On the Kenai Peninsula, nonprofit organizations run on volunteers. High school students in search of service hours can be a valuable resource to those groups, and collect volunteer hours for scholarships or applications while serving the community.
The most common question that students might have is: What counts as service hours?
“My definition … is basically any service, any help to someone or your community that you're not getting paid for,” said LaDawn Druce, a school counselor in the district.
This philosophy can also extend from picking up trash on the side of the road, to performing in a choir or play for the community. As long as you aren't being paid. Of course, Druce said, there are exceptions.
“We are aware that sometimes students are so busy either at school, doing extracurriculars, or maybe working part time jobs, that maybe they don't actually have time to perform community service,” she said. “So we take those things into consideration, but it is good to see a well rounded student that has some sort of connection like that with their community, in some way.”
Druce said it’s important to be organized and keep track of your hours, starting as early as junior high with something as simple as a Word Document.
“Just listing those things you're doing for others, like mowing the neighbor's yard, and you’re not getting paid for that, or you're contributing hours at the food bank. Or something like church, you're helping out at the nursery at Sunday school,” she said, “If the student just keeps a list of those with dates [it’s] very helpful, and that way when you get to your senior year, if you kept a running total of things like that through high school, it makes applying for those applications a whole lot easier.”
She also said that making major donations, or participating in charity events, should be written down too.
At the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, staff agree that volunteers are critical to daily operations, and even make up a majority of the workforce. Lilly Murray, the communications manager at the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, said they’re important to the food bank’s Fireweed Diner.
“How do you staff a restaurant that serves a hundred people every day? You do that with volunteers,” Murray said.
The chef at the diner, Steven Lamb, emphasized their importance.
“In the Fireweed Diner, we have a consistent amount of volunteers that actually have a schedule and they've been coming in for, I would say, upwards of eight years consistently on a regular schedule, every single day,” Lamb said. “It’s really amazing. I would not be able to perform my job adequately without them. It is huge.”
Murray also said volunteers can learn a lot from working at the food bank.
“You also learn a lot about different foods, actually,” she said. “Like how to revitalize cabbage for example, how to sort through produce that's good, and produce that's bad. You learn a lot about sustainability and recycling.”
Counselor LaDawn Druce said that service hours don’t just have to be about scholarships and applications.
“It's so good to see young people contributing to their communities in whatever way they can,” she said. “I think it's very touching and it makes older people like me feel really good, when I see former students or students working hard but helping others and have that community spirit.”
Sarah DesOrmeaux is a member of the local chapter of the The Lions CSub, another local service opportunity. She said their charity Christmas event is an example of how the club helps out the community. Last year, amid the state’s food stamp backlog, the Lions pivoted to helping provide food around the holidays.
“They had zero food in their pantry, and I think the wait line for the state assistance was like two months. And it was older people that were needing the help, so it was grandmas that had gotten custody of their grandkids that were trying to make this special holiday,” DesOrmeaux said. “So last year our Christmas Kindness project kind of turned a little bit, and we did do the presents, but we also filled their pantries.”
She explained what it means to The Lions to serve the community.
“Lions is all about creating … it’s not like “Oh I have this one project. And oh, it’s off the list,”' she said. “It’s more about a lifestyle of seeing service and where you need to help, putting that into practice.”
Another food bank staff member, Claire Jones, said volunteers make all the difference.
“Everything from sorting the donations we get from the stores, to helping serve in the Fireweed Diner,” she said. “As well as special events. We’re doing an upcoming Soup Supper fundraiser — it’s our biggest one all year — and we rely heavily on volunteers to make that a possibility.”
“Service hours” have many definitions, and aren’t always straightforward. But organizations around the Kenai area say volunteers are crucial to their missions, and it's important to encourage the younger generation to participate. If you're looking for current opportunities, you can volunteer at the Food Bank's upcoming Soup Supper by calling 907-262-3111, or check out The Lions Club Facebook page for upcoming volunteer and service opportunities.
