Each Month, Give Back to Givers honors a “Volunteer of the Month” to highlight his/her service and dedication to the town of Holliston, and to show how important volunteerism is to the town. This month we honor Akshara Shankar. 

1. What have you done in the past as volunteer work? 

I have always been volunteering since middle school. Over the last four years, I have volunteered for the Cystic Fibrosis Cycle for Life and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life as well as the National Braille Association. Throughout high school, I was part of the Leo’s Club that involved volunteering for various events. I am also co-President of the National Honors Society and serving the community is one of our key values. I also performed Indian classical dance (Bharatanatyam) at senior centers and churches working with underprivileged kids to share my joy for the art as well as use art as a way to bridge communities. During the early months of the pandemic, I also spent several hours helping to make masks and PPEs as well as sending handwritten cards to medical professionals and senior centers.

2. What do you currently do as a volunteer?  

I initiated a project in my freshman year called ManyHandsFoodPantry (www.manyhandsfoodpantry.com). This platform helps donors know exactly what a food pantry needs, hours they are open, and the location and it sends regular notifications to donors. During the pandemic I have organized 14 large drives collecting food pantry items for pantries and then driving to the pantries to deliver the items.

I was able to enlist the support of some of my high school classmates and together we collected more than 1,000 pounds each time, often driving long distance to collect and deliver the food items. 

This project has further branched into connecting farms that usually throw away their excess food to donate to pantries. I drive to each farm, collect the extra produce and drop it off at the food pantry in need. I have been able to connect several food pantries with local farms and it is gratifying to be able to provide fresh produce that is not always easy to get.

3. What made you want to get involved with volunteering?

I would have to give all the credit to my mom. I often saw her doing whatever she could do for neighbors, clothing drives, senior centers and more. That definitely influenced me into trying to help in any way possible.  I have seen my grandmother always choosing to spend her birthday by donating either her time or money to an organization she believed in. So, it is something we strongly believe in as a family.

4. What is your favorite part of volunteering?  

It’s the relationships I have formed in the process. It’s the warm smiles I get from people when I go to drop off carloads of food pantry items. It’s how the community comes together when I announce a food drive. It’s all my high school friends helping me to collect and drop items. Helping food pantries has been so satisfying when I hear the end result of the effort I have taken. The Project Just Because Hopkinton Food Pantry sent me a text saying “All the gallons of milk and cartons of yogurt you were able to get us went to a mother and a young child. Because of you that child will have milk before going to school”. This makes everything worthwhile.

5. What have you gotten out of volunteering?  

I have learnt so much from volunteering. From being grateful for everything I have to a passion for philanthropy and service. Volunteering has brought so much joy into my life, something that can never be taken away. I am blessed to have the experiences and people I have met and learned from.