Category: Volunteers

Volunteers help fight hunger and feed hope during COVID-19 pandemic

Volunteers are an essential part to helping the East Texas Food Bank continue our mission of “fighting hunger and feeding hope in East Texas”.  They have played a much more vital role recently as we have been distributing even more food due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic everyone is facing.

One of our great volunteers, Bertha Viramontes, has been helping with the Tyler produce distribution held at the East Texas State Fairgrounds twice a month for almost a year.

“I’ve seen that there are a lot of people that need food,” she said.  “It’s been good to help others and give them food for their tables.”

Bertha said she sees people smiling and saying thank you often while she is working.

“You get to know people and their situations,” she said.

While COVID-19 has not affected Bertha or her family personally, she understands the hardships many she sees during the distribution are facing.

“Food is getting much more expensive and then you may have (purchase) limits,” she said.

Bertha encourages anyone who wants to help to contact the food bank to find out how to volunteer.

“At the end of the day, you will feel good helping.”

If you would like to volunteer with the East Texas Food Bank, click here to find out more information.

Volunteers are essential to helping during COVID-19, year-round

It’s Volunteer Appreciation Week! Year-round, our volunteers demonstrate their commitment to fighting hunger and feeding hope by working to get food into the hands of our the families we serve.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us how influential volunteers are to the East Texas Food Bank and we are so appreciative of their continued support.
Just last year, over 15,000 volunteer shifts logged more than 44,000, helping us provide 21.3 million meals.
Volunteers can help in a variety of ways and are always welcome during our volunteer hours. Normal volunteer opportunities include: repacking rice, beans and pastas, helping pack boxes for our BackPack and Senior Box programs, inspecting and sorting food items and helping with administrative duties in the office.
Volunteers have also been critical in our COVID-19 emergency response. The community has stepped up to help us back and distribute emergency food boxes through drive-thru events and delivering them to homebound seniors.
The East Texas Food Bank’s best work is only possible because of the dedication of thousands of people who together volunteer thousands of hours of their time.
To learn more about volunteering with us, please click here.