Thrivent Action Teams help clients make a difference in their communities.
Youth serving others
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
As part of Global Youth Service Day in April, about 75 volunteers, mostly youth, gathered to receive, sort and distribute 8,600 pounds of food. It was part of a drive led by Playground Movement, a local nonprofit that focuses on building community.
Thirty local organizations, businesses, service clubs, city departments, individuals, churches and schools collected 100 of a specific food item from a list. In addition, five grants totaling $2,450 and another $875 in donations enabled the youth to shop for items not at one of the 30 collection sites.
Laura Goral, founder of the Playground Movement, created a
The Playground Movement, which holds its activities at the Habitat for Humanity Restore, first participated in Global Youth Service Day in 2018. The inaugural event, organized by five youth, provided 30 households with food, a plant, a book and Easter treats.
Disc golf for a purpose
Swansea, Illinois
Sean Hall wants to help further the impact of the campus ministry First Priority of St. Louis Metro East. Hall led a Thrivent Action Team to draw participants to and provide prizes for the organization’s annual disc golf tournament. It drew 94 participants and raised more than $5,000 to support student-led clubs at the middle and high school levels, equipping students to share their faith.
Packing meals of hope
Hastings, Nebraska
More than 300 Thrivent clients and friends in the Thrivent Member Network–Nebraska Region helped pack 156,816 meals in a day last April. Partnering with Hearts & Hands Against Hunger, multi-generational volunteers with a range of abilities traveled from as far as 100 miles away; took 2-hour shifts, filled 13 packing lanes each shift; and donated a combined total of 857 volunteer hours.
