Gaithersburg, MD (USA)

When we were cleaning the river with the Notre Dame Alumni Club two weeks ago, they told us about a volunteering event at the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg and, since Mollie still needed NHS service hours, we signed up to help. I woke Mollie up at 0825 and she ate breakfast. We left the house at 0915 and headed north - it was bit longer drive (Montgomery County, Maryland). At 1000, the event began and we helped pack 24 boxes of food items (canned veggies & fruit, rice and pasta) and other resources for local families. Along with 25+ other volunteers (mostly ND Grads and their families), we ultimately contributed to the formation of six pallets (with 48 boxes each) within an hour (it was supposed to last two hours but we finished early). The ND coordinator said it was the fastest time they’d ever done the project. We talked about staying in the Rockville area for some more activities but Mollie said she needed to study. So we headed south again and were home by 1145. After lunch, Mollie didn't come out of her room again until dinner. At 1900, I dropped her off at Edison High School so she could attend the play (“Dracula”) and I went walking at Huntley Meadows before returning home to wait for her call to come get her. It felt great to work with Mollie on the service project this morning - we both are looking forward to similar events in the future!