The Power of Giving Back — Why I Volunteer

By Jim Bush, Supervisor, Copywriting & Digital Content

I’ve always enjoyed giving back and am genuinely concerned about helping others. I’m one of those people who sees a person with a sign at an intersection that says, “Anything helps,” and I immediately reach for my wallet. It makes me feel good inside knowing that I made a difference for that person — if not for the long term, but for a moment in time.

During my career with WoodmenLife, I’ve been able to recreate that positive feeling by volunteering. Volunteering is a form of giving back that doesn’t involve giving money, but does involve giving time.

I’ve been a WoodmenLife associate for almost six years now and have had the opportunity to volunteer in various capacities supporting our National Community Focus of fighting hunger. I’ve delivered food to those less fortunate via the Meals on Wheels program, and I’ve served food at the Open Door Mission. These are both incredible organizations that WoodmenLife partners with to help those in need in the Omaha community. Both were wonderful experiences, and ones that I will certainly do again in the future.

One volunteering stint recently stood out to me, though.

As I sat in a Teams meeting one morning, another meeting participant asked if I would consider volunteering at the Food Bank for the Heartland. I was skeptical at first, since I’d never done that before. We’re always a bit nervous to try something new, right? In the end, though, I thought, “What the heck — I’ll do it!”

I showed up at the Food Bank at 1 p.m. the next day with my orange WoodmenLife Fighting Hunger t-shirt on, and I checked in for my assignment. I was greeted with a smile and told to go sit with the group of people I’d be working with that afternoon — an army of orange shirts. There were a few familiar faces, but most of the people I hadn’t met yet, even though they were fellow WoodmenLife associates.

The Food Bank representative told us that our job for the next three to four hours would be filling dry beans into bags and organizing those bags in boxes. We formed an assembly line, each of us performing our own specific job, but all of us working together to weigh, bag, seal, and pack the beans into the boxes, then seal the boxes.

After a mandatory hand wash (hair net and gloves also required), I rolled up my sleeves and got to work with my teammates. My job was to scoop the dry beans out of a huge vat and pour them into a bag, which was held by the next person in the assembly line. That person then weighed the beans and handed them to the person responsible for sealing the bags, and on down the line until they were boxed.

As I worked, I thought about the families who would be receiving this food. What would they cook and how many people would they serve? How many lives would this simple job I was doing affect?

The answer is countless. According to Feeding America:

• 34 million Americans struggle with hunger
• 9 million American children live in food-insecure households
• 5.5 million American senior citizens currently face hunger

I soon realized that my efforts for those few hours were going a long way to help put a dent in those statistics.

There were teams of volunteers from other companies doing the same work we were doing. This soon turned into a friendly competition — we didn’t win, but that didn’t matter. The work became fun, with conversations and little mishaps along the way that made us all laugh.

We felt good about what we were doing, and before we realized it, it was time to go home for the day. We took a group picture, and every single person had a smile on their face when leaving the building. Not only had we done something special that day, but we formed lasting bonds.

Because of the positive experience I had giving back at the Food Bank for the Heartland, I’ve since volunteered there two more times and look forward to the next opportunity.

To me, volunteering is a powerful and transformative experience that brings joy, fulfillment and purpose. By giving back to my community, I not only make a positive impact on others, but also enrich my own life.

WoodmenLife is an organization that understands the importance of giving back. It actively supports communities and provides a variety of opportunities for individuals to volunteer and make a difference. I’m happy to be a part of an organization that does so much for so many.

If you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, consider exploring an opportunity with WoodmenLife. You can:

• Stuff backpacks
• Serve food at a community kitchen
• Hold a fundraising cookout
• Lead a community food drive

Remember, the joy of volunteering comes from knowing you have made a difference and feeling good about helping others, just like I did. Start your own personal volunteering journey today and experience the power of giving back.

Learn more about how WoodmenLife fights hunger in communities across the country: WoodmenLife.org/NCF

WoodmenLife members can work with their local chapter to get involved. Find a chapter near you: WoodmenLife.org/Find/Chapter

Not a member yet? Find a Representative near you: WoodmenLife.org/Find/Rep

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