Why I Volunteer At The Waco Salvation Army Food Pantry

aS little girl, one of the signs that indicated the Christmas season had begun was when I saw the Salvation Army bell ringers standing in front of the local stores. It amazed me to see how friendly they were. Often I found myself wondering such things as: did they ever get tired of smiling and ringing that bell, how do they help people and what did they do with all of the money they collected? As I have matured, I have had various opportunities to see what the Salvation Army has done within our community. During times of adversity, the Salvation Army has assisted families who have suffered losses due to fires or natural disasters. They have been instrumental in assisting low income families during the Christmas holidays by providing gifts for families through the Angel Tree project. The investment that the Salvation Army makes in our area motivated me to want to learn more about the organization. Recently, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at the Waco Salvation Army Food Pantry. I was not quite sure what to expect, but I knew that I had to go into the experience with an open mind and a willingness to step outside of my comfort zone. When I arrived, I was greeted and immediately told that the facility had
I assumed that I would be collaboratively working in a large warehouse with multiple people. To my surprise, the space was not very large (approximately 14 feet long and 4 feet wide) and I was the only food pantry volunteer for the morning. Upon finding out that I would be doing the work alone, my initial feeling was one of dismay. After doing some quick self-reflection as to why I was there, I then understood the verse that is mentioned on the organization’s website. “It is more blessed to give then to receive”. (Salvation Army, 2000 -2013). Although my initial reason for being there was for school purposes, I chose the facility because I truly wanted to give back in the