By Nathan Haug

Service hours are not to be dreaded but rather enjoyed. Volunteer work is nothing new for students at TPA. With required hours for all high school students, it can seem almost as a chore to some. However, when looked at through a different lens, volunteer work can be more of a fun activity rather than a chore to do last minute.

I have been working hard towards my clubs, and with one being Congressional Award many hours are required. Some medals that seem so far away requiring hundreds of hours now seem within reach.

When I started at TPA I was not very ecstatic about the required hours, but soon into my junior year when volunteer work became something I did quite frequently I started to have more fun with it.

Most of my hours have come from doing work at Midwest Food Bank, which I was not too fond of in my first couple of visits. Soon I started to become more optimistic about going there. After I did this, I began to have fun there and was making the best of it. The hours now just stack up over time and the time flies when I am there. Instead of staring at the clock most of the time, I just enjoy my time doing fun things that help people in need.

I recommend going to the food bank at least once to acquire the experience you gain from it. I have now spent tens of hours at Midwest and when I look back on it I appreciate the memories I made and the friends I made along the way.