Youth bring the energy to a space like no one else can. It’s the excitement in the air when a soccer team grooves to the music during a food packing session. It’s the joyful camaraderie when high schoolers pack out the annual McDonald, Penn. FMSC MobilePack^TM event.

Seeing the next generation take the time to care for others and the world they live in can inspire us all.

In 2026, the youngest of Generation Z are teenagers and the first year of Generation Alpha is turning 13. While every generation has their stereotypes, Gen Z (born 1997–2012) is often seen as addicted to social media and entitled or lazy. What we see in our packing rooms — and research sees, too — is something different.

Teenagers today want to make a difference.

Teenagers see the importance of volunteering

Gen Alpha and Gen Z want to make the world a better place. Young Life’s Relate Project, where they survey youth on their values, calls Gen Z the “empathetic generation” in their 2024 report. They want to be known for being good and kind. Three-quarters of teens and young adults surveyed said they agreed or strongly agreed with this statement: “My generation has the ability to make a meaningful impact on the world for future generations.”

Yes! That’s what we want to hear at FMSC. In 2027, we will celebrate our 40th anniversary as a Christian nonprofit organization, so we already know that our work relies on the up-and-coming generations to be involved and invested in the mission of feeding God’s children. And the data shows they are already getting involved.

In 2026, the Red Cross looked at their volunteer data and saw a huge growth in one area: Gen Z volunteers are now the fastest growing (25% in just three years) and largest group (42%) in their volunteer population. In a large nonprofit with over 300,000 volunteers, this is data other nonprofits will pay attention to when planning volunteer recruitment for the years to come. At FMSC, this data gives us hope for a future of feeding even more kids.

Volunteers ages 5 and up can participate in a variety of roles in our packing rooms, so we see youth all the time. We are so grateful for the many Gen Z teens and Gen Alpha kids (and their chaperones!) for choosing to feed hungry kids. The work of every volunteer and donor is important and serves this purpose. Age has nothing to do with the impact!

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
— 1 Timothy 4:12

There are many ways for kids, teens and young adults to support FMSC. Here are a few:

1. Teen volunteer opportunities for groups

Many school groups, sports teams, clubs and religious youth organizations include volunteering as a required or supplemental part of participation. There are opportunities for teenagers to volunteer at FMSC, especially in a group. We have the capacity for small or large groups. (There is a required student-to-adult ratio for groups, so just check our safety policies for more information.)

Teens: It is so easy to bring your friends to FMSC. Try one of these fun ideas:

• Start a tradition with your friend group of packing meals and then hanging at your favorite local spot after.
• Challenge your teammates to a packing competition or a hairnet selfie contest.
• Have your birthday party at FMSC! Talk to our staff, and we’ll help you serve the cake after the packing session.

Adults, leaders and mentors: You are some of the biggest reasons teens today hear about and choose where they are going to volunteer. See if any of these ideas work for you to help the teens in your life serve out their purpose:

• Tell the administration at your child’s school about FMSC and see if they would do a field trip to FMSC.
• See if the soccer team you coach wants to practice team building at a packing session.
• Talk to the youth pastor at your church about scheduling a service night.

2. Pack meals for community service hours

There are teen volunteer opportunities at Feed My Starving Children where they truly can make a global impact while doing local community service events. Our packing rooms are safe and fun. The time will fly by and maybe even become the easiest service hours you’ll earn! At the end of every session, we even share how many kids you fed in that short time. Your tangible impact will add up quickly!

It’s easy to sign up for community service hours or volunteer hours at your local FMSC site or MobilePack. Every session counts for at least one and a half hours, and you can do as many as you can sign up for each day. If you have any questions about how to get service hours verified, talk to one of our staff members when you visit!

In a rush? You could even do community service this weekend! We are open on Saturdays and chances are, we still have a spot for you.

3. Fundraising is easy, even for kids and teens

Door to door. Asking your parents’ friends. A car wash. The classic bake sale. There are so many ways youth can — and do! — fundraise for FMSC. One girl even sold her chickens’ eggs to reach her goal of feeding a child for an entire year.

It’s easy to set up a fundraising page and send it to everyone you know! We also have a toolkit available for you to use for flyers, social posts and many more ideas for planning a fundraiser.

Sometimes when we look at the news and see crisis and hunger rising, it can feel hopeless. But seeing how kids, teens and young adults are already trying to make a positive difference in the world around them inspires us all to keep fighting — until all are fed.