A few folks have expressed surprise that I truly am a volunteer for the Hillary for America campaign. This is what it means to volunteer.
I paid my own plane ticket to Fayetteville, NC. I am paying for this rental car. I am paying for my food. I am paying for the gas that fuels this SUV. I am lucky enough to work for a company that offers an open vacation policy, so I took advantage of that to take the week off to volunteer full-time for HRC in North Carolina.
The campaign did provide me with some housing assistance while here, but otherwise everything comes out of my own pocket. The burger I got from Hardee’s on the fly while canvassing yesterday? My money. The Naked juice I bought at Walgreens last night to give me SOME nutrition (#GOTVDiet FTW!)? My money. The critical morning Starbucks? My money.
That’s how much I believe in this campaign, this woman, this future president of the United States. The campaign is devoting as much money as possible to actually getting out the vote, keeping a massive yet efficient staff, devoting dollars to advertising, merchandise, travel for staff, literature, and the countless little and big expenses required to elect someone to the most powerful position on earth. Volunteers are the unpaid but committed foot soldiers on the ground.
Every volunteer you meet on the road, in the campaign office, at your front door? They’re driven by passion, faith in their candidate, and a deep and unshakable love for their fellow Americans, such that they want to help select the best person to keep America great. This is not about money because we’re not being paid. We do this because we believe that love trumps hate, and we will devote our time, our money, our energy, and our commitment to make sure that love takes the White House on November 8th, not hate.