“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” —Maya Angelou
April is National Volunteer Month. Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is sharing stories of gratitude, appreciation, and inspiration all month long.
When you come to volunteer at Second Harvest food bank, you interact with many people. Someone is there to greet you. Other staff members and volunteer captains lead you in your activity and celebrate your accomplishments. While volunteering, you may be sorting fresh produce, frozen meat, or even boxing up vital foodstuffs for our neighbors facing hunger. When you leave, these words and deeds will likely leave your memory as you resume your daily life. The hope is that the feeling you experience while working shoulder to shoulder with co-workers, family, and friends is what sticks with you.
Second Harvest Food Bank is on a mission to help the 1 in 8 Central Floridians who face hunger daily. Volunteers are necessary and greatly appreciated to distribute enough food for 300,000 meals a day. Volunteers come to the Orlando distribution center, Mercy Kitchen production kitchen, food shows, food drives, and partner distributions to sweat it out for the greater good. Volunteers don’t keep coming back simply because they love the work but because of the feeling they get when doing it.
Our friends in Gen-Z would say that for them, “It’s the vibes.” Others might say the “aura” of the food bank is just right. Still, others will describe the “ambiance” or the “atmosphere.” Whatever you call it, an intangible element sticks to you when you enter the building and stays with you as you exit. It washes over you repeatedly like waves as you volunteer—the palpable feelings of camaraderie, accomplishment, duty, and joy permeate the air. The music, laughter and cheering that echo through the walls are infectious. The sights of smiles on faces, sweat on brows, and food on palettes are uplifting. All these things combined create the feeling that fills you up as you volunteer your time.
When you volunteer, you are helping your neighbors face challenges you may not be able to imagine. When you volunteer, you are building a better community. When you volunteer, you become an agent of change in the world. When you volunteer, it feels really, really good.
Be sure to check out the video below. Thank you for the many ways that you fight hunger, feed hope and help our neighbors thrive through your acts of service and volunteerism.
Ian Dixon
Volunteer Services Manager
