Four weeks, 250 hours, 50 backpacks and 14 volunteers.

This February, Kristin Young was honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award. This awards program, which was founded in 1995, recognizes young people for outstanding community service activities. Young received the award by working with the “Backpacks for the Homeless” project where she helped fill more than 50 backpacks with gloves, socks, food, water and other toiletries and then assisted with the distribution of the backpacks to homeless in the area.

“Working on Backpacks for the Homeless was incredible,” Young said. “I was humbled when I saw how little some people have and it made me even more thankful for everything I do have.

Once she completed her work with the project, Young helped build a meditation garden at the Annunciation Maternity Home in Georgetown, Texas with 13 other volunteers.

“Doing all the volunteer work made me feel really good,” Young said. “I felt like I actually helped people and made a small difference in their lives.”