Zahra Abbas

你有没有想过为你的社区做些什么？志愿者玛丽已在她的社区做志愿者二十六载……

Have you ever wanted to make a difference in your community? That's exactly what volunteer Mary Levtzow does.Levtzow volunteers as chairwoman for the Hunger Ministry of Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Westlake,Ohio.

Being chairwoman includes organizing food drives, finding and organizing volunteers, known as“Hunger Warriors”,gathering donations, and raising money.Levtzow has held her current volunteer position for the past 26 years.Drivers pick up local bread donations every morning from grocery stores and local eateries.They also hand-deliver food and financial donations to the centers that serve people in need.Levtzow said that her group can always use a little more help than they have.They contribute food, money, and other donations to 24 groups.Their greatest involvement is with Redeemer Crisis Center in Cleveland.

Helping others was a part of everyday life for Levtzow when she was growing up.Her mother was a director of nursing at a nursing facility near the family's home.Levtzow and her brother, John, volunteered there as teens.Levtzow plans to continue giving back for as long as she can.She encourages people of all ages to volunteer in whatever way they can.

“The best advice I have is that try and see what you can do to help every friend you make,”Levtzow said.“Children need food, parents need food, and older people need food,”she added.Levtzow hopes that younger generations will continue her work.“The biggest challenge is keeping it going—keeping people involved and keeping the next generation wanting to help,”she said.

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