VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Time to surprise Jenny Deal! The Virginia Beach mom is a dedicated volunteer helping kids in need battle hunger.
News 3 caught up with Jenny at the city's school system distribution center while she was hard at work.
Jenny works weekly helping pack meals with the Beach Bags program. She's been doing this work for just about three years.
Jenny Deal
A variety of donated individual meals and snacks are included in each bag! Typically, bags have about 10 different items, and they're handed out to students in the Beach school system who really count on these meals.
Volunteers like Jenny put together anywhere from 600 to 1,100 bags a week.
They're given to kids in financially strapped families. It's done in a discreet way so that no one finds out.
For her dedication, News 3 presented Jenny with a People Taking Action award. She was grateful, stunned and fighting back tears, "Oh I love this! Thank you so much! Thank you... and it's just not me; it's everybody else here, too, that gives their time."
Related: Students in Virginia Beach need your help, support the Beach Bags food drive
We also presented Jenny with a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner, Southern Bank!
"I really appreciate it and I'll be giving this back to the schools. This is not for me....this is for the schools," Jenny explained.
Jenny is very passionate about volunteering.
"This is just a wonderful program and I want the community to know it's great and really helping our kids..... it really does! Going to school and being hungry really impacts their learning."
For Jenny, this volunteer work hits close to home.
"And for me I know what it's like as a kid to be... there were moments I was hungry and I had schools that helped me, so for me to give back means everything."
If you want to take action and support the Beach Bags program, there's a food drive this Thursday at Pembroke Mall in the Kohl's parking lot. You can drop off food or checks from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information and to find out what items the program needs, click here.
Do you know someone who's worthy of a People Taking Action award? Click here to nominate them!
