Before putting out her feelers to gauge interest in garnering volunteers to help feed the less fortunate at the Tacoma Rescue Mission, Staff Sgt. Lisa Wood didn't know what kind of response to expect.

After all, it was only the first time the 5/6 Club at JBLM-McChord Field had done any kind of volunteer work at the mission.

But Wood was overwhelmed with responses.

"We actually had to turn people away and tell them they could come out the next time we did it," said Wood, an airman with the 62nd Communications Squadron who helped coordinate the trip. "I was surprised. People were really interested and wanted to help out."

In all, 26 airmen split up to fill a breakfast and a lunch shift March 5 at the mission, doing everything from slicing up avocados to make guacamole and serving meals to cleaning up and preparing the kitchen for the next meal.

"It was nice to get to go out and do something useful that has a positive impact in the community," said Senior Airman Zackery Wood (no relation), also in the 62nd CS.

The 22-year-old senior airman wasn't sure about what to expect at the mission, but said he enthusiastically embraced his job slicing avocados.

"I don't have any experience working in a restaurant or with food preparation, but the volunteers who were showing us how to do everything were really patient," he said.

The mission serves up nearly 1,000 meals a day, and the breakfast shifts - which start at 6 a.m. - are usually the hardest to staff, said Juliet Lee, director of volunteer programs for the mission.

Lee was excited when she got the call from the 5/6 Club about coming out and helping.

"It's great to have groups come out and help ... it's a great team-building experience," she said. "We try and make it a meaningful experience."

That was certainly the case for Lisa Wood.

"It opened my eyes a little bit and made me appreciate what I have," said the 25-year-old staff sergeant. "It made you see how others live (by looking) through their eyes."

While it was evident to Zackery Wood how thankful and gracious each person coming through the food line was for the airmen being there, the experience was perhaps more rewarding for each airman who participated.

"It put a smile on my face," he said.