We Are the Food Bank: Volunteers essential to Second Harvest’s mission
How does Second Harvest Food Bank manage to provide food to 65,000 Santa Cruz County residents each month? It wouldn’t be possible without the help of a dedicated volunteer corps that spends thousands of hours each month packing and distributing healthy food to neighbors in need.
Driving Second Harvest’s 50-year history, volunteers have made the difference by helping the nonprofit serve an ever-growing need, through historic events such as the 1989 earthquake, the floods of the 1990s, the COVID pandemic, serious inflation, and the aftermath of this winter’s extraordinary series of atmospheric rivers and subsequent floods, mudslides, and power outages.
In 2022, close to 1,900 volunteers contributed their time, talents, and energy to Second Harvest, not only sorting, packing, and distributing food, but also helping with special events and advocating for hunger relief. Volunteers contributed more than 14,000 hours, distributed more than 11 million pounds of food, and provided more than 9 million meals last year. Thanks to these volunteers, The Food Bank has been able to fulfill its mission and keep up with demand.
That’s why Second Harvest is celebrating its volunteers later this month at the Volunteer Appreciation Picnic
’23, Friday, April 21, 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Aptos County Park. The event for volunteers and their families includes food, live music, and fun and games for all ages.
Joining the volunteer force at Second Harvest is easy — first-time volunteers can register online by creating a login and password when signing up for their first shift, at the Second Harvest volunteer page, www.thefoodbank.org/ volunteer.
By donating a few hours of your time, you’ll be a part of the volunteer force that is the heartbeat of Second Harvest. No prior training or experience is needed — all training is done on the day of your volunteer shift.
Volunteers can get involved in the Weekday Food Packs (9 a.m. – noon, Monday -Thursday, with an addition shift geared towards students Wednesdays 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.), held at Second Harvest’s Watsonville warehouse, where 5,000 bags and boxes of fresh produce and dry goods are sorted and packed for partner agencies and neighbors.
Another popular option is the Saturday Sorts, where there are “early bird” and “late riser” shifts for sorting and packing more than 16,000 pounds of fresh produce and dry goods for partner agencies and neighbors. Volunteer help is also needed for special events, including outreach tabling, and serving food and wine. Volunteers can also advocate for hunger relief by joining a legislative visit, doing research, phone banking, writing letters of support to our elected officials at the state and federal levels, or participating in an advisory group.
People from all walks of life can join the fight against hunger in our community. The minimum age to volunteer is 10 (with an accompanying parent), and 13+ with a signed waiver. If you would like to bring a group, or have other questions, please contact the Volunteer Manager at volunteer@thefoodbank. org or 831-232-8141.