The van pulled up at the same time every week; beat up, barely making the trip, driven by a single mom with three kids in the back. Each visit, she spoke little, watched carefully, and kept her guard up.
The children, on the other hand, were overjoyed each time. They would wave through the window, screaming, “Hey, how are you? We love you guys, thank you so much,” as soon as the food was placed in their car.
It was a stark difference between the driver and her occupants, but after four or five weeks, you could begin to tell that she was starting to let her guard down.
That first hint of a smile, finally, weeks into the summer when I greeted her, was a testament to the continued impact that we were having on this family. Though I never had more than a passing conversation with the mother or her children, the memory of them throughout the summer stayed with me through the following school year.
Coming back for a second summer was honestly a no-brainer and seeing that family again the first week of this summer made my day. They all recognized me as I waved, and I really felt the impact of the work we do.
There are multiple different families I've built connections with like that. Some of them I get to talk to, some I don't, but that doesn't make the connection any less important to me, because no matter which family it is, I can see the connection we've built and the difference we're making through that.
As Marcus Parsons (Union University, ’27) recounted these memorable moments from this summer and the previous working with the YMCA and their food assistance program, it was obvious the lasting impact this experience has had on him.
Parsons first heard about the program through his dad, who knew the man overseeing operations for the Memphis YMCA. Although this man came and spoke at a Chapter meeting, Parsons was only one of two Brothers to sign up. Through his experience, however, he influenced five more Brothers to join him this summer: Dan Cashion, Kaleb Kerby, Henry Piercey, Luke Parsons, and Luke Moses, tripling the initial Lambda Chi involvement.
The program itself is pretty simple but has a massive effect on the community. Every day, teams from the northwestern border of Tennessee all the way down to the Mississippi state line take boxes of weekly meals, seven breakfasts and seven lunches, to different areas in their zone. These supplies are reserved for children ages zero to 18, although pregnant mothers can pick up boxes for children not yet born. There's no paperwork or proof of income; a name is all it takes. This process is repeated twice a day at different sites, supporting anyone who shows up.
Although he knew the need was there, Parsons explained that he had no idea how much this job would open his eyes to the hardship around him.
“As great and fulfilling as it is to get to do this job, it's also hard some days, because there have been plenty of families that come through where I've had to prepare myself,” Parsons said. ”Sometimes when I open a car door, and there's a baby in a booster seat that's covered in cigarette butts, or a baby with a diaper that looks like it hasn't been changed in days. These are all very real things.”
But as serious as the struggle is, the impact of these Brothers' service remains clear. Children bring their drawings to show through the car window; mothers allow themselves to take a breath and smile, and the same families return year after year.
For these six Brothers, their summer has become a living example of what Lambda Chi Alpha means when it holds service as a core value. When asked about this relation back to the fraternity, Marcus’s response reflected this perfectly.
“I think one of the main aspects of service is doing it with a grateful attitude, coming into service with the attitude of doing the best job you can, and being grateful just for the opportunity to serve someone else. That's something I really learned from this job. I get to wake up every day, and instead of having to mow a yard or lay sod, which are things I've done for work before, I get paid to feed kids and essentially hang out with my Brothers and do that with them. It's taught me a lot about being grateful for even the opportunity to serve others,” he said.
Parsons took the job for an ordinary reason: he needed summer work. But it wasn't until he understood what the work actually was that it became something else entirely.
"It's kind of hard to find a more fulfilling job than feeding hungry children," he said. "Honestly, I had no idea the extent of what it would be, and what a blessing it's turned out to be."
Five weeks into his second summer with the program, he's still showing up to the same sites, still recognized by the same families, still finding that the smallest interactions-- a wave, a smile, a drawing held up to a car window -- are the ones that stay with him the longest.
“I'd argue that I've learned more value and gained more from my experience working at the YMCA than any internship could teach me. And I know that I'm going to use the things I've learned no matter where I go or where I end up.”
Service is a fascinating thing sometimes. You go into it wanting to help others, and although that is a big part of it, the biggest impact is often on the one who is serving and not the ones being served. It is vital to learn these lessons and understand your humanity. True leadership is about the service and stewardship of all that surrounds us.
