Pay It Forward

Giving back has its own rewards

Bryce Tyler ’18 attended the first Food Market at Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Neb., in 2011. It made a difference for him and his family; now he's making a difference for others. Tyler has been helping out with Lincoln Food Bank’s monthly distributions in York for the last several months where over 8,000 pounds of food were given away in March, reaching 184 households.

During his last few years of high school, Tyler’s family was experiencing food insecurity. "We did anything we could. My mom picked up two or three jobs and was working 100 hours a week," Tyler said. "My sister was picking up jobs in high school."

Tyler remembered that his sister would sometimes skip meals so he could eat. Some days, they both would skip two meals to be able to eat a "regular-sized" dinner. "When I went to the Food Market for the first time, they gave me two boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios, and that was like the biggest thing for me," Tyler chuckled. "I had always wanted to try name-brand cereal but never got to."

Tyler said he knows other people had it worse, but the Food Market made a huge difference for his family. "It was cool. It seemed like someone else was looking out for us. My sister cried, I probably cried," Tyler said. He got food from the market during his junior and senior years. The food, he said, was crucial for him getting through those last years. On December 21, Tyler married the love of his life, Marissa Bressler, a 2020 York College graduate from Lake Benton, Minn. It was Marissa who helped make this act

(above) Bryce helps a family take their groceries to their car.

(below) During the May 1 distribution, the line of cars stretched 10 blocks from the East Hill Church of Christ parking lot past York High School.

of paying it forward possible. Serving as president of the YC student body during the 2018-19 academic year, Marissa was looking for something to cultivate a culture of service on campus.

“I felt like the college had been successful in the ‘transforming’ and ‘equipping’ part of its mission,” Marissa said, “but the service aspect was lacking.”

With the help of York’s Student Development office, Marissa led her fellow students in starting a partnership with the Lincoln Food Bank and East Hill Church of Christ to distribute food monthly in the community. Groups on campus such as athletic teams, social clubs, and Student Development staff members have gotten in on the distributions, working side by side with church members. The distribution has grown from serving around 40 individuals to currently reaching 208 households.

“Real service allows you to see people’s humanity, whether you are receiving food or helping distribute it,” said Marissa. “Food is a basic need. It’s rewarding to see people working together to help meet that need.”

As of late, the service has grown to twice monthly but has had to take the form of drive-thru distributions in the church parking lot with the coronavirus restrictions. Even though the human element and interaction is different, it’s still meeting the needs –

one family at a time.

Tyler, who has been working as a resident director at York College since he graduated, is taking his perspective from both sides of the food distribution table to give back. "The small moments that I've had where I've witnessed someone who is in the same situation I was," Tyler paused, "…me doing even the smallest thing to help makes it worth it."

He added, "I was in a place where I needed help, and people reached out and helped me. It would be selfish of me to not want to give back." n excerpts from Madison Pitsch 10/11 NOW News Team Reporter