On Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, the senior National Honors Society chapter from York teamed up with Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit organization working to provide food to malnourished communities across the globe, for a volunteer event. Over 90 senior NHS members worked together to package meal bags at the Schaumburg FMSC facility, emmasing 205 boxes of food. However, the impact of this volunteer work goes past the stomachs of those in need.

“Volunteering at Feed My Starving Children opened my eyes to the impact of collective effort,” senior Crystal Malithurethel said. “Seeing how small contributions from many individuals could make a significant difference in addressing hunger was amazing.”

Working in large groups has not always been the norm for the NHS at York. Last year, many students were left without these events to provide easy NHS-specific service hours, making it difficult for these students to find any community-based volunteer opportunities.

“ I think it’s good for comradery. It’s also a great thing for [the NHS members] to all work towards a common cause or have a common service opportunity,” Benjamin Sharko, NHS sponsor, said.

Having the community aspect within the volunteer activity adds a further enrichment to the service work, allowing the NHS members to benefit the organization while also working on team building skills. The group aspect also adds fun to the volunteer work, leaving members wanting to come back.

“When they were there they were so energetic they were so into it, and I was just super impressed by the turnout and the attitudes of all the students,” Sharko said. “They were so gracious and helpful.”

The NHS Feed My Starving Children event was a great success for the organization. York’s NHS board is eager to continue hosting similar large group events to encourage students to stay involved volunteering while also strengthening the community.

“The NHS should take part in similar events like FMSC. Working with friends and peers makes the experience much more rewarding,” Malithurethel said.

Countless seniors at York are excited the NHS is moving towards large-group volunteer events rather than single volunteer opportunities. Working with peers for a common goal creates an environment impossible to replicate. The future NHS chapters at York will be lucky to participate in events like these.

“You could really feel the excitement. You could really feel the energy,” Kate Dowling, NHS sponsor, said. “Everyone was smiling and happy with what they were doing, and that’s pretty contagious.”