When I worked for a nonprofit, the poor we dealt with were not the only people I felt we helped. There were also the volunteers who dropped by to help us. Many of them were lonely because they had suffered the loss of the spouse; others were battling illness, estrangement from families, etc. Volunteering was an effective way for them to be involved and meet new people. I tried to help them get acquainted with other volunteers so they wouldn’t have a lonely experience when the volunteered.

It’s hard for an introvert to break our of her comfort zone and reach out, but this is sometimes the only way to avoid loneliness and isolation.

I’ll be interested to hear how the Minister of Loneliness idea works out.