Community service is unpaid, voluntary work performed to benefit others. Community service, however benefits the volunteers as well. How, exactly? Well, from experience, it reminds you of the good in the world and it makes you feel good knowing that your hour or so of simple work can do wondrous things. Things like saving the lives of starving children in Africa. Doing simple things for the community, alone or with family/friends, can be a good bonding exercise that makes you feel good.  Community service is so much more than work when you realize how simplistic and beneficial it is to your growth as a person and the growth of others.

Not too long ago, I took two of my friends to volunteer for Feed My Starving Children down at the Pantano Christian Church. They say, “FMSC’s heartbeat and call is to feed God’s kids hungry in body and spirit. Our work not only impacts children and communities in desperate need but it impacts the hearts and lives of FMSC volunteers and donors.” Now, if that message doesn’t inspire you to make a change, then I don’t know what does! We put soy, vitamins, rice, and proteins in a bag, sealed, and packaged them off to feed the starving children. I was scooping rice and soy, and though it may seem simple and lame, it was super fun! We were at a table with some super fun strangers and we were given challenges every so often, like packing 4 boxes in 10 minutes, and it was a great way to meet new people. One guy who was holding the bag open for the food to be poured in was very funny (yes, he made dad jokes) and was what most people would stereotype as an “uncle”. And the lady who was pouring the protein and vitamins into the bag was very kind and had a sweet smile. Since they were playing music, every so often I would peer over my friend’s shoulder and get her to sing along to the songs we were familiar of. Granted, we did have to wear these obnoxious hairnets, but this is the most fun a person can have in a hairnet!

A couple years ago, I signed up to be a helper at a Girl Scout camp over the summer. The camp was princess/fairytale-themed and had lots of younger Girl Scouts. These peppy scouts were filled with energy and love for all things girly and magical. To make things fun, each of the helpers had nicknames and weren’t allowed to use or release their real names. I chose the name Fix-It-Felix from the movie Wreck It Ralph (one of my favorite Disney movies), but all the girls just called me Felix. This was a perfect opportunity for me, considering how I absolutely LOVE children and how shy I was; I needed to get out of my little, comfy shell. I was timid at first, but then I realized that these scouts won’t harm me! I helped these girls become the most magical fairy-princesses around, and they grew on me. I had a handful of girls that adored me and melted my heart. I don’t remember the girls’ names, but they always wanted me to assist them and play games with them. Doing this helped me open my wings, make new friends, and prepare me for future babysitting!

These are just two of my favorite examples of the community service I’ve done, but I have done much more and plan to continue helping my community and the communities of others. From cleaning up trash in a public place, to helping girls become pretty princesses, to feeding the starving children, to helping someone with homework; community service comes in all shapes and sizes. To me, serving the community is a huge part in helping a person grow mentally and physically.