Volunteers boost Harry Chapin Food Bank’s reach

Reporter: Lois Thome
Published: Updated:

The Harry Chapin Food Bank relies heavily on its volunteers to make a significant impact in the community.

Linda is one of nearly 6,000 volunteers whose efforts amplify the impact of every donated dollar.

“I’ve been volunteering here for a little over three and a half years,” said Linda.

Volunteers like Linda are essential, whether they are distributing food in Charlotte County or sorting and repacking nutritious food at the Harry Chapin warehouse.

“I think everybody at the food bank gets recharged whenever they’re around the volunteers and just to just to see their enthusiasm and their civic-mindedness and their desire to collaborate and to help other people; it just makes you feel good,” said Richard Leber, CEO of the Harry Chapin Food Bank.

Last year, volunteers contributed 79,000 hours, valued at $2.5 million in in-kind service.

This contribution makes each dollar donated to the March to a Million Meals campaign go further and helps the food bank feed more families.

“I mean, there’s people that come at the end of the month that come crying because there’s nothing left in the cupboard, and they will say to us, ‘If you weren’t here today, we wouldn’t have any food in our house this week.’ And so it’s easy for us to get distracted by the beauty of our town here, but there’s a there’s people here who need us, and so it’s just important that we show up every week to be here for those people,” said Linda.

The dedication and heart of these volunteers feed both the people in line and those working behind the scenes.

Click here for our WINK Feeds Families’ March to a Million donation page.

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