The global COVID-19 pandemic has made simple acts like going to the grocery store a potentially dangerous task for many high-risk groups. Included in that group was Neel Jain’s grandmother, who has asthma, so at the start of the pandemic he began bringing her groceries to help mitigate her risk.
Realizing there was a need for risk-reduced grocery shopping for others in his community, the 16-year-old decided to start PDX Concierge, a free grocery delivery service for the elderly, immunocompromised, and disabled within the Portland area. The nonprofit has also worked with the Oregon Food Bank and other local pantries to deliver boxes of food for those facing food insecurity.
Since last April, PDX Concierge has completed over 450 deliveries. Depending on how busy the week is, the nonprofit delivers to 15 to 25 deliveries each week to downtown Portland and its suburbs, as well as to the cities of Salem and Eugene.
“The motivation for me is just a sense of livelihood,” Neel said. “Being able to actually have a real purpose and being able to help out all these people.”
When Neel first started PDX Concierge, he thought he would be doing one delivery himself every couple of weeks to people in his neighborhood.
Now, Neel himself is only doing deliveries every other week or so, as he is instead spending several hours a week — and sometimes up to almost two hours a day — taking orders and assigning deliveries. Anyone interested in receiving a delivery submits their grocery list either through PDX Concierge’s website or by calling Neel himself. He then matches the closest available volunteer to the delivery and makes sure it’s completed within one to two days.
“It makes me feel proud that I took that first step, that first risk, to start the company and to put in these hours,” Neel said. “It’s nice to be at this point.”
Neel Jain shops for groceries to deliver to clients of PDX Concierge, the free grocery delivery service he started at the start of the pandemic./Courtesy Neel Jain
PDX Concierge is almost entirely run by students, with about 50 volunteers from schools throughout the area. Neel thinks he was able to recruit so many young people because his generation is looking for a way to use their extra time during the pandemic to help out others.
He added one of the most rewarding parts for him and other volunteers has been being able to deliver to so many diverse and interesting people. The PDX Concierge client list ranges from a formerly homeless man lacking means of transportation to the store, to a 94-year-old citizen who is in the age group at greatest risk for COVID-19. They have also completed emergency food deliveries for people who have tested positive for the illness but didn’t have any groceries in their house to last for the needed isolation period.
“The opportunity to meet all these different people and be able to help them in a meaningful way, as a high school student, has been impactful for me,” Neel said.
One of those he is helping is Mavis Dvirnak, who started receiving deliveries from PDX Concierge about six months ago because she has medical problems that put her at high risk for COVID-19. She said the service is dependable and trustworthy, and that her deliverers always follow instructions and wear proper PPE. Neel has also helped connect her with other services within the community.
Neel Jain serves as the founder of PDX Concierge, a free grocery delivery service for the elderly, immunocompromised, and disabled in the Portland area./Courtesy Neel Jain
“I see him as someone who is not only a success at this point, but is going to be a tremendous asset to our society — an ongoing, uprising success,” Mavis said.
Neel is looking into possibly expanding PDX Concierge into other areas of Oregon, depending on the demand, as well as increasing the numbers of volunteers and deliveries in the areas it currently operates in.
And, of course, Neel is still continuing to help out his grandmother.
“She’s glad I’m able to help out in an impactful way,” Neel said. “And I’m still helping her out, so she’s really happy with me.”
First-Generation American Teen Volunteers to Grow Career Opportunities for Immigrants
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Kevin Fan. Read his story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
As a first-generation American, 16-year-old Kevin Fan has witnessed firsthand the struggles immigrants can face in the United States. The Plainfield, Illinois teen says his parents were fortunate to receive an education in the U.S., but admits many aren’t as lucky.
Using his personal experience to bridge the education and skills disconnect for other immigrants, Kevin started volunteering with Dialekt, an organization dedicated to helping immigrants prepare for a professional career and navigate occupational mismatch. Offering free tutoring and assisting immigrants with interview preparation and resume building, Kevin has grown the program’s client base by more than 350%, and led Dialekt’s transition to a virtual format after the COVID-19 pandemic started. Connecting with clients across Chicagoland, Kevin is helping to move immigrants forward and chart their future to success through volunteerism.
