April is Volunteer Appreciation Month
April is Volunteer Appreciation Month! Volunteers are essential to The Idaho Foodbank and our network of over 400 food distribution partners as we work together to end hunger in Idaho. In our last fiscal year, volunteers donated 70,038 hours of their time working at The Idaho Foodbank. This is equivalent to the work of 33 full-time employees!
We are grateful for the volunteers in our partner network who are an integral part of the work to help Idahoans who are struggling to make ends meet.
Our volunteers do a variety of jobs, including re-packing large produce donations into family-size bags, filling food boxes for seniors, or directly giving food to the people in need in their community at one of our mobile pantries.
If you are interested in volunteering at any of our three locations, please visit our website here:
We want to take a moment to shine a spotlight on some of our volunteers around the state.
EASTERN IDAHO
Calvary Alliance Church in Pocatello has been serving The Idaho Foodbank community for several years, not only donating their time but also donating financially to our mission. Church members have spent countless hours repacking produce, making emergency food bags, serving meals every Thanksgiving, and so much more.
NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO
Sharon Heuett volunteers both as a receptionist and pantry volunteer at our weekly pantry distribution in Lewiston. To Sharon, volunteering is more than just stuffing envelopes or putting food on shelves – it’s about genuinely helping people and making them feel safe. Sharon herself has had to ask for help several times and she wants everyone to know that it’s okay to do so. For nearly three years, Sharon has provided invaluable assistance to The Foodbank, and we are honored to recognize her this month.
SOUTHWEST IDAHO
This year we have decided to honor 45 of our volunteers in Meridian who have given over 250 hours of their time to The Idaho Foodbank. These 45 individuals have volunteered a total of 27,000 hours, which is the equivalent of having 13 full-time employees. The work done by our volunteers allows us to spend more of our funds on food so that we can keep high levels of food available for Idahoans in need.