Our Youth Group Mission Trip traveled to Memphis this year. We learned and served with several organizations doing food justice work, from farming to harvesting, to packing and cooking and serving food. Memphis is one of the hungriest cities in the nation as well as one of the most obese, so the work that these people are doing to get good, fresh, nutritious food into the hands of those who need it is truly God’s work.
We were privileged to work with the following organizations:
Roots Memphis Farm Academy
Green Leaf Learning Farm
Bring It Food Hub
We visited the Church Health Center (where we delivered veggies for a cooking class) and St Jude Children’s Hospital (where we delivered fresh chard for the cafeteria).
And partnered with the local mission of our host church, Idlewild Presbyterian, for “More Than A Meal.”
Photos from our work can be seen on our Flickr page.
And finally, on our Recreation Day, we had a great time doing a photo scavenger hunt around Memphis. Click here for the assignment and point system.
This scavenger hunt may seem like just silly fun, but in fact it did a lot to fulfill one important aspect of the Mission Trip: to inspire in us a deeper love and appreciation for God’s world, especially this city with its unique history and culture. Plus, how else can you learn about geography and play in a fountain at the same time?
Huge thanks to Anna Santos who planned most of the trip but was unable to come (hence, you may see her face in some of the photos from the scavenger hunt). The trip was a huge success, especially considering that some of the youth are now making plans for how they can return to Memphis.