Any Food Bank Volunteers? Tell Me Your Experiences

So, for me this is about building a community. Purpose-driven connections with like-minded people.

Yeah, I can grow insane amounts of food to donate. But however much I enjoy doing it, it's a completely solitary quest. That doesn't cut it.

I know that food banks have evolved far beyond a basket of chow every two weeks. Foundational skills like cooking and money skills are the "hand-up" part. Teach a man to fish ...!

I also know that some people can work their tails off in two part-time jobs and barely make the rent. The food bank helps them through.

But I'm also leery:  I personally know an able-bodied individual who can and should work but instead manipulates others and uses/abuses the food bank. That makes my blood boil.

Food bank volunteers, talk to me: what is it like? What do you get out of it? How do you keep the faith? Is the job worth the candle?

I volunteered at a food bank through my union. I was in a “back of house” type area with other IBEW members, taking food off of pallets/out of containers and putting it into grocery carts that other volunteers wheeled out to the “front of house”, so I never got to actually see the people who use the food bank getting the stuff I had helped them get.

I was impressed with the quantities of food that had been donated—it must have been thousands or tens of thousands of each type of item, including loaves of bread, bags of potatoes, onions, apples, jugs of milk, and cases of microwave Mac-n-cheese.

The other volunteers were cheerful and joyous, which was heartwarming.

There was a strong police presence, mainly because cops (mostly older semi-retired officers, I’d guess) were directing traffic into and around the food bank. I found that sorta nice (cops doing uplifting community work) but also a bit unnerving (always feel like I have to tread lightly when there’s tons of cops around, not sure why). And I bet their presence deterred some people who otherwise would have benefitted from the food bank.

The strange thing to me was how the food bank was set up—those grocery carts i mentioned earlier were being wheeled out to a driveway and loaded into people’s cars, drive-thru style. I’m sure people without cars had just as easy a way to use the food bank but the main way it was laid out did seem to be designed around private vehicle traffic. I guess that just says something about where I live, that even people who can own and maintain their own cars still may need some help putting food on the table. But I couldn’t help that thought “if you have a car…” creeping into my head.

Even if the ratio of “handing up” to “handing out” was very low, I still felt good doing something to help people in need.

There were so many volunteers (easily hundreds at once, probably thousands over the course of the day), and so much donated food, and the food bank seemed like such a large and well-choreographed operation, with such a high degree of support from local authorities, that it did get me thinking about why we should ever have hunger at all in a place like this. And yet statistics about it are always shocking.

I also have worked at a few food banks, in the back and also in direct contact with clients.

Ned Harr wrote:the main way it was laid out did seem to be designed around private vehicle traffic.

I've seen this type, I think where I was the vast majority of people still had cars (even if they were living in them), in the US I think you really have to be in a big urban center for most people to depend on a transport mode other than cars, even among people who need food. Public transport is so rare, and cars are so cheap in the US-- you may not have money for rent but you can have a used car (outside the US, things are a bit different). Also, a lot of the clients also may have mobility problems or kids, and the idea of having to get out of the car and herd several children through a food bank situation might be enough to dissuade people from participating.

I also worked at a church one on a very small scale that was the exact opposite. The donations were really random and diverse (from individual donations); all the items were laid out on tables and shelves in a "market" type flow setup by category, and a volunteer accompanied each client so they could choose the items they wanted. There were set limits for each "department": three boxes of pasta/rice, three health/hygiene item, etc. I found that kind of weird, but people definitely had individual preferences and it would have been worse to just give people a random bag with things they didn't want or need. Being a church in a town where everyone knew each other, they also really wanted to build bonds (even though I personally found it amazingly awkward and probably would have preferred to go hungry). Most of the clients were elderly and I think were really looking to talk to someone, so I guess in this case they were responding well to the local need.

About the deserving and the non-deserving. In a past life I directed a nonprofit and did a lot of community-focused work (in case you can't tell by me calling everyone clients). For a time I also had a family health situation (critically ill child) where we were the target of charity. So I've seen it from both sides.

It's really hard for some people to accept help, as you know.
Some donors really want to see "gratitude", and others are really afraid of their clients. This doesn't make it any easier for people who need help to get it.
Other people have absolutely no qualms about taking things they might not really need, for a variety of reasons.
Personally I try to focus on "the gift"- the intention of giving something away. Once the thing I give away is out of my hands, it belongs to someone else. How they use it or why they took it is not my problem, and if it is a problem maybe I need to reexamine my motivation for giving and whether I really want to give things away. If I am giving away several gifts, and one person who might not "deserve" it gets one, it is much more important to me that someone else receives one when they really need it, so I might see it as a kind of overhead or price of doing business. As for right/wrong/good/evil, that's all above my pay grade and for karma, God and Mother Nature to sort out.

