The food bank

By: 
D.C. Schultz, Guest Columnist

Over the past few months I have been volunteering a couple of days a week at our local food bank. 

A friend in an exercise class had encouraged me to look into spending some time helping others and he felt this organization was doing a great job for the community. So, I volunteered. 

They had a wide variety of tasks within the organization to choose from and after some amount of discussion and observance I decided to work in the area that receives food donations, mainly canned or boxed. I particularly liked the physical part of the job, lifting and sorting the donations after checking the expiration dates on the can or box.

So many other jobs dealt directly with the people in need. Checking resident address, family size, income, and other details to ensure the donations were going to legitimate people in need.

I didn’t want to work in that area. So much of my career dealt with direct service and I really just wanted the physical labor, do your own task, and have limited contact with others. 

This whole organization is about using volunteers and melding their efforts into making sure the food is distributed equitably, fairly, and something the population can count on. Over a total of 300 people on a weekly basis like me make up the bulk of getting the job done daily. Staff really just coordinates. 

It has been great! The full-time staff have been so helpful in training, facilitating, and making this volunteer workplace one I enjoy going to. And I have gained a number of good friends through the hours I spend working in the warehouse. 

What more could you ask for? Good exercise, doing something for others, meeting like-minded people. Take a look around for an opportunity in your area. 

 

Category:

The Brandon Valley Journal

 

The Brandon Valley Journal
1404 E. Cedar St.
Brandon, SD 57005
(605) 582-9999

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