Spirit of the Sun Food Share Program – Griffin Ardill

For my community service requirement, I participated in the Spirit of the Sun food share program
run by Laya Buchanan (Resource Development and Volunteer Coordinator – laya@spiritofthesun.org).
This event took place between 1 and 3pm on April 3rd at 1400 N Williams St, Denver, CO. During this
event, I helped to sort through food donations and organize them into family sized boxes to be delivered
to their intended locations. I chose this activity since there has been an increase in food insecurity during
COVID due to supply chain issues, so I wanted to make a difference. Additionally, food waste and the
waste of food donations, specifically, are major issues in the United States, and I wanted to make sure the
donations received were properly organized as to not go to waste. While I never had any contact with
those who were impacted by our work since I wasn’t on deliveries, I understand the importance of the
work we were doing as so many people don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and those
people have been hit particularly hard by COVID. This activity was incredibly fulfilling and I’m very
thankful to be able to give back, coming from a place of privilege. I was also very inspired to continue
giving back and I will pursue more volunteer work in the future. I don’t currently have anything planned,
but I’d like to participate in another abroad service-learning trip like I did during in High School.

Me with some packed food donation boxes that are ready to be delivered: