This past Monday, The Wealth Conservancy dedicated the day to helping those in need. After the resounding success of last year’s volunteer day, we returned to Community Food Share, a local nonprofit organization located in Louisville, Colorado.
The CFS website states, “Volunteers are the lifeblood of CFS. More than 3,500 people volunteer at CFS in an average year, donating nearly 35,000 hours of work. Volunteers account for 64% of all hours worked at Community Food Share (the equivalent of 17 full-time employees)!”
We learned that one hour of volunteer time is equivalent to 80 meals making it onto the shelves and out the door. That’s amazing! If it weren’t for volunteers, this food may end up spoiled, unused, and thrown away. We were beyond thrilled to spend the day there and give our time to an organization that thrives on the help of volunteers. It felt gratifying to know we made 3,280 meals possible, based on the time we worked.
Fortunately, we were able to sort and package almost 5,000 pounds of food that morning!
Above: Myra, Brandon, Katie, & Steve
Above: Steve
Supporting your local food banks is extremely important. CFS informed us that 1 in 6 people who live in Boulder and Broomfield Counties are hungry, including roughly 15,000 children who live in families that are food insecure. CFS distributes over 9 million pounds of food annually, and puts their best effort into combating local hunger.
While volunteering is the backbone of CFS, there wouldn’t be any food to organize without donations. From the CFS website:
“We collect donated food from many sources, and store the donated food in our warehouse where it is sorted, packaged, and checked for spoilage. Over 40 local human service agencies rely on us for free food to pass on to their clients. We also operate programs like the Feeding Families program, which provides free food to families with school children living in poverty.”
CFS proudly boasts that every $1 donated is turned into 3 nutritional meals going out the door. It’s truly a remarkable organization and one that we hope to continue volunteering for in the future. Community Food Share’s ultimate goal is to end hunger in Boulder and Broomfield Counties; we hope we’re able to see that goal come to fruition one day. Until then, we hope you’re willing to research similar organizations located in your area and ask how you can be of help.