“When I first started volunteering at St. Mary’s, I didn’t know what to expect. It was at the start of the pandemic, and I had just lost my job due to COVID closures. Everyone in my household went remotely, and I was trying to find something meaningful to do. I recalled the Food Bank at St. Mary’s from earlier years of dropping off my kids at the nearby school, so I reached out to volunteer. I quickly got folded into the bustle of all that the FBSM does.
I’ve come to like the atmosphere: the confluence of people coming from all corners of the world, from different circumstances and belief systems. It, at times, feels like a marketplace at the crossroads, crackling with vibrancy.
I enjoy helping people sustain themselves, while also honoring the workers who are responsible for producing this food by reducing global food waste. When I first started doing food pickups, I was astonished to see dumpsters overflowing with perfectly good produce that could nourish our community.
After a year of serious health concerns, I have returned to the FBSM to find welcoming friends and colleagues that all along were thinking and praying for my family and I. For all this I am deeply grateful!”
– David, volunteer