By CHARITY ROSANDICH
Feeding Team Feature
I don’t have any tattoos. If I got one, I had planned to get one of the word “Gratitude” on my wrist. I thought it might remind me on those not-so-great days to be grateful for the little things I sometimes miss.
When I started working with FeedingTeam.org last summer, I was amazed to learn that this organization is supported by the most kind and robust team of volunteers. The volunteers are diverse – both men and women, of all age groupings, some working, some retired.
These are people who will help box up crates of food outside, no matter the weather. They come when it’s 80 degrees out and sweat with us. They come when it’s 20 degrees out and dance around in the cold with us to keep warm. They show up when it’s raining and work around the puddles in our parking lot.
These are people who spend time every week checking the pantry they have adopted, stocking it with food. They sort through what has been put in the pantry and get rid of anything that shouldn’t be there – rotten bananas, raw chicken, old bread. They come quickly, a day earlier than usual, when an impending snowstorm has us rescheduling food pick up for their pantry. They check their pantry for any physical defects and other volunteers make necessary repairs. And some of these pantry adopters maintain two pantries, so multiply that times two.
Our volunteers will also come at a moment’s notice to help unload received pallets of food. When the delivery truck is late, they wait so that we have the help we need. They will meet up as a group to upright a pantry on the rare occasion that one topples over in the Hamilton County spring winds. They will walk in the Christmas parade with us and help out at our fundraising events.
While we have the best group of volunteers one could ask for, we are additionally supported by other members of our community in alternate ways. There are businesses that provide tents and tables at our outdoor events, build our pantries, paint our pantries, deliver those built pantries to our headquarters, provide space for indoor events, provide sponsorship for pantries and events, and provide food at a massive discount. They support us by spreading the word and putting us in touch with others who help serve the cause.
This past winter, we put together a Reverse Advent campaign and received so much love in the form of nonperishable foods from our neighbors. We asked for peanut butter and they brought us cases of it. We have been blessed by countless food drives organized by local businesses, schools and youth sports teams. When our supplies are dwindling, the community seems to know and they help rebuild them.
Mark and Lisa Hall are the Founders of Feeding Team. They are inspiring, kind and very likeable. I once made a comment that because of this likeability, people want to help them. But I was corrected, “People want to be a part of THIS.” “THIS” is Feeding Team.
People want to make sure that the person sitting next to them at church has a meal on Sunday evening. People want to know that a child won’t sit at a lunch table without food because his school has a pantry nearby. People like knowing that the single mom they work with can still feed her family, even with that unexpected expense that came up. They donate their time, their talent and their resources to ensure that Feeding Team is able to continue its mission.
Knowing that all these people exist among us makes me grateful every day. Tattoo not required.
With over 44,000 food challenged neighbors in Hamilton County, FeedingTeam.org is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides outdoor 24/7/365 no-questions-asked free food pantries throughout the county. The pantries exist to meet the food insecurity needs of gap families – neighbors who may not qualify for public assistance and could use a few meals before payday. The pantries serve as many food-challenged neighbors as possible, and our hearts are with those who could not always make ends meet.
Mark and Lisa Hall are the Founders of Feeding Team. They may be reached at lisa@feedingteam.org and mark@feedingteam.org or by calling (317) 832-1123.