After nearly seven months without one of our operation’s most crucial resources, The Food Bank has begun to welcome back volunteers. People are once again asked to join the effort to feed neighbors by giving their time. With a number of COVID-19 policies in place to keep our people safe, volunteers are making an impact.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, The Food Bank made the decision to drastically reduce its number of volunteers to keep people safe. The most common volunteer opportunities, like those in our Volunteer Room, were outright suspended. Since we heavily rely on volunteers to repackage and distribute food, the decision created a major hurdle in The Food Bank’s operation when the work to be done was at an all-time high. This meant we needed support from other sources. Thankfully, members of the Missouri National Guard jumped in with additional hands, along with temporary workers who were funded through a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health. In 2019, The Food Bank had 15,120 volunteers who worked 106,260 hours. Because of the support of the National Guard, The Food Bank was able to maintain and even expand its operation with only 5,046 people serving 63,955 hours in 2020.
In November of 2020, we started reintroducing volunteers with several COVID-19 precautions. Now, The Food Bank is slowly bringing in more and more volunteers. At the beginning of March, we changed the age requirements from 18 years of age and older to 16 years of age and older. People interested in volunteering can sign up at sharefoodbringhope.org/volunteer.
As the call for more volunteers is heard and people once again feel safe, The Food Bank continues to see an increase in volunteer support. At the beginning of February, we saw an average of eight volunteers per shift. In March, there was an average of 10 volunteers per shift. The Food Bank’s Saturday shifts, which averaged 15 volunteers in February, were full at 25 volunteers throughout March. The return of The Food Bank’s volunteers will be crucial to our success in 2021, and we’re incredibly grateful for all who give their time to our mission.