many years," said Jones. "You have to be special to be a dispatcher."
Guest says the the recession has been adding to the number of people seeking food. Last year, requests were up nearly 10 percent.
She hears many tales of hardship and loss. People are out of work and can't feed their families. Some newly poor people are ashamed about seeking a handout and she consoles them, telling them that it's all right.
"I do what I can on the phone to make them feel better," she said.
Guest is no stranger to adversity. The Bay Area native lost two husbands, and her companion died four years ago. Her adult daughter was murdered in San Francisco about 25 years ago.
Her daughter's slaying -- and her killer's light sentence -- led to Guest's first volunteer work in a victim-witness program at the courthouse. She did it for a couple of years before moving on when the stories began to sound too familiar.
She volunteered at the local blood bank and at a senior citizens' home. And every Friday for the past 22 years she's manned the phones or helped out in some capacity at FISH.
She says she hopes to stay on at least a couple of more years.
"I like to be busy," Guest said. "I'd rather be busy helping someone than doing something that would have no meaning."
You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or by e-mail at paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.
