We do a lot of service work in the community, and much of it is with a local food bank. They have an impressive operation and provide food for thousands of families in need all over the Valley. On Monday, we got a call from the volunteer coordinator: with the Christmas holiday approaching, there was a need to prepare and package more food than usual, and she was having a hard time finding people to help. We told her we’d not only help, but round up a few assistants as well.
Our young adult group was excited to volunteer! We all showed up at the food warehouse yesterday morning and went to work filling boxes. Every box contained juice, rice, beans, peas, and nuts. We set up an assembly line and made quick work of the pallets of warehoused food.
Our hard-working crew of seven managed to pack almost four hundred boxes in two hours. Woo hoo!
Today it was time to deliver all of it. At the distribution points, people drive up in cars and we load their trunks or back seats with food. These boxes we’d packed were only a portion of it; there are also mixed vegetables, potatoes, apples, strawberries, milk, frozen meat, canned goods, pasta, and so on. It’s impressive. This time we asked the missionaries to help, and they answered the call.
It’s awesome to volunteer like this, knowing the work we’re doing in the warehouse and on the street is directly benefitting the people who need help.