January Project: Food Bank

I volunteered at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina today –squeezing in the project just before my end-of-month deadline. It was a great project for getting me going on this year-long quest. I didn’t have to provide a list of references or complete any training. I didn’t have to provide a medical history report or complete any extensive paperwork. All I had to do was show up, follow some simple instructions and get to work.

I was one of about 50 people who volunteered at the Food Bank this afternoon. Half of us worked in the Salvage Room sorting through canned food that had been donated by local companies. The other half worked in the main warehouse sorting donations that had been collected via food drives.

It was surprising to see how quickly a large group of individuals worked out a system for the task at hand. In no time at all, the Salvage Room volunteers had a process for sorting through boxes and boxes of canned yams, adhering Food Bank labels and putting them back in clearly-marked, reinforced boxes.

The Food Bank estimates that for every hour volunteers work, 317 pounds of food is distributed to their network of partner agencies who serve the 400,000 people at risk in their service area. Each month, the Food Bank provides more than 2.7 million pounds of food to their partner agencies, which include soup kitchens, homeless shelters and food pantries. They estimate that volunteers sort 40% of their warehouse inventory. As the volunteer coordinator told us today, the Food Bank relies very, very much on their volunteers.

If you’re in the Raleigh area and you’re looking for a way to give back to the community, I encourage you to check the volunteer information page for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina’s Raleigh Branch. They have countless opportunities and various schedules. If you’re not in Raleigh, but wondering about Food Bank opportunities in your area, try consulting the Feeding America website, which has a “Find a Volunteer Opportunity” form.