Volunteering has become a tradition for several area youths who help out at the Samaritan Center in Jefferson City, Mo. Since school was out in May, many of these volunteers have helped every Monday at the local social service agency. Their chores range from helping to gather items and box them up to helping carry items out to the patrons' vehicles.

Jefferson City, Mo. ? While summer is winding down for many kids, several plan to make one last stop at the Samaritan Center before heading back to school.

Volunteering has become a Monday morning routine for a number of local children and their grandparents, as they stop by to help with food distribution.

“I like helping people and meeting up with the friends that I have made here,” said 12-year-old Matthew Maasen.

Matthew and his brother, Ashton, and cousin Jeremey have been volunteering their summers at the Samaritan Center for the past three years.

They come in because they want to, not because their grandparents made them.

The clan arrives at 8:30 a.m. and gather in the break room for coffee and doughnuts.

The grandparents sit while the kids begin work, picking up right where they left off last week.

The food available this week included donated produce, sliced potatoes, bread, chicken and condiments. School supplies and many other items also were distributed.

Since the beginning of the year, nearly 80 families per week have turned to the Samaritan Center’s pantry to receive food and other household items.

“I didn’t know that so many people needed this,” Maasen said.

Shortly before the doors open, both the adult and youth volunteers gather around and hold hands for a short prayer.

While the kids wait patiently in their break room to hear “order up,” people start to pour in.

The attendees mark off what they will not need, and the list gets sent to volunteers who pack the food in boxes. They grab boxes from other volunteers and help carry them out to cars.

From small bags for elderly persons to three to four boxes at a time for larger families, the kids direct each other and make sure they always are available.

The process continues for about two or three hours.

“It feels real good to know you are helping people,” said 13-year-old Emily Tighe.