While most teenagers spend the month of December wondering about what presents will be awaiting them under the Christmas tree, Joey McNerney of Windham sees it as another opportunity to help his neighbors.

“I never feel like I’m done,” said McNerney, 18. “There’s always more people to help.” He is organizing this weekend’s Stuff the Bus program for the Windham Food Pantry, where an actual bus will be filled with donated goods for local needy people.

George Bartlett, owner of Busy Bee Laundry & Dry Cleaning in Windham, is providing the bus and the name of his business to the food drive, but said the youthful McNerney is really in charge.

“It’s Joey doing it, using my Busy Bee bus. He’s the prime mover who got it set up and going,” said Bartlett. He said McNerney only needs a sponsor to let people know his charitable efforts are legitimate.

McNerney doesn’t look like the typical enthusiastic volunteer. He has a shiny lip ring and the last remains of an overgrown mohawk at the front of his crown. He said he used to dye his hair multiple colors, but stopped to focus on volunteering.

“I had to kind of tone it down a little to be able to keep fighting my cause,” he said.

McNerney said he had a lot of trouble in school after he moved to Windham at the beginning of high school. He was moved to the alternative REAL School and during his sophomore year a teacher got him to volunteer at the Preble Street Resource Center in Portland.

After volunteering twice a week for a spell, McNerney said he wanted to try something closer to home.

“I live in Windham, and I know we have a food pantry here,” said McNerney. He’s been helping out ever since.

Madeline Roberts, social services administrative assistant for Windham and the manager of the Windham Food Pantry and Clothes Closet, said McNerney has been a big help.

“He’s a very energetic kid. He wants to help, and he gets out there,” she said.

Roberts said the Windham Food Pantry typically sees 125 to 150 families a month, but that number jumps up in December.

“People are worried about oil, and they’re worried about buying gifts,” she said. “There are 216 kids on my Christmas list. That’s an increase from 167 last year.”

A history of compassion

McNerney’s volunteer work hasn’t been limited to Windham. In 2005 he got a group together to go to New Orleans for two weeks to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina by serving food and rebuilding a flooded food pantry.

Last January, McNerney was invited to serve on Gov. John Baldacci’s Maine Task Force for Education.

“I was the only kid there,” McNerney recalls. The task force was focused on helping kids who had trouble at school and were at risk of dropping out. McNerney must have made some impact, because Baldacci offered him a full college scholarship.

But he turned it down.

“It had to be something political, and I’m not a political person,” said McNerney, who graduated from the REAL School last spring and said he didn’t want to major in political science.

“I didn’t want to waste (the state’s) money,” he said. “I want to focus more on helping my local community and stuff like music and writing.” He said his volunteer activities do not feel like work and he’s happy doing that right now. On Thursday he and members of the Windham High School Interact Club collected goods outside Wal-Mart.

Upcoming food drives

This Friday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. McNerney and some students from the REAL School will be collecting food, clothes and toys for the Windham Food Pantry outside the Wal-Mart on Roosevelt Trail.

On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. McNerney will be collecting food outside Shaw’s Supermarket on Roosevelt Trail with students from the Middle School Helping Hand club.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday from 3 to 7 p.m. McNerney will be collecting food outside Shaw’s Supermarket, this time with members of the Windham High School Key Club.

Stuffthebus1-2: Joey McNerney, 18, of Windham is leading the Stuff The Bus effort this December. His goal is to fill a bus with food, toys and clothes for the Windham Food Pantry this Christmas. Food pantry manager Madeline Roberts said there are 216 needy kids waiting to receive gifts this year.Stuffthebus1-2: Joey McNerney, 18, of Windham is leading the Stuff The Bus effort this December. His goal is to fill a bus with food, toys and clothes for the Windham Food Pantry this Christmas. Food pantry manager Madeline Roberts said there are 216 needy kids waiting to receive gifts this year.Stuffthebus3: From left: Busy Bee Laundry & Drycleaning owner George Bartlett and Joey McNerney, 18, of Windham are teaming up to collect items for the Windham Food Pantry for Christmas. “By giving to the Food Pantry, you know it stays right here in town,” said Bartlett.