From Campus to Community: My Service Learning Story

So, does Boone feel like home yet?” My family always asks me this age-old question whenever I return home from school. I’ve never been quite sure what they hope my answer will be. If I had to guess, probably something like, “I love college, but I still miss home enough to come back.” But the truth is, after almost two full years here, it still doesn’t feel like home. I enjoy it, for sure, but I’ve never once called my dorm “home.” And while there could be several reasons why, I think one of the biggest is that I live in a dorm and don’t have a car, so I’m pretty limited to just being on campus. Because of that, I was really excited to get the chance to volunteer with the Hunger and Health Coalition. It gave me a way to meet new people—and reminded me of a volunteer group I worked with back home that had a similar mission.

My first day volunteering was probably the toughest, mostly because I had to master the bus routes to make sure I got there on time. Luckily, I figured out that the Green Route drops me off right at the door. I even did a trial run the day before to get the timing right. When I arrived for my shift, everyone was super welcoming. They paired me up with Larry at the produce station. We packed boxes of fruits and vegetables that other volunteers would pick up with shopping carts and bring to the cars outside. Larry was awesome—he taught me a lot about the produce section and seemed to be friends with everyone there. I liked meeting new people and knowing that what I was doing would help families get meals. After about an hour, I was moved to drive-through duty, which meant I was one of the people loading food into cars. That part felt more personal because I actually got to see the families we were helping.

I came back the next day for another shift, and this time I was assigned a totally different job—which became kind of a theme. At first, it was frustrating to start over and leave the people I had just met. But it was also interesting to learn how many different roles exist at the Coalition. That day I worked in the pantry, unloading boxes from a delivery truck and organizing shelves. It was a lot of heavy lifting, but I worked alongside Priscilla, one of the managers, and another guy named Tyler. Yes, there were a lot of “Which Tyler?” moments. Priscilla clearly liked things done a certain way, and she appreciated how I worked. From that point on, she asked for me before I even clocked in.

She eventually moved me into her office to build boxes for families with specific health conditions—like diabetes—who couldn’t eat the standard food items. I worked solo on this project, which wasn’t my favorite part, but I appreciated that they trusted me to handle it. I put in some earbuds and got to work using a special pantry called FIM (Food is Medicine). It wasn’t easy—I had to pack boxes for about 20–30 families, and I didn’t finish. I had to leave for a shift at the school gym, and the pantry was running low on supplies by the end.

On my final day, I was assigned to the kitchen, where we made sandwiches—and a lot of them. We used up nearly all the meat, bread, and cheese we had. We packed sandwiches and snacks into bags that would be sent out to the cars. While I was happy to be wrapping up my hours, we got some sad news that day: funding had been cut for the Hunger and Health Coalition, and a lot of people were understandably upset. Even though I was only there for ten hours total, I felt that sadness too.

Most days, I took the bus back to campus after my shift, and almost every time, I’d see some of the same families I had helped—waiting for the bus, carrying food boxes. It made me feel good knowing I contributed, even if they’ll never know it was me. That’s not what it’s about anyway. It’s just about helping people.

I’m sure when I go home this summer, someone in my family will ask again, “Does Boone feel like home yet?” I’ll probably still say “No.” And really, can you blame me? I’ve only given ten hours. But I can honestly say I feel more connected to the community than I did before. I want to volunteer there again. I still have two more years here—and maybe one day, I’ll be able to say, “Yes, Boone feels like home.”

If you’re looking for a way to make a real impact in someone’s life, I encourage you to look up the Hunger and Health Coalition—whether you’re interested in volunteering or donating, every bit helps.

Hunger and Health Coalition