Helping Yourself, by Helping Others
A letter from Chip
Friends,
It’s not just our crops that thrive in harvest season: at America’s Grow-a-Row, more than 9,000 volunteers annually help us harvest and distribute 1.5 million pounds of produce to hunger relief agencies throughout New Jersey, New York City, and eastern Pennsylvania.
Our volunteers come to us in many ways – whether they are individuals, community and faith-based groups, corporate and non-profit teams, or people we serve – to help the men, women, and children on the receiving end of our harvests. Over the years we have learned that when it comes to volunteering, we all benefit. Recently a group of volunteers visited our Pittstown farm for a day of corporate team-building. The employees, all from different departments of the same company, were divided into teams. Instead of breaking into groups with friends and close colleagues, the volunteers were challenged to partner with people from departments or teams apart from their own.
During a lunchtime debriefing, a common theme rose to the surface. Colleagues and coworkers who worked under the same roof every day were talking to and bonding with each other for the first time. In his remarks, the group’s CEO observed that “if someone told me last week that Bob and Carol would be sitting next to each other today, I wouldn’t have believed them.”
An article I read recently by the Mayo Clinic Health System states what most volunteers already know: we receive a positive “helper’s high” when we do good deeds for others. Along with increased trust in others and increased social activity, volunteers might also experience one or more health benefits, including:
1. A decreased risk of depression
2. An increased sense of purpose and valuable skill-learning
3. Boosted physical and mental activity
4. Decreased stress levels
5. A longer lifespan
6. The opportunity to meet others and develop new relationships
At America’s Grow-a-Row, we see and hear from thousands of volunteers who experience these benefits and many more.
There are volumes of research that continue to demonstrate the benefits of volunteering and other altruistic activities. This research as well as our own experiences prove that those who volunteer their time and energy gain important health benefits and the satisfaction of creating positive change. During this season of harvest, I hope you will take time to give time – whether it’s at your local soup kitchen, food pantry, school, or other service organization. In doing so, you will probably find that you harvest your own crop of lasting benefits.
-Chip Paillex, President and Founder
Source: Mayo Clinic Health Systems (2017, May 18). “Helping people, changing lives: The 6 health benefits of volunteering”
