Martin Luther King, Jr. Day gave the VISTAs at the Food Shuttle the opportunity to get out from our desks and explore some of the other programs our organization offers. The two of us chose to volunteer for a Backpack Buddies event at Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh. Backpack Buddies provides food for low-income children for the weekends when they're not getting breakfast and lunch from school. Having never worked with the program, we were both amazed at the work that goes into setting up Backpack Buddies stations. Two entire pallets of food, from canned tuna to granola bars, were brought in to pack 360 backpacks for kids. The best part of the day was interacting with all the kids packing bags. It was adorable to see how proud they were to be helping others in the community. Little toddlers and pre-teens were all excited to go down the assembly line and get stickers proclaiming their good deeds. Parents were getting just as into the process, continuing to stuff bags after their kids had gone off to another activity.
It was really fun to work with a different Food Shuttle program and volunteer base. While we are both winding down our terms of service, volunteering with Backpack Buddies revitalized our love for our organization and the many ways it impacts the community. To learn more about IFFS's many programs, visit our website!
-Yvonne