Maryniak a volunteer on the front line

Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada, Jake Maryniak had a great youth experience, spending his early years on his family’s 640-acre grain farm.

“My greatest memory as a boy was living on the farm and riding my pony, Keno, to school for three and one-half miles,” said Maryniak.

Back in those days, schools had a barn for the horses because the only means of transportation at that time was a trusty steed.

“I also helped out on the farm, where we grew mostly wheat,” he said.

Like every young boy, Maryniak had a dream of what he wanted to be when he grew up. “As a kid, I wanted to be an airline pilot; I thought that would be neat to do.”

Earning his pilot wings never came to fruition; instead, Maryniak earned an excellent reputation as an accountant. This career lasted about 26 years, he said.

So how was it that this Canadian found Fallbrook? “We had friends who had a home in Fallbrook and we came to visit them,” said Maryniak. “We ended up liking Fallbrook so much that my wife and I found a place and moved here in 1981.”

Maryniak is a “snowbird.” He spends the warmer months in Calgary, and when the temperatures start to drop, he and his spouse high-tail it to Fallbrook.

When Maryniak officially moved to Fallbrook, he had already had friends volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul. Prior to becoming a volunteer himself, he spent a great deal of time golfing and traveling. He was also a member of the Lion’s Club.

“Then one day, I thought maybe something different would be nice, so I volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul.”

For the last year and a half, Maryniak has enjoyed his volunteer time tremendously. “I’ve met a lot of nice people, and we have a lot of fun there.”

Generally, he works at the shop every Wednesday. His main role at St. Vincent de Paul is partnering up with another volunteer, climbing aboard a truck and picking up donations around town.

“A lot of times when we get [to a destination], we find out that we have twice as much to pick up than what we thought; it can sometimes be an all-day job,” he said.

Maryniak surely gets his exercise from hoisting heavy sofas and chairs. If donation pick-ups are not needed when he arrives to work in the morning, he can be found tinkering and repairing small electrical items.

What Maryniak likes most about volunteering is the personal satisfaction he gets in doing something for somebody else in the world. “It gets your mind off of your self-centered-ness,” he said, laughing.

He’s also learned some valuable lessons volunteering. We have troubles and tribulations in our own lives, he said, and when you see people who are less fortunate, it makes you appreciate your life a lot better.

“You realize that you’re not the most important person in the world, even though you’d like to think you are,” he added.

For Maryniak, St. Vincent de Paul has become a second family. And this “volunteer family” is always in need of new volunteers.

“There’s all kinds of work to be done, like sorting, pricing and manning the store,” said Maryniak. “If people want to volunteer and have fun, then St. Vincent de Paul is the place to be.”