Volunteering with MMPF: How One Conversation Builds Belonging
By Abdulmalik Nuhu, Founder
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Before I founded Mamo Memorial Peace Foundation, I was a volunteer.
In January 2024, I walked into the warehouse of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region for my first shift. I had been in Canada for only a few months. I didn’t know anyone in that warehouse. I didn’t fully know yet what kind of role I was stepping into.
What I learned that day, and over many days after, is that volunteering is not really about the task. It is about the conversation that happens around the task.
The cans you sort. The boxes you pack. The food you hand to someone. These are the things you came to do. But the real gift of volunteering is the conversation in the next aisle over. The story someone shares about why they’re there too. The quiet “thank you” from a person who didn’t know who you were ten minutes ago.
That is the part nobody tells you about. And it is the reason I keep saying that at Mamo Memorial Peace Foundation, one conversation can build belonging.
What I Learned as a Volunteer
I was interviewed by the Food Bank about my experience there. They asked me what my favourite part was. I said two things came to mind.
One was the work itself: the simple satisfaction of supporting people to receive food. Knowing that the bag of vegetables I packed would land on a family’s table.
The second was the people.
“The opportunity we have to talk with one another. That connection is amazing.”
That’s what I told them. It is still what I would say today.
When you volunteer, you are not just helping a community. The community is also quietly helping you. I learned about Canada, the real Canada, the everyday Canada, from the people I stood next to in that warehouse. I learned what the culture of the land actually looks like in small moments: a stranger asking about your weekend, an older volunteer teaching you the right way to fold a box, a colleague waving at you in the parking lot.
If you are new to a place, or just new to community work, those small things matter more than they sound.
Why This Shapes How We Think About Volunteers at MMPF
When we built Mamo Memorial Peace Foundation, I knew I wanted to honour what I had received.
So we designed MMPF’s volunteer programs around one simple principle: a volunteer is never just labour. They are a person bringing their whole self into a shared space, and our job is to make sure that space is safe, dignified, and full of conversation.
Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Mamo Connect — Where Young People Lead
This is our flagship dialogue program. Young people come together to talk about global citizenship, peacebuilding, and the realities of growing up in a connected world.
Volunteers in Mamo Connect aren’t just chaperones. They are listeners. They sit alongside young people, share their own stories when invited, and help create the kind of space where a 17-year-old can speak honestly without being talked over.
You don’t need to be a teacher. You don’t need to be from any particular background. You need to be willing to listen.
My Story — Bringing Resilience to Light
Through My Story, we surface the resilience that already exists in the community. Sometimes that means hosting storytelling evenings. Sometimes it means recording an elder’s reflection. Sometimes it means simply showing up at someone’s kitchen table with tea and a notebook.
Volunteers help us host, document, and amplify these stories, with the consent and direction of the storyteller, always.
Educonnect — Education as a Catalyst
We believe that education is one of the most powerful tools for community change. Educonnect volunteers help us run workshops, support facilitators, and create the conditions for people to learn from each other.
Elder Safety, Workshops, and Community Events
Whether it’s a Digital Safety Training session for elders, a community gathering during Indigenous History Month in June, or a one-time outreach at a local festival, flexible volunteers make this work possible. We do not have a paid staff army. We have people who care enough to show up for two hours on a Saturday.
What Volunteering with MMPF Actually Feels Like
Let me be honest with you about what we can and cannot promise.
We can promise you this:
- A real welcome from a real person, not just an email auto-reply.
- Clear instructions on what we need, and freedom to ask questions when something is unclear.
- The chance to learn something about peacebuilding, about Treaty 5 Territory, or about yourself.
- A team that will not leave you standing alone in a corner of a room.
We cannot promise you this:
- That every shift will be inspiring. Some shifts are just folding chairs after an event. That’s the work too.
- That you will see the impact of your hour immediately. Sometimes the conversation you had with one shy teenager echoes years later, long after you’ve forgotten the day.
If you came expecting glamour, this isn’t the place. If you came expecting meaning, you’re in the right warehouse.
Who We’re Looking For
There is no profile. Truly.
You can be a university student in your first year in Canada. You can be a retiree who has lived in The Pas your whole life. You can be a parent who only has Saturday afternoons. You can be an ally just starting to learn about Indigenous histories and not sure where to begin.
If you can come with an open mind and a willingness to listen, you have what we need.
When I was interviewed about volunteering in 2024, I was asked what advice I had for new volunteers. This is what I said, and it is still my answer:
“Be open to everything. Be open to learn. Be open to yourself. It’s an opportunity for you to learn a lot. And one thing I am sure is — you’re not alone.”
You will not be alone with us either.
How to Get Started
If you’re considering volunteering with MMPF, here’s the simple version:
- Reach out. Email us through our volunteer page or call us at +1 548-708-1276. Tell us a little about you. Even one sentence is enough.
- We’ll have a conversation. We want to know what you care about and what kind of contribution feels right for you. Some people want a steady weekly commitment. Some want one event. Both are welcome.
- You show up. That’s it. We’ll handle the rest.
A Final Word
The truth is that I started Mamo Memorial Peace Foundation because volunteering changed my life. It taught me that belonging is not something you find; it is something you build, one conversation at a time.
If you join us, you will not just be giving your time. You will be helping someone else feel, maybe for the first time in a long while, that they are not alone here.
That’s not a small thing. That’s everything.
— Nuhu
Become a volunteer → mmpf.ca/about-us/volunteer/
Support our volunteer programs → mmpf.ca/donate/
