Volunteer Leaders | Choosing a Life of Service to Others
If you’ve volunteered recently at the Food Bank, you’ve likely experienced first-hand how much food can get sorted and boxed in just a short time when you have a strong team of volunteer leaders who know how to keep the product and new volunteers moving.
The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is fortunate to have a dedicated group of volunteer leaders who have chosen to give their time in an ongoing capacity to our operations which enables us to pack and distribute more food on a weekly basis at a much lower cost.
Our volunteer leaders have all come to us in different ways. Some have been volunteering with us for years as part of their Christian faith to give back to the community. Some have come to us after retirement and enjoyed the volunteer work so much that they have made it part of their weekly routines. Others have come to us because they had great experiences volunteering in the past and wanted service to be a bigger part of their life going forward.
For whatever reasons they have chosen to become a volunteer leader, they each bring their own unique personalities and passion for service. That commitment shines through quickly with new volunteers, be it individuals or even those who are here as part of a corporate team packing event or community project.
Under the leadership and guidance of Mark Walker, Food Bank Sort & Repack Captain, our team of volunteer leaders can jump-start new volunteer groups and assign tasks quickly so that sorting and packing time is optimized. The goal is to sort as many items and pack as many boxes as possible every hour.
Over the coming year, we will be recognizing our volunteer leaders individually online and in social media. You’ll get to meet each of them and hear a little bit about their journey to service and why they have chosen to give back through your Food Bank.
Volunteers are such a large part of our success. In 2022 alone, over 12,000 people volunteered their time accounting for over 47,000 hours of service. All the accumulated hours of time donated to our mission effectively save dollars on the costs we would have to incur if we had to hire employees to do the work of the volunteers. Those savings allow us to distribute so many more meals to those in need.
To get involved as a new volunteer OR to sign up a team of volunteers for your company or organization, click here. You’ll learn how to get started and be able to view videos that give you a better idea of what to expect.
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