Have Fun! Change Lives! Volunteer!

I had a blast last night volunteering at Feed My Starving Children, which provides nutritionally complete meals specifically formulated for malnourished children. My first shift of the night was pretty easy: I simply had to put the labels on the bags. As a side benefit, I had the opportunity to meet a lovely young woman who worked for a company that is renowned for being difficult to get into. So I got some networking in too! We talked about all sorts of things from what it was like to work at that company, to travel experiences. 
The time went very quickly, and our group soon packed enough meals to feed 52 children for an entire year! The second shift that came in was much smaller, but enthusiastic nonetheless. Since they didn't need so many labels, this time I worked on assembling the bags of food. Each bag was to get a scoop of vitamin-flavoring, a scoop of dried veggies, a cup of rice, and a cup of soy protein. This second group prepared enough meals to feed 21 children for a year. As we pack the food, they play energetic music - most of which I knew the words to - so I danced as I spooned the veggies and vitamins into the hopper.


 After we pack the food and clean up, we are invited to assemble into the warehouse, where we say a prayer over the food. We thank all the volunteers who came that night; we ask for blessings for those who transport the food to the recipients and pray that it arrives safely; and we pray for the recipients of the food.
It was fulfilling! It was fun! And, it was free!
Do you have a favorite place to volunteer?