At Food for Hope, we rely heavily on volunteers to help us pursue our mission of feeding children in need. In 2024, we hosted 894 volunteers who gave 4,271 hours of their time! That averages out to approximately 82 total hours given per week! The community members who help us range from young children to those in retirement, and they do everything from sorting food and packing weekend food bags to helping with fundraising and representing our organization at community events.

One group that we especially enjoy working with is high school students. Most times, these students are coming to us because they need volunteer hours for school requirements. However, many of them continue to volunteer beyond their school requirements . They get to know our staff and begin to take ownership of our mission as they grow in their leadership skills. It is always a fun process to watch!

Recently, I reconnected with a Horizon High School graduate who came back to volunteer with us on her holiday break from college. I was so encouraged to see her here. I found out that she has been volunteering at the food pantry on her college campus. It was incredibly exciting and encouraging to see her take her willingness to serve and her passion for helping those in need into her next phase of life. Below is her volunteer story.

Ava is 18, and she is currently studying Chemical Biosciences at the University of Oklahoma. She originally got connected with Food for Hope five years ago when searching for a way to fulfill service hours for her high school clubs. She says, “Over the years, I began volunteering there more frequently and built stronger connections with the employees. Food For Hope became so much more to me than a signature on an hours log.” Ava volunteered consistently with our organization throughout the many challenges of the pandemic and in a period of significant growth for our programs. She says she was motivated to continue volunteering because she was making an actual difference in her community. She reflects, “The fact that each bag I touched was going to a child's family who really needed it was so fulfilling. Also, knowing that there were kids that might literally sit next to me in class who needed a weekend food bag was surreal, and I felt an obligation to serve those with food insecurity in any way that I can.”

Ava continues to serve at the food pantry at the University of Oklahoma. She began by serving with some of the clubs she participates in, but then decided to take an online course to become certified to work there anytime. She passes the food pantry every day on the way to class. She shares, “The physical reminder, along with my passion to help others in a similar way that I did at Food For Hope, encouraged me to sign up to volunteer.”

Volunteers like Ava play a critical role in our daily operations here at Food for Hope. But, over the years, I have witnessed many ways that giving back benefits the volunteers too! Ava’s words capture it well, “Volunteering at Food For Hope and my school's food pantry positively impacted me beyond words. I learned the importance of selflessness and gratitude. I also learned how much I enjoy working in a way that benefits others, which has definitely influenced my future career choice of an occupation in the medical field. As I grow into adulthood, I will carry with me the feelings of pride, accomplishment, and fulfillment that I felt when serving others at Food For Hope and the OU Food Pantry.” We hope all of our volunteers experience that feeling of accomplishment, and that they take those positive feelings with them into whatever life brings next.

If you are interested in volunteering with us, visit our Volunteer page and click on “New Volunteer”.