What inspires you to volunteer?
I enjoy giving back to my community because of what it’s given me, including my friends and education. Volunteering gives me the opportunity to return the favor.
Describe your volunteerism with Dialekt.
As the volunteer co-manager, I oversee general operations including recruiting and training new volunteers, establishing and maintaining partnerships with other organizations in Chicagoland. I also help to manage our social media pages, and have assisted with the launch of several new programs, including our GED tutoring service and career advancement service. The immigrants we help are from countries including Myanmar and Democratic Republic of the Congo, and we work to support clients whose skills or level of qualification do not correspond with their job.
Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.
I was matched with an immigrant from Congo. This man had a high school diploma from his home country, but his diploma wasn’t recognized in U.S., which made attending colleges or getting a job very difficult. I helped him learn math concepts like fractions, because they weren’t taught in his home country. It was really rewarding to see this man make progress as our sessions continued, and he was eventually able to pass the GED test. He got accepted into the CDL program he was aiming for, and when he shared the news with me, he couldn’t stop smiling. That was a really gratifying experience, and motivated me to help more people.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
Volunteering brings people together and builds community. Helping people can be a mutually beneficial thing, as one person can help in one area, and another returns the favor and helps in another area.
You’re also pushing for equality through your volunteerism. Explain.
I am very passionate about social justice. Volunteering is an effective way of fighting against injustice and fighting for what you believe in. By giving back, you feel like you’re part of something bigger.
Dialekt volunteers bridge the education and skills disconnect for immigrants in the United States, helping to chart their future to success through volunteerism. /Courtesy Kevin Fan
What’s been the most rewarding part of your service?
It’s rewarding to see the impact you can have on someone’s life. We’re forming connections with these immigrants, hearing their stories, and eventually seeing them succeed. And they’re so grateful for our help.
How have you continued to volunteer throughout the pandemic?
I assumed the role of co-manager with Dialekt right before the pandemic hit. Since then, we’ve shifted to virtual programs, and we’ll host tutoring sessions by phone or video. We’ve also launched a website with a virtual portal to make worksheets and other resources available.
In one word, what does volunteering mean to you?
Change.
When you’re not busy volunteering or in school, what do you do for fun?
I really like to play tennis and to swim. I also really like kayaking, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I also like to read and I like to cook, though I’m not very good at it.
How can readers help?
Please visit Dialekt’s website for more information about how you can help.
Volunteer Superman Flies COVID-19 Tests to Ease Burden on Medical Staff
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Ivy Cadle. Read his story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
42-year-old Ivy Cadle says his small plane is just a “Honda Civic with wings,” but the Macon, Georgia plane enthusiast came to the rescue this summer by serving as a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight Soars.
Dedicated to providing free flights for life-changing medical treatments and care, Angel Flight Soars began transporting COVID-19 PCR tests as the pandemic raged out of control and people were desperate to learn more about their health. When Ivy realized that he could join the fight against the coronavirus by volunteering to help others during such uncertain times, he took action and delivered tests to nearby cities by air. Soaring for service, Ivy helped to get faster results for patients and eased the burden in the logistics chain for healthcare heroes in his greater community and across the Southeast.
What inspires you to volunteer?
Everyone was stuck at home during the pandemic. This was an opportunity to be an active participant in the fight. In general, giving comes out of gratitude and abundance. If you want to live an abundant life, you have to be willing to put it out there and give to others without any real expectation of return.
As a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight Soars, Ivy Cadle delivered COVID-19 PCR tests to nearby cities by air to help get faster results for patients and ease the burden in the logistics chain for healthcare heroes./Courtesy Ivy Cadle
Describe your volunteerism with Angel Flight Soars.
As a volunteer pilot with Angel Flight Soars, they’d drop the coolers of PCR COVID-19 tests off at an airport and I’d put them in the airplane and fly them to the designated pickup. Volunteers like me were able to get tests to destinations in two hours and help testing turnaround time for smaller cities.
Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.
