No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. -Aesop
As we head into the traditional season of giving, we thought it made sense to shine a light on some local organizations that give all year long. These organizations fill a critical need in the community and where there is community, there is always need. But this story would be incomplete without applause for the lifeblood of these organizations—their volunteers.
F3
www.F3peakcity.com
F3—which is short for fitness, fellowship, and faith—is a free men’s workout group that originated in Charlotte. The local chapter here in Apex is called F3 Peak City and is open to all men of the community. Their mission is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership. And, while its primary purpose is improving physical fitness, what sets F3 apart is the fellowship, camaraderie and relationships that develop through workouts, social gatherings, and community-focused service activities.
Participants are encouraged to find ways to be freed to lead, whether that’s through a workout, service project, or any other group activity. Being freed to lead has helped F3 Peak City find new ways to serve the Apex community with members empowered to create service-based projects for others to join.
Opportunities are all around us, and it’s up to the men of the region to lead the charge on anything they are passionate about. Joining F3 means being a part of something bigger than yourself.
Steve, a member and volunteer at F3, considers his work there a blessing.
“I’ve been doing F3 for over six years, and in addition to the fitness benefits and a whole new group of friends, I love how we seek out opportunities to serve our community. For example, we’ve been serving with Western Wake Crisis Ministry for several years. It’s a huge blessing to be able to help provide families in need with the food that will help to nourish them. I’d love for every man in our community to experience the benefits that F3 has provided to me. Consider this an open invitation to join us!”
Apex United Methodist Church
info@apexumc.org
Apex United Methodist Church (AUMC) is located in downtown Apex and was established 153 years ago. One of the guiding tenets of Methodism comes from founder John Wesley who said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
So, it comes as no surprise that volunteering is a natural progression for AUMC. You don’t have to be a parishioner at AUMC to volunteer and, to be sure, there are many opportunities through which you can serve others across the street, across town and even across the world. AUMC can connect you to external organizations that are focused on myriad community improvement activities like Habitat for Humanity, Adopt-A-Highway and the Red Cross, to name a few.
Likewise, they have several internal activities that support the local community and offer volunteer opportunities. These include food ministries, Prom Shoppe (a two-day event held each year in March where prom gowns and accessories are donated, cleaned, sized, displayed, and given to girls in need), Apex Outreach Service Project or AOSP (a program in place for over 23 years through which parents, students, and volunteers have been making homes in Apex warmer, safer, and drier) and the Simple Gifts Garden where produce is grown on church grounds the old-fashioned way and then donated to local food banks.
Anne, a volunteer in the Simple Gifts Garden at AUMC, offered her perspective on volunteering and the profound impact it can have.
“I volunteer with missions at Apex UMC because as a Christian I’m called to be the hands and feet of Christ in a broken and hurting world. I’m grateful for the comforts of food, shelter, education, security and so much more. All of God’s children deserve these things and I believe God wants us to work to help our brothers and sisters have these things, too. I grew up in church as my father was a United Methodist pastor, so that seems the obvious place for me to volunteer, but of course, there are so many groups that do excellent work outside the church as well.
“I see both sides of the issue because I volunteer with some groups, and I lead other groups of volunteers. The one important thing I can share is that it is such a gift to the leaders of any organization if you will commit to helping them. It doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment nor a ‘do or die’ obligation, but being able to count on your presence, your gifts and potentially your leadership allows leaders to plan and facilitate a good experience when you volunteer.
Volunteering is a powerful tool to increase your self-esteem and connect you to your friends and neighbors. I hope everyone will give it a try!”
PORCH Apex
www.porchcommunities.org/apex
PORCH Apex here in western Wake County was co-founded in 2011 by Ellen Andelman and Sharon Lake-Gargano. PORCH supports three main recipient groups: Western Wake Crisis Ministry in Apex, InterAct in Raleigh and National Guard families. They collect and distribute non-perishable food to these groups based on monthly collections from their network of donors.
Volunteer opportunities at PORCH include positions on the board, coordinators and donors. Coordinators pick up food from neighborhood donors’ front porches once a month and bring them to a central sorting station. The food is then sorted by category and distributed to the recipient groups. Donors participate monthly or whenever they wish or have the means.
PORCH proudly noted that they’ve received recognition from the Army National Guard on two separate occasions for the donations they provided for them.
