HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) —In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy, many people are volunteering their time to give back to the community.
At the Loaves and Fishes of the Rio Grande Valley food pantry in Harlingen, several busy hands were put to work filling bags with food items so families who are in need can have a meal on the table.
The act of service hosted by several students with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
“We’re actually helping changing lives because not only we serve and we learn as we do this we can help others who actually need it the most,” UTRGV student Samantha Ceccopieri said.
Some were volunteering at this food pantry in Harlingen for the first time.
“Of course, very rewarding and it’s also a team effort everything that we do, is a team effort from the larger appropriations donating to us here at the university students individually coming in and helping so it’s a team effort,” volunteer and student with UTRGV Neida Gutierrez said.
Students sharing a helping hand say it’s an honor to give back and serve the community especially to honor and celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.
“The idea of me packing these bags and knowing that this will be go to people that don’t have it makes me sometimes sad but at the same time, I use or we all use that as motivation because with motivation there can be change, there can be action,” Ceccopieri said.
Students are encouraging others to give back, because you never know whose life you can impact.
“If we look at our phones, we see that our screen time is 5 hours and that’s 5 hours we could have committed to our community and at the end of the day our community is the one that’s going to support us with our goals and I’m very thankful for my community,” Gutierrez said.
If you are in need of one of these bags to feed your family or loved ones, you can call the Loaves and Fishes food pantry at (956) 423-1014.
