From the desk of Harvest Foundation President Kate Keller
November is the month for gratitude and giving thanks. There are so many wonderful things to be grateful for, but I’d like to lift up the 13 youth who make up the Harvest Youth Board. The HYB is one of my favorite initiatives of Harvest.
It’s led by local high schoolers that commit up to three years to giving back to their community. They have the opportunity to award grants to local nonprofits, and they choose to do two community events — the W. Dan Prince III Thanksgiving Eve Dinner and Books and Bunnies in the Spring.
If you have had the opportunity to participate in either of these events, you know what an impressive group of people make up the HYB. At this year’s Thanksgiving Eve Dinner, these 13 youth recruited and coordinated 240 volunteers to make, package, serve, and deliver 3,400 Thanksgiving meals! The logistics alone are enough to blow your mind. In addition to the food preparation, they focused on creating a dining environment that was welcoming and festive for all.
I’m so grateful that these youth and all the youth volunteers step into community leadership. These experiences will not only benefit them as they mature, they will build the framework for our future community leaders.
I encourage all of you to volunteer or participate in one of these events next year, and I’m sure you will agree with me that the Harvest Youth Board is fully deserving of our gratitude and thanks.
