HAMPTON, Va. - She's a special volunteer helping school-children, needy families who need food and the homeless. Jan Roberts is the driving force behind a community outreach in Hampton called the Breakthrough Center. Folks in search of their next meal come there twice a week looking for food.
In addition to the food given out, there are clothes handed out to folks in need. Sometimes volunteers load up clothes and take them out into the community. They also have sleeping bags, tents and heavy clothes to be handed out to the homeless community as well.
Recently, Jan's organization hosted a back to school community event. More than 200 backpacks loaded with school supplies were given out along with free haircuts.
For all those reasons, News 3 presented Jan with a People Taking Action award along with a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner Southern Bank. Jan was overwhelmed.
"Oh my goodness - this is crazy! This is crazy!" she exclaimed.
Jan admits it's a lot of work - all done by volunteers and relying on donations - but stresses it's worth it.
"Well the Bible says to whom much is given, much is required and I've been given a lot," she said. "God has been really good to me, and so it's the right thing to do. It's just the right thing to do to give back."
It was actually a fellow volunteer, La Toya Wilson, who nominated Jan and had nothing but praise for her.
"It amazes me how genuine she is," Wilson said. "You know today we live in a world where people feel discouraged, they're hopeless and there's a lot of negativity and it seems there's more darkness than light, but when you meet someone like Jan, you actually become family to her and that means a lot! That means a lot!"
Jan says she'll use her Southern Bank gift card, not on herself, but to pay for food baskets for needy families this Thanksgiving.
