The Suburbanite

The Jackson Lady Polar Bears swim team went down to the Canton Calvary Mission to help serve food for the needy over the holiday break.

Many people take food for granted, expecting it to be there when you want it.

Others are not so fortunate, and need assistance to have food for their families.

The Jackson High School girls swimming team with their coach Kelli Ohman wanted to help those in need. They went down to the Canton Calvary Mission to help in the pantry and serve a hot meal to families.

“I had never done anything like this, and I realized how privileged we are and the basic needs we take for granted - like a loaf of bread,” Ohman said.

The girls were split up into two groups, either helping pass out food in the pantry or helping serve meals to families.

Families are allowed to go once a month, and have a card designating if they have a small, medium or large family size. They come into a big room with shelves of cans of peas, breads, tuna, etc. They pick whatever  they want but are limited to their family size, which Ohman said might be around $30 worth of food.

“They get maybe two bags of groceries and it has to last a month,” Ohman said. “For us it wouldn’t last a week.”

Ohman said the interaction she saw between her girls and the people they were helping was a very positive one.

“The girls were so sweet to these people,” she said. “Just stepping back and watching them interact with these needy people. The (people) were just so gracious, thanking the girls for everything.”

The girls enjoyed the experience so much they want to do it again in the future, which Ohman said they will try at least twice a year.

Season-wise, after enjoying a couple weeks off, the boys and girls  host Perry tonight at the David YMCA at 6 p.m.