Spring Hill High School volunteer club gives gift of time at Harvesters

Harvesters - The Community Food Network works around the clock to make sure no member of the community goes hungry, but they cannot do what they do without the help of their amazing volunteers.

In fiscal year 2024, volunteers gave 133,000 hours of service, which is equivalent to 63 full time employees.

On any given day, staff welcomes church groups, companies, individuals and other local organizations who want to give the gift of time.

Dale Messing

Bright and early on the first day of October, students with the Spring Hill High School volunteer club were at the food bank paying it forward.

Dale Messing

"I mean, obviously it feels good when you’re helping people, but when you’re having fun doing it with your friends, it makes it a lot easier," said Logan Beckman, a senior at Spring Hill High School.

Beckman spearheaded the partnership with Harvesters this year.

Every semester, students in the Spring Hill High School Volunteer Class and Club choose five community volunteer projects to focus on.

"Just helping getting your classmates involved from an early age is just really important to help, continue to help people as you get older," Beckman said.

For Danny Heinen, a junior, combating food insecurity is a mission he can get behind.

Dale Messing

"It’s kind of like a fact of life, but it shouldn’t have to be a fact of life," Heinen said. "And the fact that organizations like this work so hard to try and prevent that as much as they can — even though it’s such a normalized thing, it’s an accepted thing — I think it’s really good that we try to beat that."

Spring Hill High School has been rising good neighbors since 1995.

The volunteer program started as a way to help the community and bridge the gap between teens and elders.

Kerri Rodden, a teacher and co-sponsor of the club, says several students have gone onto do service work after graduating from this program.

Dale Messing

"It’s also really cool to see the ripple effect," Rodden said. "You know, when one person starts volunteering, it just spread so it’s contagious."

For anyone who may be on the fence about volunteering, Beckman encourages them to give it a chance.

"It’s worth it," Beckman said. "It's a really easy way to make an impact and help people who need it."

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