"I've always loved helping people": Teen volunteers help out at south Minneapolis food shelf
MINNEAPOLIS -- As we approach the beginning of the school season, a handful of young people across Minneapolis are already hard at work.
Middle and high school students are among the volunteers at the New Creations Church every Monday in south Minneapolis. They help make sure their neighbors have a positive experience when receiving donations.
Micah, 13, is one of several Minneapolis teens enthusiastically giving up a few evenings to take on physical labor.
"It's not that hard," she says. "It's easy and it feels good to volunteer and help."
Pastor Darrick Granison says the youth take on a variety of tasks.
"With the young people, we help them to box up some of the food that we get," he says. "These boxes are pretty heavy. The boxes are like 50, 60 pounds of food."
Granison says they've run the food shelf for more than 12 years. The food is donations come from several Minneapolis grocery stores. It includes fresh meat, vegetables, milk and more. He's seen lines get longer in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
"We just try to give people what we would eat if we were in their position," he said.
This week was Micah's first time volunteering.
"I was really nervous," she says, "but it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I'm just happy that I'm able to volunteer."
She and other youth get one-on-one mentoring from adult church volunteers in exchange for their work.
Middle schooler Noel is learning some valuable lessons.
"We learn about self-confidence, building up your confidence, knowing your worth, and knowing how important you are to the world," he said.
At just 13 years old, he has some experience volunteering. He urges other kids to get involved, too.
"It feels great. I mean, ever since I was younger, I've always loved helping people," he said.