For me, it’s kind of boring, you put a cooler in an aircraft and you go, but there were hundreds of pilots around the country doing this, and that really changed the game for people who were desperate for information in a time of great uncertainty when tests were really hard to get. I posted about my volunteerism on social media, and it just really blew up. We were able to make a meaningful impact through service.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
I liken it to money. There are three things you can do with money: spend it, save it or give it. If you get out of balance with any one of those things, it causes you to be anxious. I’ve been blessed in a lot of ways. The opportunity to do things for others and to give back is how I show that I’m grateful for all the great things I get to experience in life.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
The real hero of this whole thing is Angel Flight Soars and how they were able to really quickly organize the resources they have and bring in new pilots like me. I’d never flown passengers before because our plane is relatively small and you can’t go far, but once they said we could put the cooler in the back of the plane, heck ya, I can do that. It gave me an opportunity to combine my passion with volunteerism and feel like I was part of the fight.
In one word, what does volunteering mean to you?
Gratitude.
How can readers help?
Please visit the Angel Flight Soars website for more information about how you can help.
Student Volunteer Pays Community Kindness Forward by Democratizing Math Education for Kids
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Hannah Guan. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
The hours-long drive to shuttle Hannah Guan to math competition practices was a deal-breaker for the San Antonio, Texas adolescent and her working single mom. The emerging math competitor needed a way to flex her muscles with other kids, but realized she didn’t have access to nearby resources like students in big cities did.
Creating San Antonio Math Include (SaMi) in 2018, Hannah is giving students increased access to math resources and STEM education through free classes and tutoring. Alongside more than 140 student volunteers, the now 14-year-old has connected with more than 3,200 students thus far across the United States and even internationally. Paying it forward, Hannah is positively contributing to the community who helped to raise her by helping to democratize education for kids of all backgrounds.
What inspires you to volunteer?
I live in a single parent household, so it’s always been my mom taking care of my brother and I. As a working mom, she gets help from our neighborhood and other people. Growing up, I saw how people were willing to help me, and I thought that because of that, I should be willing to give back to my community and help others in return.
Through San Antonio Math Include (SaMi), Hannah Guan is providing greater access to math and STEM education to students of all backgrounds across the United States and internationally./Courtesy Hannah Guan
Describe your volunteerism with SaMi.
As founder, CEO and president, I recruit and manage our high school and college student volunteers, and manage communications for our students. I connect students with tutors, make class assignments and organize our classes and tutor sessions, which are supervised by college professors and professionals. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we held in-person classes across our national and international chapters. This past summer, we organized the largest free online summer camp in Texas to prevent the COVID-19 summer slide.
Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.
During one class I taught, I explained a concept to the students, and we played a short game to help them understand. Their faces brightly lit up during that game, they were laughing and smiling. I felt a sense of gratitude afterwards for how I was helping these students and the impact I could have on their lives. When I was younger, I didn’t have insight into the math world, but our service is opening up those different math opportunities. Hopefully these students can get an early start on these topics, and become even better than me one day.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
There are a lot of people out there who don’t have as many resources as others. Growing up in a single-parent, immigrant family and an under-resourced community, I understand that some might not have enough time, money, or the best education to help. If we want our society to be the best it can be, we need to teach our skills to the kids who lack resources.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your service?
That feeling of gratitude when you really know you’ve made an impact on a student’s life is rewarding. Helping students discover a passion for math is rewarding, especially because math is often characterized as a ‘boring’ subject.
Hannah pictured with SaMi high school student volunteers. Through service, Hannah is positively contributing to the community who helped to raise her by helping to democratize education for kids of all backgrounds./Courtesy Hannah Guan
How have you continued to volunteer throughout the pandemic?
We’ve shifted to virtual classes that we’re holding on the weekends to give kids a break from the near-constant screen work they’re doing during the week. It’s been a lot harder to tutor the students virtually instead of connecting with them in-person, but we are maintaining interactions by playing games and keeping a personal connection with students.
In one word, what does volunteering mean to you?
Empowerment. Volunteering is empowerment of everyone around you that didn’t have that power in the first place.
When you’re not busy volunteering or in school, what do you do for fun?
I like to hang out with my brother. Most siblings are constantly bickering, but we have a special relationship. We play games and hang out. Like most teens, I go on social media and watch Netflix. I also like to read books and listen to music.
