We did the tax preparation at the library in the town where I live, and it was only on Saturdays starting in late January through April. The site didn't open until noon, but the people who came to get their taxes done lined up in the mornings as early as 9:00 a.m. I didn't prepare the taxes but I talked to the volunteers who did and they said some people had incomes well below poverty. To qualify to get their taxes done, they had to have incomes less than $40,000. My job was to hand out information about how to apply for public assistance like WIC and SNAP. To prepare the tax returns, volunteers have to be trained. I signed up late, and I also thought it made more sense to something easier this first year.
I don't know how many people used the information I gave out, but many already knew about the programs. I didn't pry into their personal lives. People were polite and when we talked it was mostly just small talk. Lots of them talked about how long they'd been waiting. I got asked a lot if I could get them to one of the volunteer tax preparers any sooner than it looked like it would take. Several had to go to work straight afterwards. Some ended up leaving before they got to a preparer after having waiting for hours. It was like that every week.
I never realized I lived so close to so many people who are struggling to get by on low-income. They're part of my community but I never realized this. I feel more like I live in a community now, rather than in a home on a street that happens to be in a town where other people also live. I'm proud that my town operates this volunteer tax site, helping people save money that belongs to them and they shouldn't have to give up. Maybe next year I will get the training necessary to prepare the taxes. If not, I will probably seek some other kind of volunteer opportunities to help make my community a better place for the neighbors who don't have the advantages I do.
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