Amber and her 10-year-old daughter Rylee are a great example of steady volunteers who have become an integral part of our Foodbank family. They first visited the Foodbank last fall with Rylee's travel softball team, and by the end of 2017, they were regular volunteers.
The teammates commit to five volunteer visits per year at the Foodbank, which qualifies each of them as a VIV, Very Important Volunteer. This distinction earns them a bright red water bottle to showcase their acheivement. "They were all very excited to show those off at practice!" shared Amber.
Amber is thankful to share this experience with her daughter. "I've had my own personal lows and have needed help. To be a lifeline for someone else is a great feeling," she explained.
After sorting and cleaning donated food items in the Volunteer Center, the mother-daughter duo was amazed to learn how impactful their volunteer time was. At the end of each shift, the Foodbank tells volunteers how many meals they helped sort and repack.
"To know that the food we directly handled would soon be on someone's dinner table was very eye-opening," said Amber.
In addition to volunteering at the Foodbank, Rylee is passionate about childhood hunger. She often takes an extra sandwich to school in case a classmate is without lunch. She likes knowing that some of the Foodbank's partner programs give children access to meals over the weekend through backpack programs. Her passion excited us for the future of our volunteer force. What an inspiration!