For more than 15 years, the Mighty Oaks Homeschool Group has been a steady and spirited presence at the Great Plains Food Bank. What began as a way for Nikki Hahn and her then five-year-old daughter to give back to the community has grown into a family-led tradition of service, learning, and compassion.
“I was looking for a way to give back with my daughter, and the Great Plains Food Bank was one of the few places in town that welcomed kids as young as five to volunteer,” Nikki explains.
Since then, the Mighty Oaks Homeschool Group has grown both in size and impact. With about five core families and children ranging in age from 6 to 20, the group volunteers monthly packing food, sorting donations, and most of all, sharing in the mission of ending hunger. Their favorite project? Preparing the bags for the BackPack Program, which provides weekend meals to children facing food insecurity.
“The kids love seeing the numbers,” Nikki says. “They get super competitive, but in a fun way, to see how many backpacks or pounds of food they’ve packed. But more than that, they understand what it means. They know where the food goes, what’s inside the bags, and how it helps someone else.”
Beyond the numbers, it’s the lessons that stick. “One of the very first times we volunteered, the kids were getting hungry, and I brought snacks and passed them out when we were done. After that one shift, my five-year-old daughter said, ‘Aren’t we lucky to have our food?’ That moment told me everything,” shared Nikki. “Volunteering is the number one thing I can do as a parent to help my kids grow into caring adults.”
Now a young adult, Nikki’s oldest daughter works with senior meals and volunteers at her local food pantry. Her passion for nutrition took root at the food bank, and now she’s giving back to the same network that inspired her. The Mighty Oaks have cultivated more than just a volunteer tradition; they’ve helped shape a generation of community-minded kids who truly understand what it means to give back.
“We’ve stayed because the Great Plains Food Bank makes it easy to keep coming back,” Nikki says. “There are always shifts available, and your team takes the time to explain the ‘why’ behind everything we do. That matters.”
As Nikki prepares to “retire” from organizing the homeschooling group after her youngest graduates, she reflects on the legacy they’ve built. “I may not have kids in the group next year, but I’ll still be here. There are always more kids to help.”
And just like that, the roots of the Mighty Oaks continue to grow in service, grounded in gratitude.