Connecting the Dots Between Economics and Underserved Youth
Meet Daily Point Award honoree Andrew Diep-Tran. Read his story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
The way Andrew Diep-Tran figures, if you build it, they will come. The San Diego high school junior knew there were other kids who loved economics, or who would if they were exposed to it, so he founded operationEconomics International (oE), a nonprofit aiming to equalize economic education access for underserved K-12 youth globally. So far, oE has impacted about 1,800 students worldwide in six countries and five U.S. states through its 18 student-run chapters and two nonprofit partnerships. Since economics is the engine that drives the worldwide economy, unlocking its principles and demystifying its systems is the key to creating opportunities in business, finance, and economics. This gives underserved youth the tools to bolster their own living standards and to help them make better decisions for the future. Getting young people involved early on allows then to start solving the world’s problems sooner instead of later.
What inspires you to volunteer?
Growing up in a STEM-oriented suburb in San Diego County, it surprised me that my school didn’t offer classes or clubs in economics. It was only after meeting students at a summer entrepreneurial program and through networking that I’ve found thousands of students who feel the way I do – underexposed to important economic literacy. I volunteer to share their stories and amplify their silent voices in today’s overbearingly loud world.
Andrew loves merging economics and entrepreneurship in ways that relate to underserved youth./Courtesy Andrew Diep-Tran
Describe your volunteer role with operationEconomics?
I founded my nonprofit to make economic education more accessible worldwide for K-12 youth. I started with a pilot program at my high school, but now have turned most of my attention outwards. I wear many hats, filing legal paperwork, building the 32-week curriculum we use in our chapters, creating and managing the website, recruiting peers to start their own chapters at their schools, interviewing guests like World Bank developmental economist M.C. Madhavan for the podcast we’re developing, brainstorming ideas for future programs and development, raising money from individuals and businesses, applying for grants, and more.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
Without a doubt, meeting fellow peers, understanding and listening to their stories, and seeing how operationEconomics has broadened their world. I’ve seen that there is a whole new world of friends out there, friends that I have yet to make, that deserves better. My hope is to help students make better decisions through economic literacy.
It was super meaningful to me in particular when one of the chapter members in our Harare, Zimbabwe chapter thanked me for the time and sacrifice I’ve put into making the curriculum and reaching out to them.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
Don’t stay in your bubble! Everyone is preoccupied, on their phones or walking with their headphones planted in their ears – all of us with our own needs and backgrounds. We need to take time to see those less fortunate around us and see how we can serve. I’ve learned that creating ways to serve communities is best done through a bottom-up approach. Economic education gives people the tools to make better decisions to overcome their life challenges. I’ve become more empathetic and aware of people’s potential. But more than that, after building our curriculum, I’ve realized that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
What works in our Jakarta, Indonesia chapter might not in our Harare, Zimbabwe chapter. Their economies are different, their people are different, their issues are different. So, we try to curate a curriculum that touches on all their needs and most important economic and financial concepts. I’ve learned that diversity is the foundation of innovation and inclusivity.
Are there any future partnerships, programs, or events that you are excited about?
I’m excited to partner with university economics departments to engage students in academic research. I also hope to create an advocacy component to inspire schools across the country to teach economics. One program that we’re working on is our Read@OEI San Marcos initiative, where we’re raising money to donate and hand-deliver 300 personal finance books to underserved K-12 students in my hometown. We’ve partnered with a good friend of mine from Canada, Armita Hosseini, who published her own “for teenagers, by teenagers” personal finance book, so we’ll be distributing her book. Read@OEI is a series of locally-organized book drop-off programs to increase economic and financial literacy in various cities worldwide.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
To me, service is at the very core of progress. It’s extremely crucial that we give back so that we lift up and walk beside those who have been left behind too long. Even a small act of service encourages our youth to adopt productive behaviors early on and become more community-minded and collaborative.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
I want people to realize that Gen-Z youth hold just as much power and potential to create positive change as adults do. Too often we’re cast aside as too naive or too young to understand real-world problems––that we don’t have enough experience yet. Though there’s some truth to that, I still disagree. Kids can bring something different to the table. Kids bring creativity. Kids bring ambition. Kids bring an insatiable thirst for knowledge and so much more that makes us valuable.
