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Many people today suffer due to lack of basic essentials such as food, shelter, and financial unstability. It's critical that these people seek help. There is some assistance given towards people who seem to fall into this category. When me and a few members from class visited the Salvation Army I felt a desire to not only assist in food service, but to seek  other programs of assistance for the less fortunate. The Salvation Army along with churches, and non-profit organizations tend to be of much assistance towards less fortunate individuals.
 



http://www.salvationarmy.com/usn/www_usn_2.nsf
 The Salvation army as everyone knows participate in a lot of positive programs for less fortunate people such as, toys for tots, clothes and shoe donations, food assistance programs, and programs for youths and many more.  The Salvation Army has been around since the 1865 and today is geographically worldwide.

Similarily, All Saints which is a church located in Pontiac along with various other churches are known for charitable works. I remember being a kid helping in the kitchen  of All Saints on holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving seeing various people taking advantage of the food give-aways. I enjoyed to see the joy in their eyes and hope in there hearts for better days. Anything charitable related I enjoy doing just because it's the right thing to do.









Soup Kitchens are very popular  for assistannce towards hunger for needed families. Soup kitchens could be found more commonly in areas of poverty. The mojority of food kitchens tend to be free, or sometimes extremely lost costs of food. Benjamin Thompson is said to be the inventor of Soup Kitchens. Soup Kitchens have been in affect as late as of the late 1800s

A soup kitchen in Montreal, Canada in 1931




Volunteer Organizations could be any group that freely works towards a simple good cause. The causes vary, but a popular cause is of course food distribution towards needed families. I vividly remember my parents and members of our church who would make extra food boxes and give them to random people of need. It kind of worked as if it was a small organization due to the many others who found out and assisted with going over board and doing more for the needed. My parents along with other group members for years assisted in this form of a volunteer organization.

Why Volunteering can help YOU.

Emotional Satisfaction Through Volunteering

       Volunteering not only helps others and gives them a better quality of life, it also helps YOU. Volunteering by giving out food may seem exhausting and it takes a lot of work, but in the end, it is one of the most rewarding experiences that you can have as a human. 

      Humans, by nature, have selfish tendencies. It is important to give back to the community by doing something selfless. Volunteering not only helps you with resumes and job opportunities, it also helps you get a certain level of satisfaction. Helping other people is proven to make you happier--It releases endorphins.

      I have had the tremendous opportunity to be able to volunteer in different area of the food industries. At places like soup kitchens, food drives, and the Salvation Army. I had a very rewarding experience a couple weeks ago when I spent a couple hours in the kitchen of the Salvation Army of Pontiac, MI, helping to prepare a meal for the people of the community who needed a free lunch.

It is important to note that the Salvation Army is not in a horribly bad part of Pontiac, some of the people who came by were not homeless, but were just in a rough patch, trying to scrape by till the next paycheck.  

     We helped to prepare the food, serve it, and then assisted with clean up duties.  One of the best parts of the experience was talking with the people and hearing their stories. When you take the time out of a busy day, it really makes a difference for these people, who feel invisible so much of the time. The work was difficult and laboring intensive, but at the end, seeing people’s smiling faces and hearing them say thank you was all I needed to feel rewarded. 

      And what did I get out of it? Nothing. Well, I got a free burger. Granted, it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had, but it’s not like I got paid by the hour or anything. But as I drove back to school, I felt like I had accomplished something much bigger than me.

     So think about taking the time out of your busy schedule—even if it’s just a few hours. Help in your community; reach out and see what opportunities are out there. The work may be difficult, but you may be surprised by how good you feel afterwards. There is truly no other feeling more rewarding that helping someone else.

How Volunteering Can Help You

We make excuses everyday, as to why we don't volunteer. No one likes to do work for free, especially when it's so time consuming and demanding at times. However, we can be repaid in other ways aside from currency. Here are some of the many ways in which volunteering can personally help you.

IT'S REWARDING! Plain and Simple!

Just like going to the gym, you find every excuse not to do it, and there are so many other things to do. But once you get your butt in there, you come out feeling refreshed. You just helped to make someone's life that much better.  Face it, it feels good.

Good Place, Good People!

The atmosphere around a volunteer area is great. Not only is this a positive environment, but the people you meet can be a treat in itself. Those that are volunteering have their heart in the right place, and it's easy to create a community of supportive people for yourself. Who knows, maybe you could even find "the one" amongst the crowd of the caring. ;)

Makes You Look Good

It's a great way to begin your resume, once you start looking for a part-time or full-time job in the real world. When the higher ups find out that you've been volunteering, they will want to work with you. Places that volunteer usually have career building, as well. If they really like what they see in you, maybe your free work could turn into a rewarding paycheck!

For every excuse to not volunteer, there is a reason to just go and do it. So what are you waiting for? =)

Statistics on Hunger

Many people believe that the world is becoming overpopulated and there will not be enough food to support everyone. The truth is that food is actually in an abundance, not scarcity. There is enough wheat, rice and other grains to provide every human being with 3,500 calories per day. Even though there is enough food, there is still 840 million people that do not have enough to eat everyday (1 out of 14 people on earth). Out of that 840 million people more than 16 million are children. Poverty is the main reason people go hungry, making them skip meals or cut portions which often leads to malnutrition. Most of the people that go hungry live in developing countries in Africa and the Asian-Pacific region. There are countless organizations and other ways you can help people in need of food.

Full-Filled: Solving Hunger Problems In Your Community

Hunger is a huge problem that faces much of the world. Many places live in poverty, and people are unable to obtain food for various reasons. This blog focuses on hunger as a problem in the world, as well as what we can do to help. There are many ways that you can volunteer in your community, and this blog will also focus on those potential opportunities. Hunger is a problem in the world, but we can do something to help. Every little bit helps, and together, we can do something to change the world.