By Jerry Brown, St. Mary’s Food Bank
The holidays are always a wonderful time to give back — Not only are we moved to exchange gifts and share meals with friends and loved ones, but we reach out to those less fortunate with the gift of our time.
At St. Mary’s Food Bank, the months of November and December are always busy ones.
We distributed turkeys, holiday food boxes and table trimmings to more than 16,000 Arizona families in the week leading up to Thanksgiving. Less than a month later we were filling cars and wagons with turkeys and food for the Christmas season.
This Herculean task could not be accomplished without not only the donations of food and funds from generous Arizonans, but the commitment of their time and energy as volunteers filled with the spirit of the season.
Another holiday season has ended, and the Christmas trees and lights are put away as the focus shifts to the start of another calendar year. But in January, February and every month, those same families, seniors and children we helped in November and December are still coming to St. Mary’s for help.
Every month, the food bank distributes more than 45,000 emergency and senior food boxes, operates more than 60 mobile pantries, and sends thousands of children home with weekend backpacks filled with food for their families.
But the task is much more difficult because the hundreds of volunteers who filled box-packing and food-loading shifts also disappear each year. Shifts that were so full we had to turn away volunteer requests in November and December are less than half full and month later, while the lines of clients in need remain.
If you have come to St. Mary’s in the past and enjoyed your experience — or if you have always thought about volunteering but ran out of time during the holidays — know that is absolutely the best time to help us with our mission.
We have a volunteer shift to fit your schedule. We have morning and afternoon shifts that begin at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 8 a.m. and noon on Saturday. The shifts typically last about two hours and you will be amazed with the amount of work and the number of families who can be helped through your donation of time.
This month, we have been pulling employees from all other departments to help create enough food boxes to meet the demand. With inflation driving up the prices of rent, gasoline and food, many families are using St. Mary’s as a safety value to get through another month.
If you have a group at work or belong to a group or organization, groups of 20 or more are welcome. If you have a small group of family or friends, that works great. If it’s just you and you have a few hours to spare, you might make a new friend while helping.
The holidays might be behind us for another year, but the opportunity to feel the holiday spirit by giving back is available now.
Visit firstfoodbank.org to call (602) 242-FOOD to reserve a spot on a day that fits for you.
Editor’s note: Jerry Brown is director of public relations at St. Mary’s Food Bank.