So, if you’re a young person out there, don’t be afraid to take risks and prove others wrong. Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. Got a passion? Pursue it. Got an idea? Explore it. Got a vision? Build it.
After Grandfather’s Heart Attack, Teen Volunteer Teaches CPR Globally
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Akshara Ramasamy. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Spending summers with her family in India, Akshara Ramasamy remembers her grandfather and his devotion to his community fondly. “He was a community leader,” says Akshara. “He was very revered in his village and people would come to him for advice because he’d faced a lot of hardships in his life, and he always tried to find ways to make his community better.” When her beloved ‘Thatha’ suffered a heart attack, emergency medical help took two hours to respond to her grandfather’s rural home, his wife and sons forced to standby helplessly as the community leader suffered.
When 17-year-old Akshara, a student in Woodlands, Texas, became CPR certified at school, she realized offering life-saving health education was the key to preventing deaths like her grandfather’s. Embracing her grandfather’s legacy as a leader of action and champion of change, Akshara launched Idhayam in 2018 to promote CPR training, her efforts currently based in remote Indian villages similar to where her family is from.
“I’m volunteering in honor of (Thatha). I’d come to him with a problem and he’d always provide me with guidance. Losing my grandfather coupled with the fact that our family is from an underserved area in India made me realize that I could help others, and I’m also able to honor him by providing this service.”
After her grandfather’s death, Akshara Ramasamy launched Idhayam to help close the global health equity gap by teaching CPR to medically underserved areas and remote communities in India. /Courtesy Akshara Ramasamy
Hosting CPR training through Idhayam, which means ‘heart’ in the southern Indian language of Tamil, Akshara has reached hundreds of disadvantaged people across India with more than 65 in-person workshops, conducting sessions alongside more than 100 CPR-certified clinicians in their own communities. Aside from the immediate training Idhayam provides, Akshara says her long-term focus is advocating for global health equity.
“Here in the United States, the nearest hospital is five minutes away from my home. In these remote Indian villages, they have to walk incredibly long distances to the nearest clinic. Having this double perspective helped me to understand our global health inequity gap. My grandfather had a heart attack and my family didn’t have the opportunity to be proactive. Idhayam is creating the opportunity for people that are in medically underserved areas to be proactive so they’re not in a situation where they have to react.”
Helping to close the health inequity gap, which persists amongst the most disadvantaged members of Indian society across sociecenocic status, geography and gender, Akshara volunteers alongside Idhayam instructors like Induja Patel, who says that by sharing her knowledge with others, Akshara is helping to save lives through service.
“In order to combat the health equity gap and lack of CPR education in India, Akshara launched Idhayam,” says Induja. “Through Idhayam, it was her hope that individuals would at least have this skill in the event of a heart attack in their community, so they would not have to suffer the same fate as her family.”
The skills being taught by volunteers are translating into tangible results and actual lives saved, says Akshara, who says one program attendee recently used the CPR she learned from Idhayam to save her uncle, who had a history of heart attacks. In spite of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Askshara has grown the diverse group of program attendees she is connecting with virtually, and is advocating to integrate CPR education into school curriculum in India. By empowering underserved populations to take personal health and the health of loved ones into their own hands, Akshara is offering sustainable skills to a country where health expenditures are responsible for more than half of Indian households falling into poverty.
“Any of the attendees, they feel they are equipped, so that in the event of an emergency, they don’t feel they’re not able to do anything, and they can engage in action and possibly save somebody’s life. It feels very rewarding to (know that) in your fingertips, you have the ability to prevent death.”
Akshara says that her family’s story is just one of many, and by taking her empathetic approach, she hopes to expand her education beyond India to other remote areas around the globe.
“Change begins with empathy. Once you realize the opportunities and privilege you have, and provide that to others who don’t necessarily have privilege, that’s when you make a difference. Through empathy, you’re making a positive impact in the community.”
California Teen Shapes Global Change through Virtually Powered Service for Youth Volunteers
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Annie Mokatsyan. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
16-year-old Annie Mokatsyan has been volunteering for years, but when the Los Angeles, California teen asked her parents if she could travel outside of the country for a humanitarian service project, they told her she was too young. That’s when Annie got creative, and decided there were ways kids like her could make positive change inside their communities and beyond, without ever leaving their homes.
