This Puyallup teen helped at the food bank during COVID. Now she has 400 volunteer hours

If Gurnoor Nagra isn’t in a classroom, then she’s probably hanging out at the Puyallup Food Bank.

The 17-year-old has spent over 400 hours volunteering at the food bank. She joined three years ago — at the start of the pandemic.

Not many people volunteered at the time, Nagra said. The food bank sought support through social media. She, her aunt and cousin decided to help.

“It was fun. I got to meet new people,” she said. “It was nice to feel included.”

Nagra said she does “a bit of everything” at the food bank. She stocks goods. She organizes items. She brings out carts full of food to patrons who pull up in their vehicles.

School district leaders honored Nagra with a volunteer of the year award for the 2022-23 school year. The Puyallup School Board gave her the award at a ceremony April 5.

Nagra volunteers at the food bank for a few hours twice a week. Puyallup High students need 20 hours of community service before they graduate, she said.

She graduated from Puyallup High on June 17. She went to Kalles Junior High and Wildwood Park Elementary. She was born in New Delhi, India. She moved with her parents and younger brother to Puyallup when she was 11 years old.

“My parents wanted to give me a better education and a safe environment to grow up in,” Nagra said.

It’s fun for her to volunteer at the food bank, she said. She enjoys helping people and seeing the joy on their faces. She recalls a time when her ability to speak Hindi helped a family that visited the food bank for the first time.

Nagra plans to pursue a nursing career. She said she wants to become a nurse because there aren’t many BIPOC nurses. Having more of them would help boost representation, she said.

Simar Kour, 18, is Nagra’s cousin. She said Nagra is funny, easy to talk to, goal-oriented, confident, and always open to try something new. Kour graduated from Puyallup High a year before Nagra.

Jasvinder Nagra, 40, is Nagra’s father. He said he likes his daughter’s willingness to do things without being asked or told. Helping people is a big part of their culture, he said. His daughter chose to volunteer at the food bank.

Gurnoor Nagra said her parents’ hard work and dedication push her to get up every morning. Her father used to work 12 hours per day at a gas station for the first three years after they moved to Washington state.

Diane Ridgway, the food bank’s executive assistant, said Gurnoor Nagra has a “servant’s heart,” that she’s generous with her time, and that she’s dependable.

“She’s a self-starter,” Ridgway said.

This story was originally published July 24, 2023 at 5:00 AM.

Angelica Relente

The News Tribune

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Angelica Relente covers topics that affect communities in East Pierce County. She started as a news intern in June 2021 after graduating from Washington State University. She is also a member of Seattle’s Asian American Journalists Association. She was born in the Philippines and spent the rest of her childhood in Hawaii.