Meet John- Our Fabulous Volunteer and Board Member
by Eden Beyene
At 5 am while the world slowly awakens, Arundel House of Hope (AHOH) volunteer John Kaufman is busy in the kitchen cooking ground beef and loading his crockpot. His chili is a staple in the AHOH day center, as well as the other crowd-pleasers in his rotation: tuna fish casserole, grilled cheese sandwiches, and burgers to name a few.
Kauffman humbly jokes about his cooking: “Nobody’s died yet!”
Kaufman was first introduced to AHOH by his case manager Karen Williams. In 2010, he had his first interaction with Light House Shelter, a 90 day recovery program that houses clients, and he stopped using drugs. He became a client of Light House in 2015, which is also the year he became sober. Still in need of adequate housing, he was connected by Ms. Williams to the permanent supportive housing program at AHOH. He has now been a permanent supportive housing resident for nine years.
“It’s been hard…it’s hard and it’s more or less easy now because now I know what to do,” Kauffman said.
After getting stable housing, he began reaching other milestones. On February 27, 2024, he got his driver’s license back. He and his son then fixed up a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado- he has had a forty-five year career working on cars- bought it a new motor and now drives the truck.
“This house has been a blessing to me,” Kauffman said. And two more blessings came since he moved into his house.
“Since I’ve been here, I have gained two grandkids,” Kauffman said. He lives close enough to see them regularly. “I can walk there [in] about 15 minutes.”
Kauffman is now a client turned AHOH volunteer. He is a very active volunteer in the Community Recovery Center in the group Together with Hope. This group is open to anyone interested in substance use recovery. He learned about the group from a friend and started attending the Bible studies and church services. Eventually, in what he describes as a Domino effect, he became a volunteer to support the team and people who attend.
“It’s an open invitation. We don’t ask questions. We invite them in with open arms,” said Kauffman. “We help them in any way we can.”
Kauffman sets up for their meetings, bingo games, and church services. After services, he also makes grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone. His volunteering role means he is often at AHOH early to open the doors at 8:30am, clean, and make coffee for everyone. He has grown especially close with leaders of Together with Hope, Father Ed Jansen and Amma Trish Gaffney, who founded the Emmaus Center Church. They are part of how he started cooking for the group. He often cooked chili for himself, and one day asked them if he could cook for the group. They said yes, and he’s been cooking for AHOH ever since, even expanding into grilling for AHOH cookouts and making other dishes like macaroni salad and tuna casserole.
“Father Ed and Amma Trish are really special people. They got a big place in my heart,” says Kauffman.
The effect AHOH has had on him goes beyond food. He has gained life-long friends, a support group, community, and work for a cause that he loves.
“I feel like I have a purpose. I feel like I’m here doing what I’m supposed to be doing,” Kauffman explains. “It’s rewarding just to see people get better and… change their lives and do a turn around, like I did at one point in time.”
