Church and Society
We've Got an App for That!
"Apple," that is...
What would we be packing this morning? Would it be kiwis? I see some oranges over there… The corn looks like it won’t be mushy! A team of ten smiling volunteers from the Campbell United Methodist Church would soon find out as we gathered at Second Harvest Food Bank’s recently donated, impressive building on No. First Street. Eager to get started and help out, we were shown to an area that had apples -- lots and lots of apples! And lots and lots of empty boxes!!
Our group got right to work. Some assembled boxes, others weighed the filled boxes to make sure they were approximately 25 pounds, and most spent the morning leaning into the large bins sorting and boxing the apples. The activity provided ample opportunities to converse with others and we celebrated with a round of applause each time a large cardboard bin was emptied. What a welcome sight the bottom of a bin becomes!
When our time was up, 10 pallets were piled high with boxes of apples. Each pallet held 50 boxes and each box contained approximately 25 pounds of apples. This equates to our apple team packing 500 boxes of apples, or 12,500 pounds of fruit -- all within just a few hours! Over the next few days, the apples were on their way to homeless shelters, food pantries, and other locations. Second Harvest Food Bank works with more than 300 agencies to provide nutritious food items to those in need.
There are an estimated quarter million people who are in need and apply for assistance just within Santa Clara County. Second Harvest Food Bank relies heavily on volunteers to ensure the food is received and distributed smoothly and efficiently. In 2012, Second Harvest benefited from an amazing 300,000 hours of volunteers' time! This extraordinary number of volunteers helped the organization free up $6 million dollars, which provides Second Harvest with tremendous buying power. Purchasing up to 44,000 pounds of food per year allows them to buy seasonal produce as low as 4 cent per pound.
Volunteering at Second Harvest is a rewarding and fun experience. Many of the Saturday volunteers help out whenever their schedules allow, and those new to volunteering are always welcome. It's heartwarming to see so many enthusiastic volunteers ready to work and to know that the fresh produce being packed that day will be in the hands (and tummies) of those who need it most within just a few days.
If you are curious about their operations or are looking for a few hours of volunteer work for a very worthy cause, consider helping out at Second Harvest Food Bank. At the end of the morning, you will leave with a deep sense of fulfillment, knowing that your effort will truly make a difference in helping satisfy people's most basic of needs -- nourishment. Watch for notices of our next outing; you won't regret it!
Thank you to the volunteers who helped at Second Harvest! (l-r) Sue Edson, Alice McManus, Patty Henderson, Gail Jacobs, Sue and Dave Takacs, Carla and Audrey Twilleager (not pictured: April McManus, Steve Stubbs)
And one last thing -- if you aren't able to volunteer, donating a can is just as helpful. Barrels are located on the church campus!
Gail Jacobs
Church & Society