Today’s guest blogger is Jennifer Briggs, who recently served at one of our SWH Impact Days

Several members of our church have had the opportunity to serve with Servants With a Heart multiple times. Each time it has been a wonderful experience. All the volunteers who lead Servants With a Heart have consistently been helpful and kind. The two hour volunteer time down in their space at Furniture Factory Outlet World in Waxhaw is just the perfect amount of time and they have the whole setup structured really well. The video they show about halfway through the volunteering time is a small window into how packing this food helps many who do not have regular meals readily available to them and their families. It is a beautiful snippet of how we are to be the hands and feet of Christ.

It has been sweet to have this as an opportunity to serve as a whole family. As the mother of three boys, I actively look to find organizations that serve our community and world that I can serve side-by-side with my boys. We have had families volunteer with us at Servants With a Heart from our church. Each time everyone walks away knowing they have spent this small time well to serve others around the world and truly have enjoyed themselves. It is a fun experience to work alongside others for a common cause. We are thankful to all those who organize this ministry at Servants With a Heart and we are blessed to have been a small part of it.

Today’s guest blogger is Tessa Burleson, a High School Science Teacher at Union Academy in Monroe, NC

Union Academy 4-H/FFA students were given the opportunity to pack meals for Servants With a Heart in May 2024. This opportunity provided our students with valuable lessons about the agriculture industry as well allowing them to help those in need.

The students learned about the process of procuring the supplies needed for the rice packages, where the commodities were grown and the process of shipping the meal boxes worldwide. Students were able to get hands-on experience packaging meals while giving back to the community through their service.

Our students truly enjoyed learning about the "behind the scenes" work of SWH and were very grateful to know that they were helping others in need!

Today’s blog is written by Carol Claypool, from Sugar Creek Elementary in Fort Mill, SC

Servants with a Heart does not disappoint. We have served with this organization for over eight years through collaboration with a church. We were so touched by their organization that we decided to initiate a first-time food packing in Fort Mill Schools, hosted at Sugar Creek Elementary School! The results- spectacular! Our students and staff repeatedly reported that it is one of our school's most meaningful and significant events. From kindergarten through fifth grade, seven hundred forty-eight students rotated into the educational class and then to the packing station. During the educational station, students learned what life was like in Nicaragua and why the children needed their support. Students then moved into the gymnasium and packed 53,136 meals in a single day! Administration, district leaders, staff, community stakeholders, parents, ROTC students, and our students worked side by side to pack the food that would later be delivered to children in the greater Charlotte area and Nicaragua.The Servants With a Heart volunteer staff was very organized and efficient.Our students continued serving throughout the day, selecting from various other local and global needs.  

This event empowered our students to know they can make a difference locally and globally.

Today’s blog is from Paul Thomas, Campus Pastor at Forest Hill Church in Fort Mill, SC

We always love getting to serve with Servants With a Heart. Personally, my son loves it so much that he ends up serving for 7 hours straight, and there just aren’t that many opportunities for a 10 year old to get to serve like that in such a significant and impactful way.

It has always been a great opportunity for our congregation to serve together, make connections and, like I said above, give an opportunity for parents to serve next to their kids. Multi-generational serving at its best.

This has also been a great opportunity for those that are new to our church to take a first step in connecting with others. We had several new guests come out that we were able to connect with and connect with others.

And that’s just the benefits we receive, which is not the point of the event. We get to serve those in real need around the world with both sustenance for their stomachs, and for their souls as these meals are delivered with the hope of the Gospel of Jesus.

If you’d like to host an event at your church, please contact us! info@servantswithaheart.org

Today’s blog is written Cynthia Mitchell from Union Academy, the first and longest operating charter school in Union County, NC

This week our K-12 family of students and staff had the opportunity to participate with Servants With a Heart in packing meals for those in need around the world. Our school has worked with the SWH in the past, and it is always one of our favorite days of the year! One student commented “I wish I could do this every day.” Students learned about the program, experienced hands-on service, and had fun interacting with their school family groups as part of Union Academy’s Annual Community Service Day.

The team at Servants With a Heart is professional, accommodating, and wonderful to work with. The process was seamless, as communication was great between their organization and ours. Their leadership and guidance, along with our helpful volunteers, provided over 1,900 students plus staff the opportunity to serve in such a meaningful way. We look forward to partnering again in the future!

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of packing meals with Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, a charter school in Charlotte NC. They shared some thoughts about their experience with us.

Today our scholars, staff, and volunteers joined together to make 50,000 meals for those in need! Students were not only able to be hands-on in the meal preparation process, but they also learned so much about the purpose of Servants With a Heart and about the communities that are served by this incredible nonprofit.

Many thanks to Servants With a Heart for this wonderful opportunity to show our scholars what we can achieve for others when we work together. Their eye-opening educational session on child hunger opened our eyes to the realities faced by many children around the world. We learned how packing meals can make a big difference in these children’s’ lives. Thanks to their guidance, our students and staff worked together and packed an astounding 50,544 meals. It’s amazing how we can help fight child starvation right from our own school. This experience not only united our school community but has also instilled a sense of empathy and responsibility in all of us, while also making us aware of the world around us. Big thanks to Servants With a Heart for showing us how to make a real impact!

