Olivia Coppens

When I arrived at Apple Seed, I started labeling and filling bags with recipes and sponsorship cards. After I was done, I started filling the bags with the washed vegetables, including spinach and chard, and loading them into coolers so they could be sent out to the places of donation. Apple Seeds send their extra vegetables out to local schools for those who are food insecure, so by helping package these vegetables I felt like I was making a small difference in my community.

At Tri Cycle Farms, I spent the morning pulling weeds out of the beds, so they can start planting vegetables soon. I learned while I was volunteering here that they donate the food they grow to local food pantries and churches, so they can feed the less fortunate. After this experience, I learned that even volunteering for a few hours can impact so many lives and help those in my community in a big way. I was able to feel accomplished and motivated after volunteering on Thursday.

At Tri Cycle Farms, I helped pick weeds and onion plants from the garden. This was very beneficial, because it helped them prepare for their next planting season. They donate some of the food harvested to local churches and food pantries, which was cool to hear about while I was volunteering. I had an amazing time, and I realized that I can still make a difference in the community by volunteering a few hours a week.

My friend and I were instructed to organize the bookshelf in the thrift store. We separated the books into categories, such as nonfiction, fiction, lifestyle suspense, romance, etc, and we also separated the hardcover from the softcover. I interacted with some of the thrift store customers as I was organizing, which made these service hours more personal to my community in Fayetteville. I loved being able to help a local thrift store, which helps the Northwest Arkansas Women's Shelter.

I started to tutor two kids at my table, and we went through multiple problems in their packet before they could read or play. They finished the problems, they had snack, and then they were able to play games, which is when I participated in hide-and-seek with a few kids. The kids, the parents of the kids, and the employees of LifeSource benefitted from my volunteering. I loved getting to interact with the kids after a long day of school, and I could see their joy while finishing their work and playing.