Launching Am4teens in April 2019, Annie is serving alongside more than 400 student volunteers as they create virtual projects with dozens of humanitarian and philanthropic organizations. Dedicated to supporting organizations committed to causes ranging from children’s services to environmental advocacy to Black Lives Matter and mental health awareness, Am4teens has indirectly helped thousands of individuals in global communities through their volunteerism. Providing youth volunteers from the United States, Australia, United Arab Emirates and more the opportunity to directly impact society through various initiatives and projects without having to travel long-distances to contribute in-person, Annie is virtually powering the future of global progress.
What inspires you to volunteer?
I’m inspired to volunteer because I know at the end of the day I am creating change. The prospect of the long-term impact that we are making on someone’s life or on a community is what inspires me.
Describe your volunteerism with Am4teens.
As founder and CEO, I recruit youth volunteers and coordinate with international humanitarian organizations on how to get our volunteers involved. We focus on creating sustainable online projects for our volunteers with organizations like Feed the Children , MACERUDET and Land of Hope across philanthropic and humanitarian issues, advocacy and awareness.
Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.
I’d volunteered with MuttShack Animal Rescue since I was 9 or 10 to rescue puppies from poverty. We’d help the puppies with medical issues and then get them ready for adoption to their forever homes. At first, my volunteerism just involved fundraising, then as I got older, I started getting more engaged in service and using resources to promote the effort. As a result, we started to see more and more puppies getting adopted. It makes me feel relieved knowing that I was able to save these puppies from the dangers of overpopulation and put them in forever homes.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
During these unprecedented times, we’ve all been going our own ways trying to adapt. It’s important to volunteer because it gives you the opportunity to be in other people’s shoes and experience the growth in humanity. You can change someone else’s life through volunteering.
Annie pictured with the Am4teens leadership team. Am4teens has indirectly helped thousands of individuals in global communities through their volunteerism.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your service?
It’s rewarding when volunteers tell me they’re thankful to be involved in our virtual international volunteer communities, and how they’re inspired to be a part of these philanthropic works. We’re giving these volunteers the chance to make a change without having to fly to get to humanitarian opportunities on site.
How have you continued to volunteer throughout the COVID-19 pandemic?
There wasn’t much of a change due to the pandemic because all of our service is virtual. Worldwide communities are in need of even more help now because of how the pandemic has impacted them, so we were able to continue our work. The pandemic has enabled our organization to grow even more due to certain restrictions. For example, we’re currently working with Feed the Children chapters to create worksheets for children around the world that lack educational resources during the pandemic.
In one word, what does volunteering mean to you?
Strength.
When you’re not busy with school or volunteering, what do you do for fun?
I play sports including soccer.
How can readers help?
Please visit Am4teens’s website for more information about how you can help.
Bagels for Good: Volunteer Helps Community by Feeding Hungry and Eliminating Food Waste
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Nithin Parthasarathy. Read his story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
His favorite bagel order is chocolate with strawberry cream cheese on top, but 16-year-old Nithin Parthasarathy says his story of service was spurred after parts of a bagel he ordered were thrown away. “I ordered a ‘skinny bagel’ and they said they threw away extras from bagels that they didn’t need,” says the Irvine, California teen.
Realizing he could provide food security through service by eliminating food waste, Nithin launched Zero Waste Initiative in February 2020. Distributing unsold bagels typically discarded after store closure each day, Nithin donates the extra baked goods to shelters and food banks, helping to nourish his underserved neighbors across Orange County. The high school sophomore says his mission has taken on even greater importance this year as unemployment rates have spiked and food insecurity has risen significantly amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
What inspires you to volunteer?
It’s important to be empathetic, especially during the pandemic. My parents always taught me to not waste food, and I’m extremely grateful for what I have and for what my parents provide for me. I’m inspired to help others because of how the pandemic has uprooted life for many others.
Nithin is helping to nourish his underserved neighbors across Orange County and eliminating food waste by distributing unsold bagels typically discarded after store closure each day./Courtesy Nithin Parthasarathy
How is your service targeting food inequity?
