Students Help Feed Terminally Ill Residents of New York City

A total of 20 LWC students and staff members spent their fall break in New York City as volunteers for the non-profit God's Love We Deliver.

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Lindsey Wilson College's Heather Davis has seen the difference volunteerism can make in others' lives.

Four years ago, Davis began spending her fall break helping out a God's Love We Deliver in New York City. The non-profit organization prepares and delivers meals to New York residents with terminal illnesses who are unable to provide or prepare food.

When Davis first started to volunteer with God's Love, the organization was one of thousands of non-profit organizations serving New York's residents. When she returned last week with 19 other LWC students and staff members, the organization had become one of the better-known charities in the Big Apple. 

"The biggest difference this year was the amount of publicity GLWD has received over the past year due to Joan Rivers' involvement with (the TV show) The Apprentice," said Davis, who is LWC coordinator of women's residence life coordinator. "Rivers won the entire thing, and GLWD reaped the benefits of her hard work to the tune of $250,000. They are a completely non-profit organization, so everything they do is based entirely on volunteer work and charitable giving. Therefore, this win through such a public venue was a large milestone in their history."

The Lindsey Wilson group spent the week in New York while many of their colleagues enjoyed a relaxing fall break.

Davis was joined in the GLWD kitchen by several other LWC students who helped prepare meals for delivery to terminally ill residents in the city. Since GLWD's founding in 1986, more than 10 million meals have been delivered.

"I've always enjoyed the opportunity to serve others," said Cherise Mingus, LWC graduate assistant for Career Services and Bonner Leaders. "It is such a joy to prepare and deliver meals to those in need."