Kelli Fagala recalls playing the piano for homeless diners one night last November at the Union County Community Shelter. It was her first time volunteering at a shelter.

As she played, a man came up to her and asked if he could give it a try. He said it was his first night at the shelter for dinner. Kelli would later learn that the man had just been laid off from his job and found himself homeless. When he sat down and began to strike the keys, she was amazed by the unfamiliar song he played - an original piece, he said, that he'd written for his father.

"I play the piano and I just remember thinking, 'I'm never going to be as good as he is,' " said Kelli, a sixth-grader at Piedmont Middle in Monroe.

Now, she said, there isn't a time she passes a homeless person on the street that she doesn't contribute to his or her needs in some way, giving money, food or clothes. That's how powerful that first visit was, and how much her eyes were opened to the homelessness surrounding her.

Each day, the shelter provides breakfast, lunch and dinner to about 120 people, said Kathy Bragg, its executive director. The shelter serves 38 percent more breakfasts and lunches than last year, she said, and feeds about 70 people at dinner each night.

Fundraising for shelter

Kelli said she got serious about fundraising for the shelter after that first visit and organized a coat-and-glove drive at her church. She raised $3,182.70, along with 100 coats, scarves and 25 pairs of gloves for the Union County shelter.

In May, she held a fundraising breakfast at her church that generated $6,500. On Nov. 12, she held a dinner, talent show and silent auction at the church that brought in $2,500.

"She is stepping up her menu of fundraising ideas for us," Bragg said. "She and her dad recently brought to me an opportunity to apply for a grant through the Leon Levine Foundation."

Bragg says Kelli helped her complete the grant application. After they submitted it, Bragg got a call from a grant project manager, requesting a tour, so Kelli helped guide the visitor around. In December, the shelter received the Levine Grant for $10,000.

Her big goal? To build a separate housing facility for the Union County shelter, which will cost about $125,000. With the help of the Levine grant, she has collected about $23,000 this year.

"I couldn't do it without my family," Kelli said. "A 12-year-old girl can't do it all on her own, so I'm thankful for the supporters."

Creating a food pantry

Micah Fagala, 11, echoes her sister's thoughts and wanted to give back, too, she said. So Micah, a fifth-grader at Unionville Elementary, created a food pantry this fall at the family's church, Benton Heights Presbyterian. In September, the pantry helped feed 14 families, she said, and in November, 33 families.

"We were really fortunate to have what we have, so I thought maybe I could give back to people who really need it," Micah said.

Micah says she collects nonperishables and drinks each month, then distributes to those in need on the last Monday. Those who receive the food come to Benton Heights Presbyterian and Micah, with the help of her family, loads complete meals into their vehicles, Micah said.

"She has really worked hard as far as the pantry and organizing food," said her father, John Fagala. "We are starting to see the same families each month, so we know that there's a need."

Bragg said the shelter relies on donations and volunteers like Kelli and Micah to serve meals and meet the needs of guests. The Fagala family comes once a month to serve and visit.

"Their spirit is contagious, and they have gotten so many other people involved here at the shelter," Bragg said of the girls.

"The greatest thing I've learned," said Kelli, "is to be grateful for what you have - because in the blink of an eye, you might not have it."