11/08/2024
Channel One volunteers Larry and Joyce often come in together to help serve those facing food insecurity.
Joyce, a retired family and consumer science teacher, has been volunteering here for over 20 years. She remembered her first days with a group of high school students, guiding them through community service projects. One incident stands out. “I had a student who was absolutely horrified at the thought of bagging asparagus,” she recalled, chuckling. “I told him, ‘You don’t have to eat it; you just have to package it!’ But as luck would have it, the bin tipped over, and he was covered head to toe in asparagus. For years afterward, I would tease him whenever I saw him, asking if he had any asparagus lately. He would groan, ‘Don’t remind me!’”
Both Larry and Joyce joined their church group in volunteering two hours a month since 2003. Larry joined the ranks of Channel One individual volunteers in February 2009. Though they approach their work from different tasks—Joyce still engages in retail rescue sorting while Larry finds joy in the food shelf—they both share the same mission: to make a difference for those facing food insecurity in their community.
“Together, we’ve clocked over 9,500 hours,” Larry said. “The need is great, and I know we make a difference.”
Their commitment to service stemmed from their mothers, who each modeled the spirit of volunteering. “We always try to help out wherever we can, whenever we can,” Joyce explained. This belief of giving back is something Joyce and Larry hope to pass down, as well. Last Christmas, they brought with them their granddaughter from South Dakota to volunteer. “She just loved it! She turned to us and said, ‘I wanna come every month and help!’” Joyce remembered.
As Larry and Joyce continue to serve, their story reminds us all of the profound difference a few dedicated hours can make in a community and to themselves!
HelpingFeedPeople.org/Volunteer
