We live in a society where the line between want and need is often blurred. The times that my family and I have served meals to the hungry have been positive experiences that reinforce my belief that volunteering to support our community is a win-win situation. The community thrives, and so does the individual.
Several weeks ago, my 11-year-old daughter, Chloe, and her comrades from the Woodland Ligers and Campfire Troop #1134 signed up to volunteer at Food Lifeline’s Repackaging Center in Shoreline for a night of sorting and bagging food. For many of the kids and parents who took part, it was their forth or fifth visit in the last couple of years. This time, I was there as an observer (though I did sweep errant carrots off the floor between note-taking), so I was able to truly appreciate the enthusiasm with which these sixth-grade girls tackled their mammoth task.
Ben Morris, Food Lifeline’s volunteer operations coordinator, escorted us to a refrigerated room where a 1,000-pound crate of loose frozen carrot slices waited to be repacked. It’s hard to imagine what 1,000 pounds of frozen carrots looks like – suffice it to say that my washer and dryer would easily fit inside the crate. Parents in our group used shovels to fill large tubs of carrots, which then went to the girls for bagging into manageable, three-pound family size bags that were distributed to food banks the next day.
As the rest of the parents supervised the assembly lines, the kids set to their task. Astonishingly, in a little over an hour, they emptied that first crate. Murray dollied in another 1,000 pounds of carrots, and the girls continued to take turns scooping, bagging, weighing, and labeling them. It was inspiring to hear Murray remind them that “what you put in bags today will be on someone’s dinner table as soon as tomorrow.”
As they worked, the kids shared their impressions about who might be standing in the food bank lines tomorrow: Kennady Brantley and her little sister Carter agreed that there would be “single parents who have to work and maybe don’t have as much money.” Several of the girls said “homeless people and people who can’t work.” Sydney Schuchat added “people who need a second chance.”
They also discussed how hunger-relief organizations like Food Lifeline are more important now than ever, citing the lousy economy and the rising cost of basic necessities. In fact, all of these pre-teens had well-informed, thoughtful insights about why hunger-relief programs need volunteers like them.
In all, they bagged 1,890 pounds of carrots – a small yet sizeable contribution toward the more than 22 million pounds of food that Food Lifeline will collect, repackage, and redistribute to Western Washington’s hungry this year.
For large organizations like Food Lifeline, volunteer numbers are highest around the holidays, says Karen Chernotsky, Food Lifeline Volunteer Manager. “October to December is by far the busiest quarter with regards to volunteers booking sessions, and we have seen record numbers of volunteers registering to get involved with us.”
Unfortunately, come spring and summer, the volunteer force typically drops by almost 50 percent. The 2008 volunteer numbers reflected that seasonal downturn: from October though December the repackaging center had 2,102 volunteers, compared to only 1,280 volunteers in July through August, Chernotsky said.
Some good news: So far this year, community support is on the rise. “Community support has increased so far this year – of course it’s not enough to meet the demand,” says Camille Wells, a spokeswoman for Food Lifeline. “I’ve heard many stories of people who used to volunteer for us who are now standing in the food lines. The idea of hunger has changed as people’s circumstances have changed.”
More help is always needed, and in this bleak economy, the need for food and people to support our community efforts to end hunger is growing. As tough times force legions of workers to join the ranks of the unemployed, many more families are being forced to choose between paying the bills and putting food on their tables. People just like you and me may be just a couple of paychecks short of standing in that food bank line, or worse.
Consider donating some of your family’s time – a few hours of your spring break or your summer can truly make a difference. Food Lifeline’s food repackaging center (1702 N.E. 150th St., Shoreline) welcomes volunteers to help sort food most weekdays. Additional volunteer jobs include helping with food pick-up and delivery and administrative support.
And if your family is in need, know that these organizations can help to put food on your table. When people in our community are hungry, it affects us all. The world begins to look a whole lot different, and the line between want and need becomes crystal clear.
