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Volunteer Serves with Positivity and Compassion Each Week

Volunteer Serves with Positivity and Compassion Each Week

May 9, 2019 in Volunteer Spotlight

Melody Pierson is easy to spot during her morning shifts at Ozarks Food Harvest’s Volunteer Center. With her colorful boots and entertaining dance moves, she’s impossible to miss.

Melody began volunteering in December 2017 after observing how hunger affected families and students in the Ozarks—and seeing what places like Ozarks Food Harvest do to help.

She spends three mornings a week dancing her way through the sorting room and also enjoys giving time at Crimson House.

“Volunteering gives me the opportunity to interact with a wonderful group of people,” she shared. “I find that each day when I return home, I just feel more positive about the rest of the day.”

Melody’s energetic personality brings joy to everyone she meets. One day at the end of her volunteer shift at Crimson House, she made a child’s day by giving her an entire cake.

“I walked up and said, ‘Here is a pretty cake for a pretty girl,’ and her face lit up like the sun coming up on a beautiful day! Ever since that day, if I am feeling tired at Crimson House or in the warehouse, the picture of that little girl pops into my head and the memory of her reaction and how her face lit up drives away any feelings of being tired or stressed,” she said.

Over the past year and a half, Melody has built strong friendships with other volunteers, and she knows that time she takes to serve others makes a tangible difference in the community.

“When I leave a session, I feel that all of us have worked together and had a fun and productive time as a volunteer family while also developing ties to many in the communities of southwest Missouri that we may never meet, but with whom we all have an unbreakable connection.”

Since 2017, Melody has donated more than 500 hours of time to Ozarks Food Harvest. We are so thankful for the love and compassion that she brings to The Food Bank!

Learn more about volunteering with Ozarks Food Harvest.