FEEDING BELLIES, MINDS AND HEARTS IN MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Aarush Sudamalla. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Aarush Sudamalla will never let his age be an obstacle to helping others.

A 16-year-old high school student, Aarush first experienced the satisfaction of helping others through his work feeding unhoused people. Inspired by his father, who avidly helped the community, Aarush wanted to take his dad’s vision even further. He formed his own nonprofit organization, Give with Love, at age 14, working to hand out boxed meals on the street and serve up plates to hungry people at his local shelter.

His accomplishments were noticed by Sussex Health and Environmental Network (SHEN), a local organization that works to create positive solutions to environmental and public health issues. Through his involvement with SHEN, Aarush works to empower marginalized communities through events and grants. He also handles an extensive amount of networking, reaching out to people at school and connecting with local organizations to spread awareness of SHEN’s work. He can frequently be found serving up meals to the community members or searching for grant funding to bolster the residents of communities SHEN assists through education and sustainable solutions.

While it’s a tremendous amount of work for a high school student, Aarush says his hectic schedule all comes down to time management. While he admits he’s no stranger to sleepless nights, the fulfillment he feels at the end of the day is worth all the stress.

“The most rewarding part for me is seeing how much of an impact I can create just being a 16-year-old. It just makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. I’m helping people out there. I’m making a difference. I’m doing as much as I can,” says Aarush. “I would say that’s probably my biggest takeaway.”

One of Aarush’s greatest triumphs with SHEN was his mission to reach out to a linguistically isolated community of 275 residents to notify them about the proposal to construct a biogas facility nearby. As a result of his outreach in the area, there was a Title VI complaint to the Environmental Protection Agency for violating their civil rights. This ensured all notices to the residents were published in Haitian Creole and Spanish, which they could then understand.

“This was a big deal. He probably lives a good 90 minutes from this area,” recalled Maria Payan, executive director of SHEN.  “It was a big deal for him to get transportation out and back. They cooked amazing, healthy food for all these folks and talked to all of the residents there.”

Aarush’s hopes for the future are extensive. He’s eager to expand his volunteer work beyond the boundaries of Delaware, working to assist people with food and environmental justice initiatives across the world. He also has significant personal goals for life after high school, including aspirations to pursue a career in medicine.

“He’s just an amazing young man,” Payan continued. “He just really has a passion for connecting with people, especially those that are underserved.”

While Aarush is still a teenager, his ability to create change through volunteering is an inspiration to people young and old. Through his passion for helping others, Aarush has made the world a better place for all.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Aarush? Find local volunteer opportunities.