During the pandemic, every level of the supply chain has been affected, from agricultural production to our own tables. I’ve heard stories of farmers smashing eggs and dumping milk because they can’t sell their products. We’re tackling the effects of food waste on production, the environment and our economy, which experienced the highest unemployment rate since the Depression era.
Describe your volunteerism with Zero Waste Initiative.
As founder and current president, I coordinate with stores, including Bruegger’s Bagels, to arrange food pickup, manage our volunteers and food distribution and then lastly, coordinate with organizations that we deliver to, including local shelters. Zero Waste Initiative has rescued more than $90,000 in wholesale value of baked goods thus far. With the help of our student and adult volunteers, we pick up and deliver baked goods seven days a week, serving hundreds of underprivileged people in Orange County through a dozen local and national organizations such as Salvation Army, Power of One Foundation, Share Our Selves and Families Forward.
Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.
I receive a lot of thank yous and photos from the organizations that receive our food. They’ll tell us how much they enjoy the bagels, and how I’m bringing happiness to people’s lives. It’s really gratifying to see how I’m helping people by being a part of my community.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
Being able to give back helps you create a community. We’re helping people feel like they’re a part of the greater whole through service, as a result, everyone feels more satisfied and tighter knit. Service is the best way to form a community and it’s heartwarming to know that I’m a part of that community.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your service?
It’s been rewarding to see the gratefulness of people and organizations who receive the bagels. Being able to rescue excess food is really fulfilling and we are helping the world in the process by decreasing harmful contributors to global warming.
Zero Waste Initiative has rescued more than $90,000 in wholesale value of baked goods thus far./Courtesy Nithin Parthasarathy
How have you continued to volunteer throughout the pandemic?
We launched right before the pandemic forced community closures and stay at home orders in California. There has been a lot more planning involved in our volunteering as a result of the pandemic, as we manage timing for food delivery, food safety and physical distancing. We currently just distribute bagels, but at the beginning of the pandemic we were donating bagels, donuts and Starbucks goods as we stepped in to fill the gaps when some other community operations were disrupted.
In one word, what does volunteering mean to you?
Compassion.
When you’re not busy volunteering or in school, what do you do for fun?
Like any normal teen I like reading, playing games and watching TV. I also recently started making my own homemade bubble tea.
How can readers help?
Please visit our website for more information about how you can help.
Reaching Out in Service for Reading, Teen Donates Thousands of Books to Virginia Students
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Haley Day. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
17-year-old Haley Day is a bibliophile who says reading played a large role in her childhood. Through volunteerism, Haley is now sharing her passion for reading with younger students.
Launching Today’s Readers Tomorrow’s Leaders in 2016, Haley is making reading accessible to as many children as possible while encouraging the joy of reading. Distributing over 8,000 donated books to young elementary students in the greater Roanoke, Virginia area, the high school junior has helped to put books in the hands of more than 1,000 children, sparking a love for reading across her community.
What inspires you to volunteer?
I genuinely enjoy spending time with kids and being able to create that connection through reading. I’m inspired to make those connections through volunteering because helping children gives me such a sense of joy and fills my heart.
Haley Day: “It’s fulfilling to see my love of reading come full circle because reading played such a large role in my childhood. Knowing I possibly assisted in a child falling in love with reading creates a feeling like no other.”/Courtesy Haley Day
Describe your volunteerism with Today’s Readers Tomorrow’s Leaders.
As founder, I connect with schools in the greater Roanoke area to organize book drives. I also handle book distribution and hold book presentations and storytimes at various schools, where I talk about the importance of reading with children. I also host a mentoring program and donate books through a partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia.
Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.
When I meet with children, I remind them to go home and pick up a book and read. One time at a book presentation, a child raised their hand and asked, ‘What happens if I don’t have any books?’ I realized then that lack of access to books at home is a reality for some children, who aren’t fortunate enough to have the luxury of owning their own books. Through Today’s Readers Tomorrow’s Leaders, I can really make a difference in a child’s life.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
Volunteering makes you feel good and it also teaches you responsibility. Serving others has taught me how to make connections with others in our community to get something done for the greater good.
You host a lot of storytimes. What’s your favorite children’s book?
