There are over 47 million Americans who are hungry and living in poverty in the United States. Unfortunately, statistics show that out of the millions of hungry and impoverished people in the United States, over 12 million are children. After the onset of the economic crisis, hunger has proven to be a serious issue in the United States. The financial crisis that erupted in 2008 caused a dramatic increase in poverty and hunger in our country.
Please consider serving food at a local soup kitchen to to help those less fortunate this year. Both adults and families are invited to serve food to those in need. Be sure to contact your community soup kitchen or homeless shelter to make a reservation as to when you and your group will be stopping in to serve the poor. Of course, there is a significant need for volunteer servers all year, but especially during the holiday season.
I have had many experience volunteering in both shelters and at soup kitchens, I can assure you that you and your family members will positively benefit and learn from sharing your time. Volunteering with the poor helps to put things in perspective and realize how much we truly have to be thankful for. Serving the poor also teaches young children lessons in selflessness and compassion for those less fortunate. If you have the opportunity to sit and actually talk to some of the people and attentively listen to their personal stories, you will surely be impacted. At first when volunteering, I believed I was going to the facility to help others; however I walked away having learned many new lessons about life and about being grateful.
If you are interested in volunteering your time, pasted below are helpful websites where you can search for both food pantries and soup kitchens by state. Also try Googling “Soup Kitchen” in your local city. Community groups such as the Salvation Army and churches typically have resource phone numbers to community shelters and soup kitchens. Your help is greatly needed and will be truly appreciated!
National Soup Kitchen, Homeless Shelter and Food Bank Directories:
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