We are wrapping up our Volunteer Spotlight series (for now!) with Beth, who has been volunteering at The Food Bank @ St. Mary’s since April 2011 and often helps us on Mondays, when we receive our biggest donations of the week. Beth reflects upon her experience here in a funny, realistic, and touching way–and it’s best to read in her own words:

I like getting to know the other volunteers and bonding with them over things like discovering that almond milk is really hard to get out of its boxes – why do they have to be taped AND glued? Since I live in the neighborhood, I feel as if I’m contributing to the well-being of my community in a really direct way. It seems like almost everyone I know has used a food bank at one time in their lives, whether they were a struggling college student, newly married couple, or unemployed for too long.

I’ve brought about a dozen different friends and family members to work with me. They’re always impressed with the amount and variety of food we’re able to distribute, the kindness of the volunteers, and the way everyone – first-time volunteers, the staff, and longstanding food bank “experts” – works in concert to make each day a success. It also stuns people to witness the sheer volume of the donations – food that otherwise would probably just go to waste. It’s easy to forget that stores are stocking more than they can sell, but when you see the crates and crates full of salads and bread and meat and cheese and apples and green peppers from Trader Joe’s, you realize that the business of food leaves a lot of leftovers.

Beth is fantastic and we are lucky to have her on our team. Thank you, Beth!

Adam recently moved to Seattle from the San Francisco Bay Area and started volunteering at The Food Bank @ St. Mary’s in January of this year. Although he has been here for just a few months, Adam has established himself as a strong and reliable volunteer. Adam regularly helps us by picking up donations from Trader Joe’s, QFC, and other locations, but may also be found sorting donations, distributing food to customers, distributing No Cook Bags, and helping with other odds and ends. He has even delivered groceries in our Home Delivery Program.

Adam volunteers because he likes meeting and working with the diverse team of volunteers and employees at The Food Bank @ St. Mary’s. He enjoys having the opportunity to make an effort to contribute to the community. Adam’s abilities are also varied when he’s not helping at the food bank; his hobbies include playing music, cooking, and computer programming.

Thank you, Adam!

Maddy started volunteering at The Food Bank @ St. Mary’s shortly after moving to Seattle in July 2010. On Saturdays, Maddy is a lead volunteer with our No Cook Bag Program, where she directly interacts with customers and distributes bags appropriate for people without cooking facilities. Maddy treats each customer with respect and her friendly attitude has made her a well-known volunteer among the homeless customers that she serves each week. When she is not distributing No Cook Bags, Maddy might be greeting customers at the check-in window, sorting food donations, or helping in any other way she can.

About her time here Maddy says, “I enjoy catching up with the customers each week, working hard, being part of an incredible support network and witnessing the impact that St. Mary’s has on the community.”

Thank you, Maddy!

Jay started volunteering at The Food Bank @ St. Mary’s in 2007 when he was looking for a job. During this time, he volunteered here every day. After getting a job, Jay became a regular Saturday volunteer and occasionally comes in when he has an extra day off work.

During a typical day here, Jay can be found performing several tasks. He often arrives early in the morning and helps by sorting donations and getting the bread donations ready for customers. Once we open up, he usually works on the line–which involves keeping food items stocked, helping people reach things, answering questions, and letting customers know how much of each item they may take. When we close, he often helps with clean up.

What he likes about volunteering here is knowing that he is helping people. Jay is a very reliable volunteer, and he often goes the extra mile for us. He is one of the well-known personalities among Saturday volunteers.

Thank you, Jay!

Vicente moved to the United States from the Philippines in 2004, and moved to Seattle in October of 2010. Shortly after, in December 2010, Vicente began volunteering at The Food Bank @ St. Mary’s as part of NAPCA’s Senior Community Service Employment Program. During his days here, Vicente helps us with various things such as building the home delivery bags, sorting food donations, and distributing produce to customers.

He says that he enjoys working at The Food Bank @ St. Mary’s because being here makes him happy. We’re glad that being here makes him happy–because having him here definitely makes us happy, too! Vicente is one of the hardest workers we’ve ever known.

Thank you, Vicente!