It’s summertime, and some kids have a little more free time than usual. Sure, they’re occupied by sunshine and swimming, parties and friends, and camps and traveling. The temporary freedom to sleep late is just one of summer’s blessings for teens.
However, summer also presents a great opportunity for people of all ages to get involved in volunteer efforts and be a blessing to his or her community.
According to the Citizen-Times.com, a church congregation in North Carolina is enriching its community by harvesting veggies for a women’s shelter. Members of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church grow their own produce and donate half of it to food pantries, noting that summer is not an easy time for food banks. The demand for food is much greater in the summer, as a large portion of people served by the food bank are children. Children do not receive school meals when school is not in session; according to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, 47 percent of the people assisted by food distribution centers are children.
How many of our teens know what it’s like to be hungry? Volunteering at a food bank could be a great experience for them. More than 200 food banks and distribution centers currently are located in the United States, and they are grateful for help of any kind. This may make a great summer project for youth. Food banks usually need help with various tasks from sorting and repacking food to fundraising and culinary arts.
Nick, a Nashville-area teenager, and his mom, Sarah, are regular volunteers at their local food pantry. Nick helps by sorting food into cardboard boxes and putting together grocery carts for the needy, noting that volunteering is “always a great experience.”
Sarah adds, “even though we may only be doing one part of the process, we’re still able to help in some small way. Food banks are so well organized that they have service opportunities for children of all ages from simple to more complex tasks so everyone has a chance to lend a hand. Maybe we don’t know what it’s like to be hungry, but we do try to help in any way we can.”
This summer is a wonderful time to incorporate volunteering into your schedule. Contact your local food bank to get a group involved.
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).
“In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive'” (Acts 20:35).
