Sometimes the numbers can be staggering when you hear the Greater Wayne County Food Pantry of the Wooster Hope Center has helped about 19,000 families in a year; it distributes more than 1.2 million pounds of food in a year (with a retail value of more than $2 million); or it helps 500-600 families in a given week.
However, behind those numbers are people. Nothing gets done without a network of volunteers who unselfishly give of their time to help feed the community. The reality is the Wooster Hope Center needs about 275 to 300 volunteers during the course of a month to operate the food pantry on Spruce Street and the backpack program that provides food to families over the weekends during the school year.
And, we are in need of more volunteers.
The Wooster Hope Center has been blessed with a core group of volunteers from area businesses, churches, nonprofits, and schools who step up month-in and month-out. However, with everybody’s schedules getting busier and other lifestyle changes (babies born, getting married, etc.), we are in need of additional volunteers.
We have people from Wooster Brush, D+S Distribution, Western Reserve Group, the College of Wooster Admissions Department, and Certified Angus Beef Brand; members Wooster Nazarene Church, Parkview Christian Church, Grace Groups, DayBreak Community Church, St. Mary Catholic Church, Mennonite Christian Assembly, and other churches; and we have students from St. Mary and the Wayne County Schools Career Center; and other schools. (We apologize for not naming everyone here.)
All of them give of their time to serve a cause greater than themselves. And, when they come to volunteer at the food pantry, what they discover is the people who are needing a little food assistance do not fit into a nice stereotype. They are seeing people just like themselves or their neighbors who find themselves in need of some extra help.
“The face of hunger has really changed over the years,” said Executive Director Richard Frazier, pastor of DayBreak Community Church. “Now, it’s the person working behind the counter at a fast food restaurant or in a factory. It might be a single mom or someone who needs a little food assistance over the weekend.”
What can people who volunteer expect?
Most volunteers at the Greater Wayne County Food Pantry haul carts around, filling them with food for the pantry’s clients, taking them to their vehicles, and unloading them. These volunteers will greet the clients who are in line and then take them through the food racks. There, they will receive bags already filled with a variety of foods. Depending upon the week, there might be fresh produce, dairy products, canned food, spaghetti sauce, pasta, and other boxed grocery items. Sometimes there is a protein choice.
People who help out will generally need to be able to lift about 10 pounds of food consistently. And, they will have to be able to stand on their feet for about two hours. Volunteers should be at least 14 years old, but some 13-year-olds have volunteered. Those who are 16 years old or younger need to be with a parent or guardian. If the volunteers are coming with a youth group from church or from a school, then there should be at least one adult for every two or three youth, Pastor Rich said.
Volunteers are also needed to bag food and have them ready to go on racks as the clients come by. On a Wednesday, the busiest day at the pantry, a volunteer could fill up to 225 bags with food. Others who help might break down cardboard boxes or take out trash. Some might greet the people as they come in and get them signed in. People are also needed to help manage and sort inventory.
When volunteers go for the first, many are amazed to see how structured the process is, Pastor Rich said. “They love the family atmosphere. It’s like a family working together.”
Pastor Rich also said, “It’s a great local mission experience. People talk about going to New York and Detroit for short-term mission trips, but there are needs here, too. If don’t want to go to New York or Detroit, they can do the work here. There’s a lot of mission work to be done here in our backyards.”
When someone volunteers for the first time, Pantry Manager Wendy Liebhart will have to help them fill out some paperwork. If you would like be a part an all-volunteer organization to tackle hunger in the community and food insecurity, then you can find out more about volunteering here.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Pastor Rich said. “If you have never volunteered at the Wooster Hope Center, try it at least one time. It’s a blessing, and I want to see as many people as possible to be a part of it.”