Volunteers are the life blood of our operations! Much of what we do is accomplished by willing hands that are paid in gratitude, not dollars. Volunteers arrive in ones & twos, or part of larger groups; they come from schools or faith congregations; and sometimes they show up with their coworkers—for a day of team-building and community-building combined.
Because September is Hunger Action Month—when we focus on the actions everyone can take to help alleviate hunger—we are giving a shout-out to our corporate volunteers. Abbey Riesett, Volunteer Manager, says “the level of engagement is amazing—the companies don’t just support their employees’ efforts, they actually pay them for the time they spend working for us!”
We rely on our corporate partners to help us run our programs and expand our reach deeper into our seven-county service area. Corporate groups help grow thousands of pounds of food every year at the Food Shuttle Farm and in our Learning Gardens. They pack over 46,000 bags of food to support childhood and senior nutrition programs and many support school pantries by hosting in-office food drives to make sure shelves are always stocked with nutritious items.
A group from Blue Cross Blue Shield NC volunteers at the Geer Street Learning Garden
According to Abbey, about 2/3 of our corporate partners support us in multiple ways—volunteering plus monetary donations, or food drives, or special events. That says a lot for the companies we have in this community!
Here’s just a taste of the ways that local corporations are helping us during Hunger Action Month:
- 9/13—Plan365—BackPack packing
- 9/12 – Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina—Geer St. Learning Garden
- 9/15— Cisco Information Security at RTP —Farm harvesting
- 9/15—GSK Finance—Farm harvesting
- 9/15 – MAXPOINT—Grocery Bags for Seniors
- 9/19—Pepsi Bottling Ventures—BackPack packing
- 9/20—Forrest Firm—BackPack packing
- 9/21—ABC Supply CFS—Grocery Bags for Seniors
- 9/22—Biogen Care Deeply Day—Grocery Bags for Seniors
- 9/22—Hughes Pittman & Gupton, LLP—Farm harvesting
- 9/22—Capital Financial Solutions—Camden St. Learning Garden
- 9/26—Realtors Foundation of Wake Co.—BackPack packing
- 9/28 & 9/29—Qualcomm—Grocery Bags for Seniors
Is your place of business looking for meaningful ways to foster teamwork? With engaged corporate partners, we can make every month Hunger Action Month!
Some of our most popular volunteer experiences for corporate groups are BackPack Buddies and the Food Shuttle Farm. “BackPack Buddies is ideal because a packing event can be completed in an hour. Everyone can be in and out over the course of their lunch break” says Abbey. “The Food Shuttle Farm is also great for groups looking to have a team building day by volunteering. There is something special about getting out of the office and working hard outside helping us grow food.
Get your company involved during Hunger Action Month by clicking here!
Volunteer group out at the Food Shuttle Farm!