Back in September, fourth graders from Ryan Elementary School took a very special field trip to volunteer with United Food Bank. The nine and ten year olds came together with Volunteer Leaders to build 1,300 Emergency Food Bags to help feed the community. The kids had great energy and spirit, building food bags in record time. Sam, 9, said volunteering was such a fun experience because he “could help people in need.”

Dan passing out bags to one of the fourth grader when they came to volunteer on 9/6/2022

Not only did they help feed 1,300 families, they also made an unexpected friendship with Dan, a 92 year-old volunteer leader that has been regularly volunteering with United Food Bank throughout the year. Dan was in charge of passing out bags to the students, so they could fill them up with food. The kids were so excited to see Dan every lap they made around the volunteer center.

Dan was so touched by the kindness and spirits of the fourth graders. He claimed the day they came in to volunteer was “the best day of his life!” Dan wrote a thank-you note to the kids, expressing his gratitude to them for making his day brighter. This, however, didn’t feel like enough of a “thank you” for Dan. With the help of UFB’s Volunteer Manager, Andrea Fisher, and the staff at Ryan Elementary, a date was arranged for Dan to surprise the 4th grade class that touched his heart. 

Dan giving a speech to the fourth graders at Ryan Elementary on 11/14/2022

The fourth graders were so excited to have Dan visit their class this week. Dan gave them a soft-spoken, yet heartfelt speech about the impact they made on him and on their community. He said, “I am extremely proud of the results of your efforts; you filled 1,300 bags of food in the short time that you were there… I hope you will always carry away the lesson learned–that a few minutes of your time can bring comfort to those less fortunate than we are.”

Dan then presented the fourth grade class with a custom-made “Hunger Heroes” trophy. When giving the trophy, Dan said, “I thank you again and I pray that each of you will carry away the memory of this day for all of your lives. You folks have earned the trophy in more ways than one. I personally want to thank each of you, especially the young lady that gave me a hug and the young man who gave me a ‘high-five’. You are the best! Thank you!”

“The kids all wanted to give him a hug before he left and hoped he would come again soon. The whole experience was a sweet moment of two generations, far apart, coming together to first help those in need and then share how much it meant to volunteer alongside each other,” said Andrea Fisher, “both Dan and the kids were just so grateful.”

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The fourth graders made special “Thank You” cards to give to Dan