Our job at Multiplying Good is to shine a light on unsung heroes and influential service leaders alike. Today, we are excited to highlight a young unsung hero wanting to serve her community.
Jagger Barnes is currently a senior in high school and lives in Illinois where she spends her time at the Service and Learning Together (SaLT)’s Shop N Drop food drive. Project Shop N Drop was initiated in May of 2020, to support local families and fight food and need (i.e. diapers, cleaning, etc.) insecurity due to COVID-19. When she received a phone call from SaLT to volunteer with the organization, she willingly took the opportunity.
Ida Fiore, who nominated Jagger for a Jefferson Award, said, "As an educator of 30 years, who has worked with thousands of students in various roles, I have never met a young person as special as Jagger. She is on SaLT leadership board, and she takes every opportunity to make a difference putting service above herself. Jagger soon became the strongest youth force making this project a reality. As a student leader for SaLT, Jagger has given hundreds of hours to Shop N Drop.”
Jagger shared her service story, saying, “It was in the eighth grade that I was exposed to service learning because of a SaLT trip. We went to Orlando, Florida, and worked with an organization called Give Kids The World that partnered with Make-A-Wish to help fulfill children’s wish trips. From that moment on I knew that service learning was something I was so passionate about, and I definitely wanted to continue serving my community. It’s more than just a food pantry to me. Every time I serve someone, I follow up to better understand their needs and enjoy connecting with my community. I was very honored to get nominated for a Jefferson Award. It’s one thing to go through the motions versus doing what you love and sharing it with others and getting recognized for it. I hope that my love for service learning inspires other young people to keep getting involved. It only takes one call from someone to really inspire you to act in your community.”
