Dear Friends,
Volunteering at The Hunger Coalition is not the most glamorous job. There are no membership perks or tax incentives. You may spend your time covered in dirt at Bloom Farm or up to your elbows in beets, ensuring our food pantry is stocked with fresh produce.
If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s such thing as a truly selfless act, I encourage you to talk to one of our volunteers. Each and every person who volunteers for The Hunger Coalition steps outside of themselves to make life better for someone else.
What results from this uncommon selflessness is what drives our mission. Volunteers make sure food ends up in the hands of the people while building a sense of community that can move mountains.
It’s volunteer appreciation month and although we are grateful every day of the year, we’d like to take this month to express how truly special our volunteers are. Please join me in celebrating all the wonderful the volunteers in our lives.
With Gratitude,
Jeanne Liston, executive director
*photo by Jay Graham
To read the full April Newsletter, please click here.
Rock star volunteers, Andrea Ruiz and Wendy Chase
Recently, Hunger Coalition volunteer turned warehouse assistant, Andrea Ruiz, spoke to what she likes most about our community…
“[I appreciate] the love and willingness to help each other. I see it all the time. You can do things alone, but as a team, as a community, we can achieve big goals!”
Andrea’s testament to the power of our community also applies to our team of volunteers. This selfless, passionate crew of over 400 people invested a total of 12,000 hours in the cause last year! Our volunteers navigate everyday challenges with grace, always giving the best possible service in a tight, crowded, often emotionally charged environment.
Cassi Sotelo, volunteer coordinator, has organized several different ways for volunteers to engage in our mission. She’s hosting new volunteer tours every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. and will soon hold Volunteer Impact Meetingswhere volunteers have the opportunity to voice their opinions on hot topics in the food justice world.
Our deepest thanks to all volunteers. Happy Volunteer Appreciation Month! We can’t wait to further connect over good food for all.
FROM THE FIELD
Spring has sprung! The snow is melting at Bloom Community Farm and onions are already emerging at local greenhouses.
In May, we’ll have weekly opportunities for everyone in the community to get involved at the farm and garden through ourVolunteer for Veggies program. Check our website for details.
FIRST DAY
This month, we’ve hired a crew of ten hard-working teens for Bloom Youth Project.Soon the team will get to work planting seeds in the greenhouse, attending life skills workshops and laying the foundation for a successful season through team building and workplace development activities.
Our first life skills workshop will be Money Management in which we’ll talk basic finances, set personal financial goals and visit Mountain West Bank for a tour of the vault. There is plenty to do until the snow melts,but we are looking forward to getting our hands dirty on the farm and can’t wait to see where this crew of interns takes us.
This program was recently awarded a generous grant from the Wood River Women’s Foundation.Thank you ladies for your commitment to the next generation of change-makers!