Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve.”
Recently, Second Harvest Food Bank’s Volunteer Department team members were able to rub shoulders with greatness. Nestled in a quiet industrial strip a few blocks west of South Orange Avenue is Servant’s Heart Ministry, a community-driven nonprofit affecting change in the lives of Central Floridians. As one of Second Harvest’s 500 feeding partners, the ministry serves approximately 200 families weekly with food assistance. Staff and volunteers also share information and resources that help their neighbors access medical, childcare, and other vital resources.
When the volunteer team arrived at Servant’s Heart, they met Executive Director Chip Hanna. Chip, who started as a volunteer at Servant’s Heart, prepared them for the day and set the expectations for how they would be helping families. During their orientation, the volunteer team learned that Servant’s Heart primarily assists families in the Edgewood, Sky Lake, and Pine Castle neighborhoods but can reach as far as Conway, Holden Heights and Taft through their volunteer-powered meal delivery service. On average, this team of volunteers delivers 10 meals a week to those facing hunger. The ministry assists many single parents with small children and seniors, but as Chip stated, “Everyone who comes through that door is welcome to receive food.”
Everyone who comes through that door is welcome to receive food.”
The day’s project was assembling “brown bags,” which were paper grocery bags containing nutritious foodstuffs like canned vegetables and meat, rice, dry pasta, cereal, and drinking water. The team was eager, and Chip is an excellent motivator with infectious energy. He bounced back and forth between doing his Director’s duties and lending direction to the volunteer team.
By the end of the morning, our team had assembled 80 brown bags for area families. One such family made their way to Servant’s Heart that morning. They had ridden three different buses to make it there. Chip hustled to grab food items and connect this family with the necessary community resources to receive medical care. This organization is truly doing everything it can to meet the needs of those it serves.
Second Harvest’s volunteer department assists with recruiting close to 15 volunteers a week to help with food prep and other projects at Servant’s Heart. If you are a regular volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank, at another food pantry, or even if you are a first-time volunteer, Servant’s Heart Ministry would be an excellent experience for you. Head on down, grab a brown bag and take advantage of your opportunity to be great.
