National University Library Blog

Volunteering in the Community

 
The holidays are around the corner, and it is this time of year when the things we are thankful for are really at the forefront of our minds. Here at the library, there is so much that we are thankful for and we try to give back when possible. Lucky for us, National University encourages its employees to volunteer in the community, so we thought it might be nice to share how a few staff members spend their time volunteering.

June Kim, Reference and Instruction Librarian, volunteers at Second Harvest Heartland in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. They are a hunger relief organization that receives donated food and repacks it for distribution to hunger relief partner programs. They emphasize how just one small crisis can lead to food insecurity, since food is the first thing that is reduced in an emergency. June tries to volunteer every two weeks and has sorted and packed potatoes, cereal, rice, and most recently packed cans of applesauce into a food kit as part of an assembly line. They packed 328 meals per person over the course of two hours!

Betty Kellogg, Associate Director of Library Collections and User Experience, joined Friends of the Lacey Public Library in Lacey, Washington. Their proceeds fund child and adult literacy programs, and they share books with other community groups.

Stephanie Johnson, Reference and Instruction Librarian, volunteers when she can through the Be My Eyes platform. This unique service connects people needing sighted support with volunteers and companies through live video around the world.

How do you spend your time volunteering? We'd love to hear from you!