Volunteer Newsletter (LA) – March

Volunteers of the Month for February

For many years, Children’s Hunger Fund has partnered with organizations that serve adults with developmental disabilities to provide their clients with opportunities to participate in our Volunteer Program. This opportunity has been an incredible blessing to those who volunteer (as you will see below), and the program participants have also been an amazing blessing to Children’s Hunger Fund, especially our staff. In the past, the partnership was informal and perhaps less well organized than it could have been. However, over the last year, we have worked closely with several of our partner organizations to formalize and improve what we offer their clients. In turn, they have proven to be among our most reliable and effective volunteers. We are especially grateful to honor one such organization’s clients as our Volunteers of the Month for February.

Supporting these volunteers is someone who faithfully brings and champions them each month. Here, Jessica Escorza shares a bit about the group and what volunteering at CHF has meant to their clients.

How did you start volunteering with CHF?

Agape Village was established in 2021, and from the very beginning, we sought ways to help our clients become more involved in serving the community. We learned about Children’s Hunger Fund and were immediately drawn to your mission and heart for serving others while spreading the love and faith of Jesus.

We reached out and shared that we are a program for adults with special needs, and that same year, we began volunteering regularly. Since then, we have had weekly volunteers and have built meaningful relationships with CHF staff, including Seth and Evan, as well as with friends from other local programs who serve alongside us. It has truly become a community, and we are so grateful to be a part of it.

What do you like best about volunteering with CHF?

One of our favorite parts is seeing familiar faces every Thursday morning and reconnecting with friends. We love working on different projects together and knowing that, as a group, we are giving back and serving others.

Being able to come together, contribute our time, and feel that we are making a difference is very special to our clients and staff. There is so much joy in our time at CHF, and we truly look forward to it each week.

What’s your favorite project to do at CHF?

That is a tough question! We love placing labels on the meal packs, building boxes, and filling them with all the necessary food items. Our clients especially enjoy turning it into friendly competitions to see who can build the most boxes—we have some very fast workers in our Thursday group!

These projects help our clients feel proud, capable, and excited to serve.

Do you have a favorite memory of volunteering with CHF?

One of our favorite memories was the Christmas game day, where we played cornhole and spent time simply having fun together. It meant so much to our group. Having opportunities like this every few months would continue to strengthen relationships and build community.

These moments allow us to talk, laugh, and truly get to know one another. That sense of connection is a huge part of why we love CHF so much. At Agape Village, we truly believe that to grow and succeed, it takes a village—and CHF is an important part of ours.

Did You Know?

Children’s Hunger Fund’s first international Mercy Network* was founded in Uganda in 2003.

In addition to the Food Pak ministry, CHF partners with local churches in Uganda to operate thriving self-sustainability projects and vocational training programs. And that’s not all!  Explore stories of impact here, here, here, here and here.

*Bonus: A Mercy Network is a group of churches in a defined geographical area that partner with Children’s Hunger Fund in Mercy Ministry.

Important Volunteer Force Dates

March 17:  6:30PM – 8:30PM

St. Patrick’s Day Evening Shift
(Wear Green!)

March 21 & 28

No volunteers, as we perform our annual inventory/audit 

Sign up for the Volunteer Force HERE!

Project Spotlight: Checking Expiration Dates

If you’ve volunteered with CHF for a while, you know that we work on all kinds of different projects! It’s our desire that our volunteers understand the purpose behind each task they’re doing, even if the task doesn’t seem too exciting.

One of those tasks is checking expiration dates. This task is important because it aligns with so many of our Values as an organization.  Here are just a few:

• Compassion: Children’s Hunger Fund is concerned with protecting the dignity of the children and families that receive Food Paks from our Mercy Network churches. One of the ways we do this is by ensuring that the food and other items they receive through our ministry is of the highest quality.
• Excellence: Checking expiration dates ensures that the product we deliver falls within regulatory guidelines, is safe to consume, and meets our quality standards.
• Stewardship:  Whether we purchase Food Pak contents with the funds given by our donors, or Food Paks are filled by donors through Project Food Pak at a business or local church, everything CHF provides to our Mercy Network Churches is donated. We recognize that every donation is sacrificially given. This stewardship also includes the donation of time you are making as a member of
  our Volunteer Force. We embrace the solemn responsibility to be good stewards of these donations.
• Integrity/Accountability: Every donation is a demonstration of trust in CHF that we will be good stewards of those donations and will use the gifts in accordance with our mission and values. We do not take this lightly. Integrity and Accountability are core to everything Children’s Hunger Fund does.

Checking expiration dates is a huge task due to the volume of Food Paks and product we fill, sort, and send. We know it can feel mundane or monotonous but remember – every can or box of food our volunteers check or replace will end up directly in the hands of a child in need. The quality and condition of that food can communicate so much.  We want to be sure it communicates the love of God for His children and the love we have for one another.  As you can see, the work done by our Volunteer Force is vital to our mission of delivering hope!

Do you love volunteering with Children’s Hunger Fund, but want to do more?

Can you carve out four to 16 hours a month from your
Saturdays to provide some extra support to our Volunteer Team?

If you can, we want YOU to be a

CHF Super Volunteer!

Email: VolunteerSylmar@childrenshungerfund.org

Please Pray With Us

• Mercy Network churches – endurance and encouragement, fruit from their ministry
• Please pray for volunteer E.W., who would appreciate prayer for his family, for healing and for a job
• Please pray for our volunteer Eva, who is leaning on the Lord through legal problems and praying for justice

Our team loves to pray for our Volunteer Force.  If you have any prayer requests, please send them, here. Your requests will be kept confidential and anonymous.