Volunteer Center needs 110 volunteers to help at food bank, charity center in Flint
More than 100 volunteers are needed to help distribute food and restore a Catholic charity center in Flint this weekend.
From 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on April 9, students of Central Michigan University will be traveling to Flint to help their community revive itself after the Flint water crisis.
The work is done during National Service and Volunteer week. CMU has been involved during this time for the past 20 years. The focus for this particular event is to act as a neighbor to Flint.
Students can register for the event online on the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center's Orgsync page.
The group will be going to two locations. At the Catholic Charities Center for Hope, a group of 60 student volunteers will work to restore the building and distributing water to the people in the community. Students will also be working at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, storing and distributing food to the people of Flint.
Evart sophomore Crystal Pendergrass is one of the students putting this event together.
“I know what it feels like to not have much, but never to the extent to not having water. That terrifies me, and it breaks my heart that we don’t have enough people signed up to help,” Pendergrass said, “This isn’t about me, or even CMU, it’s more about doing something more important and giving back. I would like to ask every student: ‘if you were in the same situation, would you want someone to show you the love that I hope the people this weekend will feel?’”
As of April 5, 50 volunteers are signed up for the event. However, the group needs at least 60 more.
If they do not reach their goal of 110 volunteers, then they will not get to serve the community effectively and they will have to say no to one of the organizations.
The volunteering event is free. Students will get free transportation, a free lunch, a free t-shirt but are asked to bring their own water bottles.
