We love our volunteers!

09/26/2019

Yesterday was full of amazing moments, delicious food prepared by our Community Kitchen and lots of gratitude for all of our volunteers! Feed More’s 7th annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic has become a way for us to say thank you for all of the hard work, compassion and dedication they bring with them all day, every day.

It is because of our volunteer’s generosity that Feed More can help the nearly 200,000 people struggling with hunger throughout Central Virginia. Last year alone, our individual and group volunteers donated more than 140,000 hours of their time and talents to our mission! We truly can’t thank our volunteers enough for all that they do.

Each year, we like to recognize groups and individuals who have made incredible contributions to Feed More and continue to help us collect, prepare and distribute food to our neighbors in their times of need. This year’s recipients are an amazing group and we love having them as part of the organization.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Mary McFarland Awards

Dianne Shafer (Hunger Hotline): You will find Dianne on the phones every Wednesday connecting the clients who call in to one of our Agency Network member pantries. Dianne works with empathy, treating every client as if they were a long-time friend.

Susan Burton and Elizabeth Kirkpatrick (BackPack Program): These two friends first began delivering BackPacks for Feed More in 2014. They deliver to four Hopewell county schools every Thursday during the school year, which is about 120-130 bags each week!

Honorable Mention

Wayne Spitzner (Food Bank Distribution Center): Wayne has been volunteering in the warehouse for about three years. During that time he has helped with sorting of both perishable and nonperishable donations, worked with our Commodity Supplemental Food Program and assisted with various special events. Wayne is also currently serving on the Volunteer Advisory Council.

Erin Dempsey (Summer Food Service Program and SNAP Outreach): Recently Erin started volunteering with our Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach and is stationed at the Hand Up Community Resource Center every Tuesday assisting clients. Erin is all about finding solutions to eliminate the barriers clients face when trying to access healthy food.

Taylor-Wiggan Community Kitchen Awards

Jane Ward (Prep): Jane started volunteering her time as a prep volunteer in the Bayard Community Kitchen in 2008. She is an incredibly reliable volunteer that is always punctual and rarely misses one of her scheduled shifts

Edie Bennett (Packaging): Not only is Edie part of a great group of small bag labelers for our Meals on Wheels program, she is also one of our holiday box labelers that work incredibly hard to ensure that we have those boxes ready to send out before major holidays and scheduled closings.

Honorable Mention

Jay Jaskot (Prep): He has only been volunteering with us since the fall of 2018, but he has already become such an important member of the prep team. Jay is known in the Community Kitchen for being reliable, friendly and always willing to go above and beyond.

Rich Borie (Packaging): Rich has volunteered in the Community Kitchen since 2016. His upbeat attitude is sure to leave a smile on the face of anyone who has the pleasure of working alongside him!

Hank Rothenberg Meals on Wheels Awards

Bruce Waymack: Bruce has been volunteering with Feed More for more than 10 years. He shares his time between multiple programs at Feed More – Meals on Wheels delivery from our Tri-cities site, BackPack deliveries, special events and is currently on our Volunteer Advisory Council!

Nick Bohl: Nick is enthusiastic and caring. Not only is he willing to go on any route, he is also very compassionate about our clients and does all he can to help ensure our meals are delivered with kindness and a smile!

Honorable Mention

Russell Whitehead: Russell has been a packer/loader at our Rhoadmiller site since 2010. Russ comes in earlier than most of the volunteers to get the cooler routes labeled and ready for the drivers.

Cherry Corley: Cherry is an administrative assistant with Meals on Wheels Client Services. She comes in once, sometimes twice a week and is always willing to do more—which she often does!

Top Corporate and Community Groups

Top 10 Corporate Volunteer Teams
Capital One – 1,428 hours
SunTrust (includes Bank and Mortgage) – 900.5 hours
Dominion Energy – 858.5 hours
Wells Fargo Corporation (includes Wells Fargo Advisors) – 842.5 hours
Federal Reserve Bank – 816.5 hours
Altria – 746.5 hours
Genworth – 674.5 hours
McKesson Medical-Surgical – 645.5 hours
UPS Freight – 600 hours
CarMax – 517.5 hours

Top 10 Community Volunteer Teams
Diversity Training and Support Center – 5,646.5 hours
Taylor Starkewood Enterprises – 3,347.5 hours
Greater Richmond ARC – 2,107.5 hours
Visions Family Services – 1,589 hours
Independent Adult Care Services – 1,321.5 hours
Phoenix-N-Peace Adult Care Inc – 1,111 hours
New Beginning Inc – 1,094 hours
Grafton – 984.5 hours
Inner-Vision Education Center – 982 hours
Hermitage Enterprises Life Enrichment Program – 971 hours

Thank you again to all of our volunteers for an incredible year!