My favorite children’s book is ‘The Lorax’ by Dr. Seuss. For storytime, kids love hearing Dr. Seuss’ ‘The Cat in the Hat’. We participate in national Read Across America day each year, so that’s a big week for us.
What’s the most rewarding part of your volunteerism?
It’s fulfilling to see my love of reading come full circle because reading played such a large role in my childhood. Knowing I possibly assisted in a child falling in love with reading creates a feeling like no other.
Volunteering to make reading accessible to as many children as possible while encouraging the joy of reading, Haley hosts book presentations and storytimes in her greater community. /Courtesy Haley Day
How have you continued to volunteer throughout the COVID-19 pandemic?
We’ve shifted to virtual volunteering because of the pandemic. I am now producing video storytime sessions, where I’ll tape myself reading and then distribute those videos. We’ll also do Zoom book presentations for classrooms, and lastly, we’re distributing goody bags filled with disinfected books for teachers to hand out to students throughout the year.
In one word, what does volunteering mean to you?
Passion.
When you’re not busy with school or volunteering, what do you do for fun?
I’m a competitive dancer. Dance is my go-to way of expressing myself. I do all styles of dancing.
Florida Teen’s Can-Do Service Offers Hope for Neighbors and Transforms Community
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Eric Feichthaler. Read his story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Volunteering since he was a child, now 16-year-old Eric Feichthaler’s dedication has grown to improving his community and extending a hand to those in need.
As a volunteer at the Cape Coral Kiwanis Club Thrift Store, Eric, a high school sophomore, uses his can-do attitude to support the store, which benefits children in the community, whether he’s restocking shelves or helping to move heavy furniture. Continuing his service even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Eric volunteers to support food insecure populations by harvesting fruits and vegetables at the Oasis Middle School garden, which is operated through his school’s Kiwanis Builders Club. Volunteering to bring hope to his community and help future generations reach their full potential, Eric is giving back to those in need and inspiring other youth through his service.
What inspires you to volunteer?
My dad volunteered with Kiwanis before I began volunteering with them. I realized that I really enjoyed helping others after attending my first food hand out. I’m inspired to volunteer because I know there are many who are less fortunate than me.
Volunteering to bring hope to his community and help future generations reach their full potential, Eric Feichthaler is giving back to those in need and inspiring other youth through his service./Courtesy Eric Feichthaler
Describe your volunteerism with the Kiwanis Thrift Store.
I help take donations dropped at the store, help to restock shelf items, and do a lot of heavy lifting including when someone drops off furniture. I volunteer at the store once a week and do whatever I’m asked to do, whenever help is needed.
Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.
While volunteering at a food distribution event in my community, I saw one old woman struggling to carry heavy bags to her car. I decided to go help her and she had a look of relief and a smile on her face. I could see she felt somebody was helping her in a way she didn’t normally get help. It made me feel really happy, and made me feel I’d made a difference.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
People never realize how grateful they should be for what they have, and that by helping people less fortunate, they’re actually helping themselves by learning how to give back to their community and helping someone less fortunate to live a better life.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your service?
The feeling I get when people thank me. It’s rewarding when I see them smile, it always makes me happy inside to know that I helped someone and they are grateful.
How have you continued to volunteer throughout the pandemic?
In addition to my volunteerism at the thrift store, I volunteer at the Oasis Middle School garden which is run by the Kiwanis Builders Club. I served as a volunteer for this organization before the coronavirus, but our service became even more important during the pandemic as food insecurity increased. I harvest vegetables and fruits which are then distributed to people at the Cape Coral Caring Center food pantry. I’ve been able to inspire other student volunteers to help at the garden, which provides homes for insects, lizards, fish and birds, and helps feed more than 1,100 people in our community. Additionally, I am the vice president of my school’s Key Club.
What’s your favorite fruit or vegetable to grow at the garden?
I enjoy growing sweet potatoes, because they tend to get really large in our garden, and that feeds so many.
In one word, what does volunteering mean to you?
Helping.
When you’re not busy in school or volunteering, what do you do for fun?
I really enjoy photography and guitar. I play music often, my favorite song is ‘Hotel California’ by the Eagles. I also like to read and play tennis and golf.
How can readers help?
Please visit the Cape Coral Kiwanis Thrift Store website for more information about how you can help.
