Our volunteers are at the heart of our mission, and we can’t appreciate them enough. Their countless hours sorting through donations, packing boxes, working at events, and fighting hunger have been instrumental in our ability to serve our community effectively. We are excited to introduce you to a few of our volunteers.
Valerie has been with Second Harvest since 2018 and loves that volunteer shifts are times where she can get in the nitty-gritty of organizing and categorizing. We know we could stick Valerie in a room filled with food and boxes, and she would be happy sorting her way through the day! While Valerie loves getting to pack those food boxes, she volunteers for more important reasons. She says, “I’ve had my own experience of food insecurity and so the purpose behind volunteering is especially meaningful.” Thank you for volunteering, Valerie!
James has volunteered for two years now and is passionate about changing the lives of those around him. James knows there are over 353,000 people in Middle and West Tennessee facing hunger, and, while that may be a daunting number, a few hours packing donations can have a huge impact. James shares, “My favorite part about volunteering at Second Harvest is being able to impact so many lives in such a meaningful way!” Thank you for volunteering, James.
Chris may have just started volunteering at Second Harvest, but he has big goals for 2024. This year, he wants to hit 100 hours volunteering with us. That’s equivalent to almost four days spent fighting hunger! The playlists on loop during volunteer shifts keep Chris going. He admits, “Shifts are half volunteering and half karaoke, all while sorting a record amount of food.” Keep up the good work, Chris, and don’t stop singing!
Charlotte is a familiar face in the volunteer sorting rooms, and always looks forward to knowing the impact she’s made. She says, “My favorite part of volunteering at Second Harvest is when our Volunteer Coordinators read off how many meals we provided because it really makes us (the volunteers) see how big of an impact we made.” Charlotte has spent time volunteering with so many different groups, she can hardly keep count. Her favorite, though, is Girl Scouts. Spending time with 20 eight year olds was a perfect afternoon, for Charlotte. Thank you for your time, Charlotte. We appreciate you!