Local volunteer Maria shared that helping out at PORCH Apex warms her heart.
“I enjoy meeting new people when we get together each month to sort out the items and send them off to our various charities. I even get my grown children and their children involved. The little ones especially enjoy helping. It especially warms my heart when we hear from the charities about what a difference our donations have made. Many times, we write a personalized note to go inside the prepared boxes for the National Guard, to let them know that we appreciate their commitment to our state and country. It may be the only thanks they get for their hard work!”
White Oak Foundation
www.wofnc.org
The White Oak Foundation was founded in 1998 as an outreach ministry of the 158-year-old White Oak Missionary Baptist Church. Their mission is to “empower the community by providing a caring and nurturing environment that meets the social, economic, educational, housing, and professional needs of men, women, children, and the elderly.” The Foundation’s outreach is extensive and inclusive—a multi-faceted “continuum of care”—to best meet the many, varied needs of low and moderate-income men, women, children and the elderly. The heart and soul of the Foundation is “caring for the total person” as exemplified by the vision of their leadership and the long-term impact of our programming.
Executive Director Charles R. Tyner gushed about their volunteers saying, “White Oak volunteers?! Where in the world would White Oak be without them? Every day, I thank the Lord for our volunteers! We have more than 80 volunteers, representing all walks of life. They are loving, caring folks, dedicated to helping others. Even through COVID, they remained steadfast and true to their calling: to serve mankind.”
Volunteer opportunities can be found across all areas at White Oak Foundation including the food pantry, healthcare, education/tutoring and counseling, to name a few.
Angie, who volunteers at White Oak Foundation, gives of her time to make a difference in the lives of others.
“I volunteer with White Oak because they serve people within our community who are in need. People from all walks of life who have found themselves in hard situations find help and hope because White Oak has an amazing network of partners and resources available to offer assistance. My time as a volunteer at White Oak is worthwhile and meaningful because the resources are on hand to give to those struggling to meet the basic need of feeding their family. I also enjoy volunteering at White Oak because it allows people in our community to come together to accomplish a common goal of helping and serving others. It is a place where I feel like my time makes a difference in the lives of others.
One of my favorite memories is when a young mom asked if we happened to have a birthday cake she could have for her young daughter’s birthday celebration. It just so happened that one of our partners had donated a beautiful birthday cake with balloons and confetti on it! To see the look on this mom’s face and hear her thankfulness for the cake was wonderful. In the middle of a really hard time in her life, she was going to be able to make her daughter’s birthday special because of White Oak. As a mom myself, this was a really special interaction I will never forget.”
Western Wake Crisis Ministry
www.wwcm.org
Antoinette Clark started Western Wake Crisis Ministry (WWCM) in 1983, recognizing a need to provide assistance to area residents. The ministry was started in the basement of a local Baptist church and served about seven families each week. That number has grown to over 200 families served each month. WWCM’s vision is to create a brighter future for all by cultivating a healthy, hunger-free and housing-stable community. Their mission is to partner with those in crisis to help them gain stability through basic support of food, financial/housing assistance, education, and opportunity. Several area churches have been involved since the beginning, making the organization a wonderful outreach for all denominations. Volunteer opportunities abound at WWCM and include pantry and warehouse sorting and stocking, food packing and distribution, resource coordination (e.g., financial, employment assistance) and some office-related work.
Betty, who volunteers at WWCM, says giving back feeds her soul.
“Initially my reason for volunteering was to give back to the community. I didn’t feel that I had the ability to help the world’s problems, but I did have the ability to help the people who live around me. I firmly believe that if we each help in some small way it could impact the larger picture.
When I was helping a client shop, he asked if I was a paid employee and I told him I volunteered. He then asked how many hours I was at WWCM and at that time it was about 12 hours per week. He didn’t understand why I did that for free and I said I just wanted to do something that would help others. But I realized that helping him also feeds my soul and gives back to me more than I give away. This is where God wants me to be.
I think a good number of WWCM volunteers feel this way. Working with the other volunteers is so rewarding and we build friendships with each other.”
If you have a little bit of time and a lot of heart to give, contact any one of these organizations to see how you can help. In the words of Booker T. Washington, “If you want to lift yourself up, lift someone else up.” What a great way to end one year and begin another!
