For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.  Matthew 25:35

Jesus said to feed the hungry.  While most of our youth have learned about global hunger volunteering at places like Feed My Starving Children, many of them were surprised to learn that hunger is also a problem in Roseville, Minnesota. This summer our 5th through 8th grade youth learned just how close hunger hits to home, through a week of serving opportunities called Summer of Service. On Friday morning of our week we packed food at Sheridan Story.  This organization is responding to

principals and school staff who say “My students don’t have food on the weekends, can you help?”  As thirty five youth sat in the warehouse learning about what Sheridan story does, you could hear audible gasps when they learned this program serves Central Park Elementary and Roseville Area Middle School. I could hear student whispers, “I go to Roseville Area Middle School.” “Love God and love your neighbor“was the theme of the week, but for us “loving your neighbor” was given a whole new meaning at this service site. These students realized that they were not serving an unknown neighbor.  Following Jesus’ command to serve with humility, appreciation, and care, our students now knew they were serving classmates and even friends that they had no idea went home hungry on the weekends.

Abby Matter