Pat Clark, of Raleigh, N.C. is retired.
There are many places across the Triangle to volunteer. Why IFFS?
To me there isn’t much more important than helping feed people who are hungry. This is such an amazing place with the breadth of the vision that’s here. It’s not just collecting barrels of food and handing it out, but also teaching people to cook and to grow food and to be educated about nutrition. It’s just the most wonderful place. The folks who work and volunteer at IFFS are really great. I think we are so fortunate to have such an amazing organization here working to end hunger. It’s a good feeling to be a part of it.
What do you think is a common misconception folks have about the issue of hunger?
I don’t think people realize the extent of hunger in this community. I don’t think people realize that it’s a lot of children and a lot of older folks, and it’s not something people chose.
Talk about when you started volunteering with Inter-Faith Food Shuttle?
My first introduction to IFFS was through my church, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh. Several years ago, our congregation voted on what community issues to focus on for the coming year. Food insecurity was chosen. Our fellowship stepped up efforts at IFFS – collecting food, bagging food for seniors and delivering it, and gleaning. I volunteered several times to bag food and deliver it.
You also provide a lot of help behind the scenes, correct?
Last year, I was looking for new volunteer opportunities, and because of the connection with my church, I called IFFS. I’ve been volunteering in the office one morning a week since last summer. Currently I’m working on pickup schedules for IFFS trucks that recover food from the very generous stores that donate food. I like that these projects help me learn more about all the wonderful things that this organization does.
Want to join Pat as an IFFS Volunteer? Click here to sign up or email Volunteers@FoodShuttle.org
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By Lindsay Humbert, IFFS Digital Media Specialist. Contact: Lindsay@FoodShuttle.org