One in every six people in America face hunger on a daily basis. One is every nine is hungry in Illinois. About 225 people in LZ fight against hunger on a daily basis, making the LZ ratio one of every 87 people. Although it is not as shocking as the national ratio, 225 is still too high, and local community members volunteer their time and money into taking a stand against hunger, one empty stomach at a time.
Local church, St. Francis de Sales, is an example of a parish opening its doors to volunteers who devote their time to helping those in need. Not only do they offer a weekly food pantry for those who are unable to afford groceries, they also provide cooked food after Sunday mass for community members who cannot provide food on the table on a daily basis.
Hunger is a serious problem in the world, killing a single child every 13 seconds, according to 30 Hour Famine’s website. That means about four to five children a minute, 277 an hour, 6, 646 a day, and eventually over 2,000,000 a year. To most people, this goes unnoticed, but there are people in the world that take that step towards lowering that number, one by one.
A common volunteering opportunity that seems to be very popular for both people in need as well as volunteers is the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, which takes place every Thursday night year-round.
“I’ve never left and not felt better, and I love helping people,” Susan Miller, weekly volunteer and parent of three LZHS students, said. “When you see the smiles on their faces, it makes it all worthwhile.”
After volunteers come into the ministry center, sign in, they fill any area that needs help, according to Miller. That could be anything from greeting people when they first walk in, to carrying bags around the “shopping area,” to bringing grocery bags out to people’s cars.
“I usually do whatever they need me to do. I have worked the meet[ing] area, I’ve handed out bags,” Miller said. “Sometimes I help people shop. I do a variety of things.”
The pantry provides groceries every week to 120-140 families, usually consisting of about four people per family. But to help others, the church needs volunteers. If any adults or teens are interested in providing a helping hand to the church, they should come to the ministry center, which is next to the church, on Thursday nights to be assigned a job, according to Miller.
“The first time I went was to help with the clothes closet, which ended up closing, and then we started the Jean Drive,” Miller said. “I started working with the St. Vincent de Paul team, and it’s an amazing group of people. Everyone’s there for the right reason. Between the people I’m working with and the ones I’m helping, it just makes the whole experience wonderful.”
Another volunteering option also provided at St. Francis is the Emmaus House of Hospitality, which is a non-profit group of people who provide warm meals and groceries to those fighting hunger in our community, according to the Emmaus House of Hospitality’s website.
Ryan Duntemann and David Hoch, seniors and weekly volunteers for the Emmaus House of Hospitality, agree that the event is a great way to give back to the community for everything it provides.
“We [done] bread duty, we got meat duty, we got garbage duty, we got the harvest room [the food pantry portion],” Duntemann said. “We’ve pretty much done everything and anything.”
Every Sunday, about 150 to 250 citizens gather in the basement of St. Francis de Sales for a night of eating warm food cooked by volunteers, as well as an opportunity to collect groceries for the week, according to the Emmaus House of Hospitality’s website.
“Originally we came because we had to do a project for sociology and had to do about five hours of service,” Hoch said. “Then, by the second time we came, we finished the five hours, but we just liked coming here and helping out. It is better than what we would usually do on a Sundays, which is sitting around, watching TV, and eating junk food.”
The purpose of this event is to provide food, clothing, and funding for shelter to families in need, as well as raising awareness and advocating for change, according to the Emmaus House of Hospitality’s website. If any adults or teens are interested in providing a helping hand to the church, they should arrive at St. Francis at 4pm and sign in for a job for the night.
“It is cliché, but it really is nice to do something and give back, because honestly, up to this point in my life, I’ve just been a leech on the system,” Hoch said. “So we’ll be here next Sunday, and the Sunday after that, and the Sunday after that, and the Sunday after that.”
These volunteering opportunities have been running for years helping the people in LZ. These people have it in their hearts to sacrifice their time and energy to benefit the life of others.