This month’s volunteer of the month is a youth group from Link, formally MacDonald Youth Services, who volunteer under the Positive Alternatives for Youth program. As part of the program, people between 12 and 20 years old who are required to perform community service.

“Link has been volunteering regularly two to three times a week for almost a decade with a different group of youth every year. Some are mainstays and most are new ones. The group has done almost everything at Harvest from order filling to general sortation and even bread sort. They are a versatile group that can do anything that we need done – packing and boxing hampers to debulking eggs and re-bagging or re-packing bulk products,” said Snookie Tumlos, Harvest Volunteer Services Floor Supervisor.

By volunteering at Harvest, the youth learn important life skills, according to Jennifer Douglas, Case Manager for Positive Alternatives for Youth.

“We always kind of teach them that the things they are learning, while they’re volunteering, are things they can put on their resume – how to work in a team, conflict resolution, how to follow instructions. Because we want our youth to be great members of society,” she said.

Jennifer said a lot of their youth come from low-income families and that some use a food bank.

“What’s great about Harvest is they get an opportunity to see where that food is coming from. I think there’s more of an appreciation of how it goes from people donating food to people getting it on to their table.”

Case manager Willow Froese who works directly with the youth said there have been so many positives for those volunteering at Harvest, such as overcoming social anxiety and interpersonal skills.

“So, I thought that was really amazing to hear. (One youth) started out quite timid and the staff at Harvest are just wonderful and helpful…So, he was getting along with the people there and I was shocked that he had such a positive experience there that he’s thinking of applying for a job there,” she said.