Two extra days off from school for fall break is a welcome change of pace for many Samford students. While most would use the time to catch up on work, study for midterms or go home to see their families, a group of six students decided to use that break to serve the greater Birmingham community.
For the fall break service trip, Samford partnered with Grace Klein Community, an educational and charitable non-profit that focuses on providing for food-insecure people in different communities. Grace Klein has several locations in Africa and India, and Birmingham is their most recent location addition.
During the trip, students took a deep dive into what servant leadership looks like in the life of college students. They also helped rescue and redistribute wasted food, similar to the work done by Samford’s organization, Samford Food Heroes.
Ann Hollis Jobe, national and international serve team coordinator for Grace Klein, said that while the organization is not technically Christian, they have faith-based values.
“It’s really an opportunity to not only just minister to them with practical, tangible material items, but also spiritually,” Jobe said. “I’ve gotten to meet with people in some hard moments, which has been really sweet.”
Several students spoke on why they chose to spend their break serving others. Freshman Maribel Guido said that she found the flyer on her desk, which is what got her interested.
“I felt like God has given me so much that I feel like it was time for me to give back too,” Guido said.
Senior Shaniya Jacobs-Lanier, a member of Air Force ROTC at Samford, said that while she normally goes home on fall break to relax, she felt like she hadn’t done as much volunteer work as she wanted to.
After the success of previous trips to Ecuador, Debby Haralson, director of student engagement, said that local outreach was something she had wanted to do.
“I immediately jumped on it because this has been on my heart for a while,” Haralson said.
At the start of their four-day journey, several students said they hoped the trip would remind them of the small acts of service that leadership begins with. For them, the weekend wasn’t just time away from campus — it was learning how to lead with purpose.
Staff Reporter
