FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITY IS THIS TEEN’S PASSION

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Aarush Avula. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Aarush Avula started volunteering in the seventh grade, and he hasn’t looked back. He was initially introduced to the local food pantry and was exposed to the diverse populations that rely on the pantry to feed their families. Interacting with new people was a rewarding endeavor for Aarush, and he came to realize that everyone has a story that they might not be sharing. Inspired to help more, Aarush has accelerated his volunteer work over the last couple of years.  

Soon to be in the 10th grade, Aarush is an active volunteer who works with Pebble Tossers, a youth development organization with a mission to empower and equip youth to lead through service. Through Pebble Tossers, Aarush finds easy ways to get connected to volunteer roles, whether it’s at local food pantries or at a hospice organization. His most prominent volunteering role is as the co-leader of the bread team with Meals by Grace, an organization that works to feed hungry families.

Aarush and his friends create a space for general volunteers to work more efficiently. Whether he’s setting up the kitchen so bread can be distributed or cleaning up and sanitizing the space after it’s done, Aarush has a vital role in the fight against food insecurity. He also trains new volunteers, so more than 50 families per day can put food on the table. He dedicates anywhere from eight to 16 hours per month to Meals by Grace, and is right around the corner from completing 200 hours with the organization. 

Aarush has seen firsthand how much of a role volunteers have in the fight against hunger. But he’s also seen just how much his volunteer work has benefitted his own well-being. As a result of the time he’s dedicated to volunteering, Aarush has developed stronger leadership and communication skills. With a compassionate heart and a willingness to see the struggles that people face every day, Aarush is bettering both himself and the community. That’s an opportunity that’s available to anyone who is willing to volunteer. 

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?  

In seventh grade, I found this food pantry nearby. Initially, I started as a general volunteer and I found it really fun and satisfying. I met a lot of really cool people there who would come and pick up food from the food pantry. I actually talked with them and got to know a few of them. They showed me that everyday people you might not expect might be going through things you don’t even know about. I saw this, and after talking with all these people, I was more interested. I wanted to help more, so I pursued a team lead position. 

What inspires you to volunteer? 

It’s that feeling of helping others. It just feels good. I like helping people a lot; it just feels nice. I think everybody should try to help the community whenever they can. If we do that, then the world would be a much better place. I’m going to try to do whatever I can to make it the best it can be. 

Tell us about your volunteer role with Pebble Tossers. 

Pebble Tossers has helped me log and track my hours and get more opportunities that I might not have without them. They have a bunch of unique opportunities, like creating postcards and encouragement notes for younger kids who are reading. Pebble Tossers helps you a lot if you don’t know what you want to do, but do know that you want to volunteer. They give you a lot of different, unique ways you can help. It’s a great place to start.  

With Meals by Grace, I co-lead the bread team with a few of my other friends, and we help the general volunteers. First, we set up the workspace for them. We give them instructions on what to do, and then we answer any questions while they’re doing it. We’re the facilitators. We make sure everything goes smoothly when they’re doing stuff. After they’re done, we have to clean up the workspace and make sure everything’s sanitized. We prepare for the next week. 

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization? 

I got a club role in my school with the healthcare volunteering club, so I want to provide these opportunities with Meals by Grace and Pebble Tossers, and spread my knowledge of those opportunities in those clubs. I would like to organize days when we could all go to a place and give them contact info if they want to get involved individually. I want to help more kids just like me who might not have known about volunteering, but who want to get involved. I want to help them get to volunteer just like I do. 

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

Seeing the people that you serve. Whenever I would go into this food pantry, I would see some people picking up food, and they were smiling and grateful. Sometimes, especially with Meals by Grace, you don’t always get to see who’s on the other side of what you’re doing. Mainly, we just package up the food, so we don’t see who’s actually receiving it. But when we do see the reactions and how grateful they are when they receive it, I think that’s definitely one of the more rewarding parts. 

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

One of the things I learned is that you can’t tell what’s going on with someone’s life just by looking at them or just by talking with them. Everybody has their own struggles, and a lot of times they don’t put it out there. You don’t even know what’s going on with a lot of people in your life. I think you should just help when you can. If you’re in a position to help others, you definitely should, because we’re all a team. That’s how I think you’ll be happy, and you’ll make other people happy too. 

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

I think you should always try to help. Wherever you are passionate, you should try to help, whether it be teaching kids, volunteering at a food pantry, or wherever it may be. You should always try to improve the community around you, because the community is what serves you as well. It’s kind of like a mutual relationship. You have to help the community if you want it to help you. I think if you’re passionate about something and you want to help, you can just combine the two, so it doesn’t seem like a chore, but it seems like it’s just a hobby. I think it’s a win-win. 

What do you want people to learn from your story? 

Anyone can do it. I’m just a kid, so if I can do it, you can do it too. You just need to talk to people and get out there. It might not look the same as what I’m doing. Whatever you want to do, it’s not going to look the exact same, but I think you just have to put yourself out there and try. It might be a little hard at the beginning, but finding the place to volunteer is probably the hardest part. Just going there and getting started is probably the hardest part.  

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Aarush? Find local volunteer opportunities.