Douglas, if you're interested in produce-related food bank stuff I suggest you read through Su Ba's epic threads. She's doing AMAZING AMAZING things for her community and is super inspiring.

I remember reading in a book about a group building "food clubs" rather than "food banks".

The concept was that everyone put a certain amount of money in the kitty every month, and with the pooled money, the organizers could take advantage of Bulk sales and commercial sellers where food is packaged in quantities too large for the homeowner.

The benefit of this is that the users no longer felt the stigma of "needing charity". The group could provide input as to what would be ordered when. It was community building rather than just servicing. It did require the backing of some community spot like a church or community hall that had a kitchen, so there was some "charity" involved, but it didn't come across that way.

There are some good books about how the only one that feels better about charity is the giver and how it can be quite damaging to the receiver - particularly the person who feels responsible to support their family and simply can't. I've read about how international aid, barring emergency situations, can be demoralizing and damaging to the community. It has made me think differently about how we approach such things.

I spent some time volunteering at and even on the board of directors for a food bank.  I would not do the board group again.  Still volunteer in community  shelters and donate to food banks.

I will offer this.  Most of the people I encountered in food banks were not people unwilling to work, but who had limited options to work.  Yes, there were some on other programs designed for assistance.  Most were not.  It is easier to go to Walmart and swipe a SNAP card for exactly what you selected from the shelf than go and pick up some staples at the food bank.  Most people at the food bank were working people whom just could not get ends to meet or keep them tied together when they could.  Working poor is the more common demographic at the food bank.  (Cerainly some overlap with single parent households using WIC and other programs)

What I wish I could have achieved at the food bank was making the fresh food you describe the norm and not the off the shelf, boxed, pre-packaged "food" that is a large part of the Western diet.  I was in a minority on that and a few other opinions, so bowed out of my role.  However, if you have an outlet that is willing to do 'real food', then I would strongly encourage you to pursue the opportunity.  I would suggest you explore the organizations you want to help to see if they actually see it as help.  Volunteer 'on the front line' to get a measure of the clientele, and also the need.  1 or 2 afternoons working with the group will give you a good idea of how you fit into their plan.  

And thank you.  The world needs more people whom will "do for others".  The need is certainly there.  There are abuses.  But volunteering should be for you, first and foremost.  (feed your soul.)  Then you will find the right need that you can fill for others.

I am fortunate enough to have quite a well organized, well run, and well supported food bank located in a rather rural area where I am located. They have it organized in such a way that folks can volunteer in a way that is most comfortable to them.

Some folks are front of the house distributing, some folks are back of the house moving things, seasonally there are farm gleans where folks go out and pick less-than-best produce that would otherwise go to waste and then a bunch of other odd jobs. What really impresses me about this food bank is that they have excellent outreach into the community through messaging and business partnerships. An especially effective partnership has been with local libraries to act as distribution centers by stocking them with some produce that people can take as they need.

I've participated in a glean which was work but pleasant work. Good conversations, upbeat attitudes and a wide variety of people with different backgrounds.

I try not to think about people's motives for utilizing the food bank, I just care that people are being fed. A lot of foods have a finite window to be utilized and a lot of the material would go to waste otherwise. Good nutrition should be for all.

Thanks to all the volunteers!
Like Douglass, I donate excess produce and I'd like to participate in some kind of community with human contact. In addition to reading the permie experiences that are shared here, I learned so much from the experiences given in the ~half hour documentary, Together We Grow: The Story of Common Unity by Happen Films.
This window into the lives of volunteers and recipients was mind-expanding and very moving to me. The film also offers an alternative model - The ReMakery - to traditional food banks.
IMO, well worth watching!

Excellent responses! Thanks everyone.

Hi Douglas,

Not a food bank but a “soup kitchen”.  Short form is that I operated a human services organization that had a large kitchen and dinning area.  We closed our doors at 4:00.  We learned of a group looking for a site for a soup kitchen.  Of course, I volunteered our building beginning at 4:15.  We did not charge for the use of the building. We went by the good neighbors policy …if you break it, fix or replace it…clean up when you are finished.  I am not sure how long the soup kitchen operated … at least 10 years.   We had excellent relations.   The organizers quickly enrolled a variety of clubs and religious organizations. Each one took took a different day.

And yes, I can’t recall a single day that soup was served.

