Volunteering at the Food Bank

The last while I've been working more in the back at the Food Bank than I was previously.  When I first started doing volunteer work at the Food Bank, I worked exclusively in the kitchen area where we portion out food that comes in large quantities and has to be put into smaller containers to be given out to the needy. After awhile, though I was still portioning, I did some work sorting food items that were donated as this all has to be sorted to be put away where it belongs on the shelves.  This led
helping to put together the food hampers that are given out to people. Eventually, I started working at the front desk answering phones, making appointments, dealing with people that come in, and doing various small jobs on the computers. I also became the 'filing girl', doing all the filing of time sheets and other things that need to be filed.  This latter is something I just do about once a month as it can pile up and still only take me an hour or two to get it all filed alphabetically.  The gal that used to work in the back doing the food hampers isn't there any more, she had some health issues and had to leave. This has left us short handed, leaving Ron to do the hampers all by himself as well as the several other jobs he has to do.  Because of this, I have been working mostly in the back again, doing hampers, sorting when needed, restocking shelves, etc.  I also still do the filing.  For the most part, I drop in whenever I am in town and have a few hours of my time to give, though I do sometimes put my name down on the employee attendance calendar, indicating when I will be there to work.  I like to be free and uncommitted during motorcycle riding season, although now with the summer behind us, I will most likely settle down a bit and commit to a specific day each week when I will be there, as well as drop in for another day if I happen to have to opportunity.  Some of my friends doing see why I work for free, but I really enjoy my time at the Salvation Army Food Bank and I have no plans to stop working there any time in the foreseeable future.  I have formed new and wonderful friendships with people I work with there, we have a lot of fun and do a lot of laughing while working at doing something important.... feeding the needy.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
― Winston Churchill

 “I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.”
― Kahlil Gibran

 “For it is in giving that we receive.”
― St. Francis of Assisi

“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.”
― Mary Anne Radmacher

“The only gift I have to give, is the ability to receive. If giving is a gift, and it surely is, then my gift to you is to allow you to give to me. 
”
― Jarod Kintz  

A Great Friday

Yesterday my plans were to go to the chiropractor, then to the food bank to do my volunteer hours. I don't have a regular schedule for this, just drop over to the food bank whenever I have time to give. Well, when I came out of the chiropractor's office, I saw my buddy Phil having coffee out on the picnic table at Chevron, just across the street, so over there I went, got a tea and joined him.

When we were leaving, a car pulled up and it was my friend Lorraine whom I haven't seen since last summer. She had seen my trike so stopped to say Hi. As we were finishing a short visit, a guy on a Harley comes in, backs in beside my trike, right where Phil's Harley had been, and just sits on his bike. Lorraine leaves and this guy starts talking to me about my trike. That led to other topics of conversation. He lives in the town where I grew up, where Mom still lives as do some of the other family bits and pieces. He knows my sister Marcy, used to work with her husband Randy, knows many others I have known or have heard of over the years. He bought me another cup of tea, himself a coffee and cigar and we sat there chatting. Since I missed the time frame I'd have to be at the food bank, I decided to ride out to visit an elderly friend of mine, on Gerald's way home, so we rode out together. I decided to stop at a view area, a nice little park over looking Otter Lake. Gerald pulled in behind me "I was hoping you'd stop here!" So we sat there talking for some time too. Finally, we rode together to Armstrong, then he continued on. I had called Glen from the view area and had to kill a bit of time for him to get home, so treated myself to a ice cream cone at McDonalds then rode out to Glen's. Had a nice visit there. By the time I got back it was later than I had planned, so I didn't make it to the Spiritual Gathering I go to each Thursday evening. I phoned friends in Lillooet, planning to ride over there (about 5 hour ride as I have to stop every 100km to fuel up the trike's little gas tank), but there was no answer. SO... today I made it to the food bank. I am once again all caught up on my filing there, and I printed out some recipe labels that were needed for our food bank as well as the one in nearby Enderby. It was all in all a great Friday.