Where Purpose Meets Possibility
The Supportive Volunteer Training Program at SOVA
On a busy morning at JFSLA’s SOVA Community Food & Resource Program, the worktables are full, and the energy is high. Bags are being packed. Labels are being placed with care. Teams are counting items, tying bundles, and checking dates—It’s real work. It feeds real families. And for participants in the Supportive Volunteer Training program—part of JFSLA’s Special Needs Life Skills Program—it builds something just as essential: confidence, independence, and purpose.
Led by program coordinator Gerry Dicker, the program provides adults with disabilities hands-on training in a structured, supportive environment—preparing them for greater independence and, when ready, employment.
“I believe everybody has something that they shine at.
We just have to find it.”
— Gerry Dicker
Program Coordinator, JFSLA’s Special Needs Life Skills
“We can train and get them ready,” Gerry explained. “And once we feel they’re prepared for the next step, we connect them with job development agencies who can help them move forward.”
But readiness doesn’t begin with résumés. It begins with belief. “I believe everybody has something that they shine at,” Gerry said. “We just have to find it.”
Finding strength in the details
The work at SOVA is purposeful and practical. Participants learn to count, sort, check expiration dates, assemble food packages, and work as a team. For some, that means building new skills from the ground up.
“We start small,” Gerry shared. “Building confidence step by step.”
To deepen the impact, the group recently toured the pantry to see where their work goes. Watching families receive food they had packed brought pride into sharp focus.
“A lot of them said, ‘I’m really proud of myself because I’m helping people,’” Gerry recalled.
That pride matters. So does the camaraderie. SOVA volunteers work side by side with the trainees, supporting one another. They don’t focus on diagnoses or differences. They focus on the task—and on each other.
Meet Auden: Resilience in Action
“Working isn’t an option for me right now, so this is the closest thing—and it matters.”
– Auden,
Supportive Volunteer Trainee
Auden, 22, travels from West Los Angeles to volunteer at SOVA as part of the Supportive Volunteer Training Program. For them, structure and meaningful engagement are essential.
Auden lives with autism, fibromyalgia, inattentive ADHD, and other health challenges that make daily life demanding. Chronic pain, fatigue, and mobility limitations are part of their reality. So is the determination to keep showing up.
“Working isn’t an option for me right now,” Auden explained. “So this is the closest thing—and it matters.”
Auden had volunteered at another location but returned to SOVA because the work here felt more engaging and purposeful.
“If I’m going to be somewhere for a few hours, I want it to be worth my time,” Auden said. “Here, I’m actually keeping busy, and doing something useful. And I like it here.”
There’s also leadership in how Auden approaches the work. They are known as one of the strongest packers in the group and often model focus and consistency for others.
“I like to lead by example,” Auden shared. “Everyone deserves the best version of me—including myself.”
It’s not a throwaway line. Auden works hard to live by it, even on difficult days.
They are creative and expressive, often changing their hair color—from bright reds to bold blues. It’s a small but powerful form of self-expression and autonomy. In a life that includes many medical appointments and structured routines, choosing how to present themselves is a reminder of agency.
That agency extends beyond style. Auden takes dance classes designed for people with mobility challenges, carefully managing fatigue and balance. They attend a disability-focused Hebrew school program. They continue therapy, actively seeking tools that work for their neurodivergent brain.
“I’m trying my best,” Auden said honestly. “What happened to me isn’t my fault. But how I go forward—that’s my responsibility.”
That level of self-awareness is remarkable. So is the commitment behind it.
Building toward what’s next
Auden is interested in the fashion and beauty industry and has taken classes in that direction. Through the Supportive Volunteer Training program, they’re strengthening the foundational skills that support any workplace: consistency, teamwork, accountability, and pride in output.
When participants are ready, Gerry and his team connect them with partner agencies that specialize in job placement. The path looks different for each person. Some pursue employment. Others find fulfillment in volunteering and social engagement. All build independence.
The program also teaches everyday life skills—reading labels, identifying freshness, managing tasks—that extend beyond SOVA’s walls.
For Gerry, the formula is simple, “If someone can tie a bag, that’s meaningful. If someone can count accurately, that’s meaningful. We need it. It matters.”
At the Supportive Volunteer Training program, people are not defined by limitations. They are defined by contribution. And in a world that too often underestimates individuals with disabilities, that may be the most powerful training of all.
