Join VT Seva Detroit

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢 𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝟏𝟎 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: Our volunteers had an incredible day at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, where 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓𝟎 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲! We served a variety of people from individuals experiencing homelessness to factory workers, families, and students reminding us how important accessible meals are for so many. Throughout the day, our team: • Helped prepare and serve meals to guests • Packed and distributed food to those in need • Organized and handled 27 boxes of food supplies • Cleaned up the area to keep operations running smoothly We’re so grateful for the opportunity to give back and be part of such meaningful work. Every meal served is a step toward strengthening our community and supporting those who need it most.

Troy High VTS volunteered at the Clawson Food Pantry, where they organized food donations by expiration date to ensure everything was safe. Expired items were properly discarded, and all shelves were thoroughly cleaned. As a result, the pantry is now more organized, making it easier for community members to find and receive the food they need. Overall, the volunteers had a great experience, and the club looks forward to returning in the future.

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝: Rachana Raghunathan 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: Our team successfully defuzzed 𝟏𝟏 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐬 of sock loops, which were then donated to Arts & Scraps. These materials will be reused in creative art projects across Detroit, supporting hands-on learning and artistic expression for students. Through this remote project, dedicated youth volunteers worked collaboratively by picking up kits, completing the defuzzing process, and returning them for final assembly. Once all 11 kits were completed, they were delivered to Nicole from the Arts & Scraps team. This effort directly supports a nonprofit organization that provides essential creative resources to schools and community programs throughout the Detroit area.

e 𝐕𝐓𝐒 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲, 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐭 dedicated their time to craft 𝟏,𝟏𝟏𝟔 𝐃𝐀𝐕 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 in support of 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬. Every flower they made serves as a heartfelt symbol of appreciation, honor, and kindness for those who have bravely served our country.

𝐎𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝐕𝐓 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐭 proudly conducted its 𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 @forgottenharvest 𝐚𝐭 𝐊𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐢 From 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, our incredible team of 𝟏𝟏 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟏𝟓 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 came together with one shared purpose — to serve and uplift our community. Despite the cold and wet conditions, our volunteers stood strong throughout the day, engaging with Kroger customers and inspiring generosity through their dedication and passion. We were especially honored by a visit from 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐢 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤, who stopped by to encourage our volunteers. His support meant a lot, particularly to our youth, boosting their morale as they braved the challenging weather conditions. Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the community & customers at Kroger, we collected: - 𝟐𝟓 𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 - 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟗𝟎𝟎 𝐥𝐛𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 - $𝟓𝟔𝟔 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Each item and every dollar will help support families in need through Forgotten Harvest. This was more than just a food drive — it was a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when compassion meets action. Watching our youth lead with such commitment and heart gives us great hope for the future.

As our seniors approach the last couple days of their high school career, and as they prepare to take their rigorous IB exams, the WiHi VT Seva Club decided that we wanted to do something to support them and show how much we care about them and their future success! We made 120 kits that include studying materials like sticky notes and highlighters as well as things that hopefully just make them smile, like candy and fidgets! We wish our seniors well as they prepare for their exams and their future!

IAE VTS Club came together and helped run a Math Kangaroo Competition at the Sri Balaji Temple with around 85 kids competing! Volunteers helped run the event in various ways such as helping at the registration tables, proctoring the exam, and helping the kids if they have any questions during the test

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐃𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 The DRAW Warehouse serves as a vital lifeline for families affected by natural disasters by providing handmade relief supplies that bring both comfort and utility. During this volunteering event, our team focused on the innovative “Plarn” (Plastic Yarn) initiative — a project that transforms recycled plastic bags into useful humanitarian resources while also reducing environmental waste. Together, our volunteers: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝟏𝟓 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐬 These materials are used to create durable, water-resistant bedding and resources for disaster survivors, turning waste into meaningful support for those in need. Thank you to everyone who participated! Your dedication and hands-on service are helping us protect the environment while supporting communities in need.

Troy High VTS made flowers to honor and celebrate the brave veterans who served our country. Each flower was made with care to show respect and gratitude. This activity allowed us to express our thanks in a creative way. Making the flowers also brought our group together to honor them as a community.

On March 3rd, our school community came together to spread some luck and encouragement for the Shamrock Shakedown. We created more than 67 heartfelt cards for the four teams, including the Troy Center for Transition students, playing in the basketball tournament! Each card carried more than just words; it carried support, pride, and the reminder that an entire community is cheering them on.

By the end of the event, Hospitality House confirmed that 4,931 pounds of food were contributed to the people we helped regarding food assistance! Our team actively supported pantry operations by restocking shelves with food products and helping customers with actively picking out their groceries. During the shift, we multitasked primarily by assisting customers in selecting food items, considering some products had limits and others depended on family size. Additionally, we restocked food supplies to ensure everything was readily available for those visiting the pantry.

During the month of February, VTSEVA Detroit Youth Board has held a "Coats and Socks Drive to donate to our beneficiary, the Open Door Ministry. The Open Door Ministry is an organization that collects and organizes food and supplies to distribute them to families in need. A total of 36 coats and 33 pairs of socks were collected during this drive. These clothes will be donated to families and children in Guatemala who may need them.

VT Seva volunteers had the opportunity to serve the homeless population of Detroit through CASS Community Social Services. This incredible organization shelters over 400 people and provides over 700,000 meals each year. Their cause is a testament to what service means, and we are so grateful to contribute to it every year!

Our volunteers divided into two teams to help serve families in need. The majority of us took “food tickets” and followed a circuit-style setup, packing vegetables, canned goods, bread, and fruit into crates. Meanwhile, a smaller group worked efficiently to load the completed crates into the correct cars based on each ticket. Altogether, we packaged 202 crates of food—providing support for approximately 800 people in our community.

The 𝐕𝐓𝐒 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲, 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐭, came together with incredible enthusiasm and heart to create 1,236 DAV flowers in support of Disabled American Veterans, and every single flower represents gratitude, respect, and kindness.