I'm in a small rural community. We serve our own community which is a tourist area in the summer. We also cover the villages on either side of our community and the edge of a second on one side as well as a remote community that is only accessible by 4 wheeler, train whistle stops combined with 4 wheelers, and depending on the time of year, snow machines. So basically we cover four and a half communities. I have worked as a volunteer and for some time in different paid positions as well as being a client. So I have seen the local Food Pantry from many different perspectives.

Many in these communities are elderly, widowed or retired or a combination, work seasonally, or move here with no idea how they will support themselves or their families. There are very few year round jobs within these communities.  And there are of course, also those who prefer not to work.

During covid we were a drive through Pantry as we have a very small building. Everything was prepacked and handed out as you drove around our building. Before covid and after the restrictions were lifted folks can come inside. We have one area where you check in and the federal commodities are given out, the next area we call our non-reg room. It is for foods and other items that are not federally regulated. Then we have a produce area where we offer fresh produce. In all except the Federal commodities clients are allowed to choose whatever they wish. In the Non-Reg area there is a specific number of items based on household size. The produce room you are allowed one of everything we have. When we receive produce in bulk we often bag it ourselves into family portions.

We have programs our director has implemented that I have never heard of anywhere else. She was a grant writer at one time and has used that knowledge to write and apply for grants for many special programs. These programs range from a kids pantry at our local high school as we have many homeless kids in our communities who are basically couch surfers who spend many knights sleeping on different friends couches.  We also have bagged weekend foods that kids at the elementary schools can take home on the weekend to help supplement  them while they are not receiving school lunches and such.

There is another program that allows us to deliver food (as they would get if they came to the pantry) to seniors and disabled clients. This program also has arranged with out local transit service for a shuttle ride to pick seniors up and return them to their homes for a hot lunch which is served every Tuesday at our local Senior Center, weather permitting.  And a third section of this program which provides breakfast vouchers to a local restaurant for Senior on that part of the program who are not part of the lunch program. All of these are designed to not only provide food for our seniors and disabled who qualify but also to help with isolation. It gets them out and around other folks and has resulted in many friendships and connections that may not have happened otherwise. Many of these seniors went for weeks without seeing anyone except possibly our Senior delivery driver (A position I held at one time.)

We also have a "community" garden at one of the local churches. Though it is not the type where folks in the community have space in the garden. It id where we grow food to be passed out to the community through the food pantry. The pantry volunteers and director built it, plant it, weed, water and harvest it. We have four- of the 12X20 foot portable greenhouses which we grow hydroponic produce in. (My husband and I do most of that one) and all the produce is handed out to the community through the food Pantry. That one is off grid as there is limited water and electricity available to it. (Uses a method called "Kratky system".)

We do get donations but as we are over an hour away from any larger cities, we don't get that much compared the the food pantries in the closest city or in Anchorage. Many folks in our communities live off grid with no running water or electricity.

Our director has also gotten grants for firewood, heating oil and fuel cards. Many folks in our areas need help with heating fuel or fuel for their generators.

During the holidays we have special Thanksgiving and Christmas boxes that are given out in addition to the regular monthly foods folks can get twice a month from the Pantry.

On normal days, we frequently don't have enough volunteers, but we find ways to make things work. Often the director or her assistant will end up doing our shopping and some is even done online through places like Amazon business. If they are shopping it means going either into the town an hour or so each way or into Anchorage which is about 2 hours drive each way. They also frequently help hand out food in the pantry, or at the summer lunch programs we run at the libraries in  a couple of the communities.  At one point we also tried a mobile pantry as many did not have their own transportation.

My husband and I also grow food at our place for the pantry. Last summer we planted 100 heads of leaf lettuce each week for the pantry in addition to whatever produce the pantry received from the state food bank or donations. This year we plan to put the lettuce in one of the hydroponic greenhouses along with the cucumbers, mini cabbage, summer squash, and tomatoes we manage for the pantry and growing some other foods that take longer to mature at our place for them.

Hope this gives some ideas for anyone interested.

i know someone who works at the local food bank and there have been suspicions for years of mis management
even leading to volunteers quitting in the past but now it has all come to light:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Scarborough/comments/1qaukoy/daily_bread_to_cut_off_scarborough_food_bank/

I have volunteered in a drive through food pantry for about 4 years now.  
What I have learned...  
  We support those who truly need food.
  Do not judge someone by the car they drive.  Perhaps an uncle died and gave it to them.  We don't know and we shouldn't judge!
  Most in my community are very grateful for what we are able to give them.
  There will always be people who abuse the system, any system.
  Many markets in our area are gracious and donate food.  That says a lot about a business.

When presented with a pecan pie and sang to (happy birthday), the homeless man on a bicycle lowered his head and shed a tear.  Doesn't that say it all?