Skip to main content
SFU Student

Individuals at the Food Bank
Bhavina has volunteered alongside elementary school children while talking about the latest TV shows and Selena Gomez, while other days she hass worked with chartered accountants.

It’s that time of term again (and by “time”, I mean we're not even half way). There’s so much going on, you feel completely overwhelmed. Rigorous university life keep us on our toes, for sure. And to get a break from all of this, SFU student Bhavina Patel has found a way to not only be proactive in her academic life, but also in another activity away from her GPA, but just as fulfilling.

“I’ve done my fair share of volunteering for different organizations, [but] the Surrey Food Bank is just one of those places you can see first-hand that your time spent helping out is actually making a difference in the community!”

Her time at Surrey Food Bank has made her realize something that others may not consider clients of food banks to feel:

“I’ve learned that a lot of the time, people do not want to come to the food bank and collect…Lining up for food can be a hard experience for some clients because most people want to be able to fend/provide for themselves.”

However, the amazingly energetic and positive feeling created by volunteer coordinator, Twyla, at the beginning of Bhavina’s shifts at 9:00 AM, is definitely contagious to all who arrive at the Food Bank for support. What better way than to interact with others in your community than putting genuine smiles on their faces?

“At least once in a day while working on the outside line handing out food, someone will say, ‘Thanks for being here!’ and it’s the best feeling.”

Rarely working alone, volunteers experience fine team-working skills in tasks such as sorting and distributing food until 1:00 PM. Though only four hours out of the day, the lives of those helped are extremely significant.

And in those four hours, meeting people from all different walks of life offers those new connections everyone needs when volunteering. Bhavina has volunteered alongside elementary school children while talking about the latest TV shows and Selena Gomez, while other days she has worked with chartered accountants.

Beyond the Blog

  • If you want to put a smile on someone’s face, while engaging with all sorts of people, check out the Surrey Food Bank’s website to get started.

SFU Student
visibility  50
Feb 5, 2014

You Might Like These... Volunteering, Sustainability

Iceberg Melting
What’s Your Cause? Polar Regions, Climate Change, Cultural Awareness, New Immigrant

Over the course of the past semester, SFU Volunteer Services set out to learn what causes motivate SFU students to get involved in their communities–either on campus or beyond. We collected information through the ENGAGE blog and want to highlight some now in hopes of inspiring others to think about what their cause is and how they can contribute!

Children playing hopscotch
An SFU student perspective on the Big Sisters Study Buddy program

You may have heard of them–you may even have an idea of what they do. But have you ever thought of being one? Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland has been serving girls in one-to-one mentoring relationships since 1960, with the mission of “enhancing the confidence, self-esteem and well-being of girls through supportive friendships with caring women”. Each Big and Little Sister match gets together once a week for at least one year. 

Mubnii smiling with her hands in an open position, in front of an aquarium
Health Sciences Student Profile: Mubnii Morshed

Heath Sciences offer students one of the most comprehensive and diverse programs, focusing on everything from epidemiology, molecular biology to political science anthropology. These days, there are many volunteer opportunities associated with the Health Sciences.

You Might Like These... Life Experience

aerial view of Swakopmund, Namibia
Exploring Namibia

SFU Kinesiology student Kayla Donnawell is in Botswana, Africa volunteering with the Students Without Borders program (SWB).  In this article, the eighth in the series, Kayla explores Namibia and gets stuck several times in the sand dunes.

tower in ottawa
Increasing Your Chances of Working for the Government

With the stability and the opportunities that a government position provides, it’s not surprising that a lot of students are interested with working for the government. The What Can I Do in Government session gave students an opportunity to network with a panel consisting of alumni, current students and managers who are experienced in working for the public sector. Read on for some insights and tips that the panelists provided!

A person walking through an art gallery
Student Profile: Tanya on Her Experience With the Burnaby Art Gallery

If you’ve visited Symplicity recently, you may have noticed the volunteer opportunity being offered by the Burnaby Art Gallery.  The gallery is looking for docents –   energetic individuals interested in leading school tours of the gallery exhibitions and assisting students with creating art in a warm, supportive environment.  The position certainly caught my eye, and so I’ve asked the gallery if we could profile a former or current volunteer.