I am officially a Foodshare volunteer! The Mini Community Pantry is growing and we are expanding into a full-sized community pantry, which requires 20 volunteers to run smoothly. We are able to “shop” at the local Food Share Warehouse. We began with pick-ups from Panera Bread. Within a month, our activities increased 9-fold with participating businesses like VONS, Sprouts (2 locations), Trader Joe’s (2 locations), Costco, Smart&Final, and Walmart.
At the age of 17, I received a Community Service Award for my continuous volunteering for the last 4 years.
This year, I focused heavily on underprivileged high-school students at my school as well as foster kids. Below are some of the successful events.
- Operation Graduation: A fulfilled wishlist for underprivileged graduates which included buying the cap and gown package, supplying coats, ties, shirts, and fancy dresses. For those moving on to college, we granted their requests for insulated water bottles, new backpacks, skateboards, new underwear, shoes, 2 Fire 7 Kindles, and various gift cards to VONS, Amazon, Walmart, Target, Subway, and Topper’s Pizza.
- TEENS Club Reaching for the Stars Fundraiser. Granting items from a special wish list that included gift cards to Super Cuts, Vons, Starbucks, and Target, winter jackets, pillows with pillowcases, 5 brand-new laptops and cases, and warm winter slippers.
- Supplied backpacks stuffed with school supplies for Back to School
- Stocked a weekly Food Pantry on school campus that benefitted underprivileged students
- Established a steady supply of clothes from everyday wear to fancy attire for various dances and occasions like Homecoming and Prom.
- Organized a large clothing & purse donation for Casa Pacific Center for Children & Families
- Established two permanent clothing collection bin locations
- Collected and donated many clothes and toys on several occasions to James Storehouse which supports children in foster care, youth aging-out of foster care, children who have been commercially sexually exploited, children “at-risk” of removal, and all their caregiving families.
- Created a GoFundMe campaign for the weekly sack lunches
- Helped organize several Men’s Clothing Distributions at the local overnight shelters for the unhoused
- Continued to supply items for the Mini Community Pantry
- Participated in a very large Community Christmas Celebration for low-income families in North Hills by collecting and handing out Christmas presents
- Supplied candy for a Community Harvest Festival
- Facilitated a clothing drive for the Pacoima area
- Collected items for Paradise Fire Victims and collaborated with volunteers to drive the goods up to the city of Paradise
- Networking for our first small refrigerator
- An integral part of several outreaches at Senior Living and Memory Care Homes
- Continually serving the homeless population in the Great Los Angeles area.
- Assembled hundreds of care packages for students in need, seniors, and the unhoused
- Held a free lunch for the local homeless population at The Habit.
- Continued several outreaches to Skid Row
- Assembled hundreds of hygiene bags.
- Collected 100 gloves, 100 hats, 100 glow toys, numerous plush toys, necklaces, earrings, watches, and 230 grocery bags filled with food along with hundreds of toiletry and gift bags.
- Hot Dogs from the Unhoused
