Teen Volunteering: More Than Service Hours
Curstyn Yoshimoto
Although some students volunteer to fulfill requirements set by schools, regular community service has many benefits beyond just service hours.
Let’s be honest: When it comes to teenagers, volunteering can be a hard sell. However, with nonprofits like ours constantly needing volunteers and many high schools requiring students to complete service hours, it’s a win-win situation.
Students who volunteer regularly can further their personal development and growth — beyond just fulfilling mandatory service requirements.
By working together towards a common goal, volunteering can be beneficial for strengthening relationships with family and friends as well as fostering new relationships with others. Teens can also grow in self-confidence and feel a sense of accomplishment for completing an important task.
Increasing civic engagement through activities like volunteering empowers teens to become more aware of current issues facing their communities — like food insecurity — and become motivated to advocate for these causes in the future. In that sense, the key to continuing the fight to end hunger is raising awareness among the next generation.
The key to continuing the fight to end hunger is raising awareness among the next generation.
At Hawai‘i Foodbank, volunteers are at the heart of the organization and are part of our year-round efforts to provide nourishing food to our families and neighbors facing hunger. It’s important that younger generations become aware of the issues surrounding food insecurity and continue to get involved — so we can work together to end hunger in Hawai‘i.
A variety of volunteer opportunities are available for those ages 8 and up. These include sorting donations at the warehouse, distributing food at an ‘Ohana Produce Plus location, sign waving on Food Drive Day and more. Ages 15 and younger must be accompanied by an adult 18 or older. School clubs and organizations are also welcome to sign up for group volunteering opportunities.
For questions about volunteering at Hawai‘i Foodbank, please email volunteering@hawaiifoodbank.org.
