A wall divider splits a 3,600-square-foot room intended to be used for volunteer activities and the culinary classroom. When the pandemic hit and culinary classes were cancelled, the divider was opened to make for a bigger volunteer room. Despite potential health concerns, committed volunteers still took the time to support us to meet the increase in need. The bigger room allowed volunteers to social distance, sort and pack more food for neighbors to meet our daily production needs.
When culinary class resumed, a temporary wall was built to make space for a classroom. As a result, the classroom and volunteer room are now smaller. Last year, we had 3,443 volunteer visits for a total of 9,358 hours donated. The new Food Bank facility will enable us to construct a 5,000-square-foot volunteer room that includes orientation space and a safe, welcoming working environment.