In April, The Food Bank was excited to celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Month — but appreciating volunteers is a year-round effort. Volunteer work is the bedrock of many of our programs and services, and our organization is grateful to have so many in our communities who are dedicated to helping us address food insecurity. One of those very dedicated community members is William (Bill) Claypool.
Bill jokes that he took on his “next job” — volunteering at The Food Bank — after he retired in 2019. Since he began spending mornings in the Volunteer Room, Bill has donated the equivalent of 20 weeks of full-time work ... and that’s despite a gap in service hours caused by COVID precautions. In 2021 alone, Bill served 319 hours in our Volunteer Room, which helped facilitate more than 40,000 meals being sent out into our communities. Bill often emphasizes that he’s never alone in the Volunteer Room and there are many others who are there most mornings, just like him. Our regular volunteers’ incredible gifts of time are hugely significant for The Food Bank and those we serve.
There are a lot of perks to spending time at The Food Bank, too. Bill notes it feels good to make an impact, and he’s able to meet and chat with all sorts of people. When he shares a shift with new volunteers, Bill likes to let them know, “we insist on having fun,” and it’s true. The Volunteer Room is often full of laughter, which is just one reason Bill says his experience at The Food Bank has been, “good all the way around.”
The work of our volunteers helps so many neighbors across our service area, but Bill’s effort doesn’t just make a difference locally — it inspired his grandchildren to help out, too. When they had the opportunity to hand out food to neighbors in need in their Chicago-area community, they were excited to pitch in just like Grandpa. Bill’s work proves that kindness doesn’t end with one act. Instead, kindness grows exponentially. The Food Bank is grateful to have Bill — and all of our amazing volunteers — as part of our community