Sophomore Donnie Denham runs St. Louis Food Rescue, an organization that delivers food to homeless people a few weekends each month.
“We contact [Einsteins, Costco and Whole Foods], and they give us some of their leftover food. On the weekends, we go and take it to homeless shelters around the area,” Denham said.
Committed to the cause, Denham is always on the hunt for fresh products to give to someone in need.
“At first while doing this, it felt more like a job, and it got in the way of schoolwork at times. The more that I have been doing this, the more I started to enjoy it and became more invested in it,” Denham said.
Piles of bags sit in Denham’s living room, full of food and ready to be donated.
“It’s great to see all the smiles that you get when you [deliver the food]. It’s a great feeling, and I love getting to meet the people and learn about their lives and what they have to go through,” Denham said.
Denham strives to commit to this until he is able to pass it onto someone with the same determination.
“I’ve been running [the organization] for two years now. I first started volunteering for them, then, the original person running it moved, and he asked me if I wanted to take over at his spot. I was more than happy to take over,” Denham said.
Denham has found inspiration from the people he donates food to. It gives him something to look forward to on the weekends.
“I have been able to learn so much from these people, and I look at life so much differently now in a way that I should be grateful for what I have and take advantage of every opportunity I get because we never know how many more we have left,” Denham said.