Photo Provided Members of the First Lutheran Church youth mission trip to New York City were, front, from left, Becca Reid, Lauren Swarr, Kaitie Keller, Michelle Onate, Devon Wolfe. Second row, Rachel Puls, Madi Parks, Sarah Smith. Third row, Barb McDowell, Delainey Parks, Krista Keller, Grace Curry, Sarah Wigal. Fourth row, Kevin Howard, Matthew Curry and Pastor Ian Reid.

PARKERSBURG — First Lutheran Church of Parkersburg youth recently returned from its annual mission trip to New York City.

The group was comprised of 12 teenagers accompanied by four adult chaperones, including the church’s senior pastor, Ian Reid, and his wife, Becca Reid.

The group made its sixth annual trip to volunteer in soup kitchens around the city. Over the course of five days they worked in the soup kitchens of Trinity Episcopal Church, Holy Apostles Church, and the Bowery Mission in Harlem.

They stayed in Trinity Episcopal Church, located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Trinity Episcopal runs a soup kitchen and food pantry in the mornings where they make lunch for around 300 people and provide food for about 30 families per day. The mission group helped with preparation and served lunch and helped guide families through the food pantry as they obtained their items.

Holy Apostles, located in Chelsea, is the largest soup kitchen the group worked in. Volunteers at the church waited tables, served food and cleaned, feeding about 1,000 people a day.

The Bowery Mission in Harlem is a rehabilitation house for men recovering from addiction. The group helped out in the kitchens, making lunch for the men and assisting in serving it.

While the group members volunteered and worked hard in the mornings, at night they visited tourist attractions, including the 9-11 memorial, Little Italy, Times Square, Central Park and a Mets game.

After a long but satisfying week of helping those in need and sightseeing, they returned to Parkersburg. The group had a wonderful experience and hopes to bring back some of the drive to help in the community to Parkersburg.