Mesa-based United Food Bank is short-handed in volunteers to sort and pack food at its Volunteer Center at 358 E Javelina Ave. “We currently are coming up short by about 25 volunteers a day,” said Grace Bishara, corporate engagement & volunteerism manager. “Many of our volunteer groups are arriving for their shifts with half the number of volunteers they usually provide because of individuals needing to cancel due to feeling sick or being diagnosed with or exposed to COVID.”
The Volunteer Center follows safety protocols to protect the health of its volunteers, including limiting volunteer crews to a maximum of 25 people at a time, recommended mask wearing, hand washing and sanitizing, and social distancing.
“We really need people who are feeling healthy to sign up for volunteer shifts at www.unitedfoodbank.org/volunteer,” adds Bishara. “Our Center sorts food donations and packs as many as 26,000 emergency food bags per month to provide food assistance to people in need throughout the East Valley and southeastern Arizona. We simply can’t accomplish it without the help of volunteers.”
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United Food Bank has provided hunger relief to people in the East Valley and eastern Arizona since 1983. As a Feeding America member food bank, we collect, acquire, store, and distribute food to about 145 partner agencies and programs, serving over 1 million individuals annually in five counties. In the past fiscal year, United Food Bank distributed more than 26 million pounds of food (nearly 60,000 meals per day), a 35 percent increase over the previous year. We depend on 53,000 volunteer hours annually to accomplish this work. Visit us at UnitedFoodBank.org to learn more about us and to donate. Follow us on Twitter @unitedfoodbank.
