Treasure Coast Food Bank celebrates the thousands who give time to fight hunger

Volunteer Appreciation Month

Almost every week, Judy Roncska spends a couple mornings at Treasure Coast Food Bank’s warehouse packing and sorting food boxes and other household products for neighbors in need. Maureen Pringle volunteers her time throughout the year on several event committees, such as Hunger Action Month, and the Summer and Holiday Auction committees. And Adam Bookspan is a regular volunteer with Treasure Coast Food Bank’s Mobile Distributions.

“It’s a real team effort that most people will never see,” Bookspan shared. “Personally, I find it a privilege to be a part of this team effort.”

During Volunteer Appreciation Month, Treasure Coast Food Bank will celebrate Judy, Maureen, Adam, and the thousands of others whose volunteer efforts make it possible for the Food Bank to provide food each week to more than 225,000 people who don’t have enough to eat.

On average, volunteers donate about 46,000 hours of time to Treasure Coast Food Bank per year, the equivalent of 24 full-time positions and a necessity in fighting hunger on the Treasure Coast, said Judith Cruz, President and CEO of Treasure Coast Food Bank.

“Volunteers are at the heart of our mission,” Cruz said. “They help on the front lines and behind the scenes to make it possible for people in our community to have nutritious food, and we are privileged to have them as part of our team.”

Those who volunteer regularly are known as the Treasure Coast Food Corps, and they lead projects in almost every aspect of the organization. While some volunteer at mobile distributions and home deliveries, others assist in the Production Kitchen or on special event committees.

Treasure Coast Food Bank also hosts monthly Friends & Family Days in which children eight and older can volunteer alongside their parents, as can corporate teams who want to give back as a business.

Each Friday during the month of April, Treasure Coast Food Bank will host events that make the volunteer shifts more like a party. There will be Country Western, Sports, Disney, Beach, and Decades-themed Fridays. During the volunteer shifts on those days, volunteers and staff will play music and dress in costumes related to the week’s theme. There will be raffles for prizes throughout the shifts as well.

Treasure Coast Food Bank is continuously updating its volunteering opportunities to get more of the community engaged and involved with stopping hunger. For more information about volunteering or to register yourself or your group, visit www.stophunger.org/volunteer/ or email volunteer@tcfoodbank.org.

ABOUT TREASURE COAST FOOD BANK
Treasure Coast Food Bank is the only food bank and largest hunger relief organization on Florida’s Treasure Coast, providing the community each year with millions of meals valued at more than $50 million through robust programs and in partnership with 400 charitable organizations in Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Okeechobee counties. In addition to emergency food distribution, Treasure Coast Food Bank operates a full roster of direct service programs that not only solve the immediate problem of hunger, but help individuals and families gain long-term food security, better health outcomes, and self-sufficiency. Treasure Coast Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. For more information on Treasure Coast Food Bank, call 772.489.3034, log on to stophunger.org, visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/tcfoodbank, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/tcfoodbank.