As I was checking my groceries one recent weekend, a person in line stopped to introduce themselves to me and said “You’re that food, guy right? Thank you for what you do for our community. I volunteered there when you all were helping government workers back in January, and your place is amazing.  So efficient too!”

Of course, I shared back that they were in fact the reason we are successful, the reason we meet our mission, and the reason we operate on only 2% overhead.  Volunteers are truly the secret sauce to our success, and it is often the first way someone gets to know us.

I asked the individual if they were going to come back.  They shared that they had already scheduled their kids for some summer volunteering with us and couldn’t wait to show them our farm, barn, and more.

Which reminds me, summer is our highest time of need and it’s right around the corner.  We go big for kids in the summer, making as many as 15,000 meals a day in our kitchen, and working to get extra food to our food pantry partners across the region. Those meals get prepared by our chefs, students in our culinary training program, and (you guessed it) volunteers.  Going big for kids also means we need our community to go big: sharing time volunteering, giving funds to support our meal program, or even putting on a food drive for peanut butter and other kid-friendly items.

I invite you to help me ensure that no child in San Antonio or our surrounding region goes hungry this summer.  A child experiencing hunger will start the next school year lagging behind peers who were food secure over the summer. And those same children are also more likely to be sick more often and experience emotional anxiety related to hunger.

Join me today.  Say “no” to summer hunger.  Volunteer.  Donate. Make a difference. I look forward to seeing you at the Food Bank this summer,

Eric S. Cooper
President & CEO, San Antonio Food Bank

If you are looking for summer volunteer opportunities, sign up here!