Today’s blog is from Michelle Bitter, Assistant Principal at McKee Road Elementary in Charlotte NC

This was an entire school-wide planned event. Everyone in the building pitched in, from setting up the night before, to scheduling the times for classes, meal packing and packing and cleaning up afterwards. Every student in the building participated from 4-year-old Pre-K students to 5th graders! We had every classroom teacher (general education, special area, and support staff), administrators, custodians, students and their families. We even had our spouses come lend a hand!

Students took a lot of pride in helping others in their community and around the world. We were able to pack 51,624 meals and helped Servants With a Heart pack their 27 millionth meal! Some of the students commented:

• "This service made me want to donate because it was useful and so helpful to other people." Lily
  

• " It feels nice to give to people in need! Just imagining the smiles makes me smile!" Reese
  

• "It felt really good to help feed other people. It was interesting and fun to pack meals. Required a lot of great teamwork!" Kritika
  

• "We helped change the world! It was fun. It was very well organized." Amulya

Everyone stepped in and worked together. Everyone was excited about how many boxes they could fill. The energy was high and we were all full of excitement throughout the day. Students were beaming with pride heading back to class!

We had the opportunity to visit Nicaragua last month and are excited to share some information about our new partner there, Convoy of Hope!

We have been shipping meals to Ukraine over the past two years with Convoy and have now begun shipping to their facility in Nicaragua. Several members of the SWH Leadership Team were able to visit with their local team last month and are excited about what they learned. Today’s blog is from Jeffrey Yoh, Co-Founder of Servants With a Heart.

We could not have been more impressed with the professionalism, culture, and depth of leadership at each level of Convoy of Hope. What makes this assessment even more impressive is the entire team of 37 people is made up of Nicaraguan nationals. This is tremendously helpful on multiple fronts, including navigating the labyrinth of government regulations on charities.

The Convoy Nicaragua team has a very strong foundation of faith with a quiet sincerity and strength. You can read more about them here:  https://convoyofhope.org/tag/nicaragua/  We were very impressed with the leadership and quality of people in the organization; both the country director and head of women’s empowerment are doctors.

They receive over 30 large containers of food per year and the addition of SWH meals will only add to their capacity to engage other communities. Convoy is currently serving approximately 80,000 children in Nicaragua. They record height and weight of children to help determine risk levels within communities.

We were able to visit their extremely well-organized warehouse and also learn about their Community Development program. Their whole-community approach is very impressive. Convoy of Hope has both women’s empowerment and agriculture components that complement the feeding program to make people more self-sufficient. These three support channels are truly synergistic and clearly more than simple experiments. Each is resourced with well-trained and very capable people.

It was a fantastic visit and we look forward to many more! If you are interested in joining us on a trip to Nicaragua to learn more about Convoy of Hope and to distribute the food we pack, please let us know at info@servantswithaheart.org

Today’s guest blogger is Melissa Goldstein, who has been attending SWH events since we started in 2011!

What a great experience it was to pack with Servants With a Heart and their partner Furniture Factory Outlet World, and especially fun was this opportunity as it was so close to Christmas! This opportunity was especially meaningful as the meals were going into the local community to feed those near to us who are hungry. I can think of no better way to celebrate the holiday season than by serving your neighbor.

This event was tailored to a smaller group, primarily consisting of SWH Leadership Team family and a few friends. Despite a small number, nearly 10,000 meals were packed in less than 2 hours and conversation abounded as new friends were made and old relationships celebrated. Looking forward to future Christmastime events in the years to come!

If you are interested in hosting a smaller event at our facility within furniture factory outlet world in Waxhaw, please check out the “host an event” page on this site and reach out to us at info@servantswithaheart.org

Thank you to Rebekah baldi, from Jenkins restorations, for writing today’s blog!

Every year, Jenkins Restorations eagerly anticipates its partnership with Servants With a Heart and the heartwarming food packing event that we host together. It's a time we reflect on our many blessings and come together with the spirit of gratitude and giving back. This cherished collaboration allows us to extend our hands in service, blessing those around us and, in return, receiving more blessings than we could have ever imagined.

The community involvement at this annual event is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The roster of volunteers, who continually return year after year, is a testament to the enduring impact of this initiative. At the heart of it all is a shared commitment to making a difference in our community and across the globe.

The event, held on December 2 this year, was nothing short of a success. The joyous sound of Christmas music echoed through the venue as over 120 employee and community volunteers joined forces to pack over 63,000 meals. It was a day filled with camaraderie, laughter, and a shared sense of purpose that transcended the Christmas season.

The success of this event is a testament to the power of collaboration and community spirit. Jenkins Restorations is immensely grateful for the dedication of every volunteer and their willingness to give up their time to serve others. Beyond the sheer numbers and the meals packed, friendships were forged, and a community bond was strengthened. It is a reminder that the impact of such events extends far beyond the immediate assistance provided; it leaves an enduring legacy of compassion and unity.

In the aftermath of the event, the memories linger, serving as a source of inspiration for the future. Jenkins Restorations is honored to be a part of a community that values compassion and service, and we look forward to continuing this tradition of giving back in the years to come.