On the last Thursday of every month, a variety of St. Thomas community members come together at Faith Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minn., to volunteer for Loaves and Fishes, a nonprofit agency.

The idea to get St. Thomas involved came from Craig Marcott, associate professor for economics.

“I was doing (Loaves and Fishes) with my church in 1986 or 1987, and I thought it would be a great way to serve God’s people in need and build community here at St. Thomas,” Marcott said.

Loaves and Fishes’ mission is to provide nutritious meals to the hungry. At each of the 10 dining sites, between 10 and 20 volunteers provide the food, cook and serve dinner and help with the clean up.

There are many reasons people use Loaves and Fishes, according to Patricia Sirek, campus volunteer coordinator for Loaves and Fishes.

“Some are working poor, some are homeless, some have kids and are really struggling to make ends meet,” Sirek said.

Sophomore Alex Meuwissen first volunteered for Loaves and Fishes last summer as an orientation leader, and she returns to volunteer as often as she can.

“It’s a really moving experience,” Meuwissen said. “I get to see a lot of kids that are always excited we are there; they always have so much energy.”

There are no entry requirements and no questions for those who visit Loaves and Fishes at any of its 10 locations. The Faith Lutheran Church site served more than 26,684 meals in 2011.

Senior Kiana Williams first volunteered in April at Loaves and Fishes.

“I really enjoyed coming here and seeing what it’s all about,” Williams said. “Most of the people are pretty friendly and were smiling and saying, ‘Thank you.’”

Williams also took advantage of the opportunity to eat and network with some of the visitors.

“There was this one guy who I was able to talk to about college because he’s a (high school) junior,” Williams said. “I told him about some scholarships that I knew of that were very appropriate that would fit him, and he seemed to really receive that well.”

Meuwissen and Williams agree that volunteering has made them appreciate the little things, even if it’s putting a smile on someone’s face.

“We are so blessed here (at St. Thomas); there’s a lot to be thankful for,” Meuwissen said. “This opportunity is a good way to go out in the community and understand it.”

Terese Quarberg can be reached at quar3707@stthomas.edu.