The typical day at Loaves & Fishes begins early in the morning, as our dedicated volunteers prepare for the nearly 1,000 families we serve each week.
They start the day by setting up our drive-through distribution route with orange cones, directional signage, and tents. Rain or shine, they put on their orange safety vests and are ready to greet our guests with a smile.
Inside, a well-oiled machine is revving up for a big day of food distribution. Grocery carts are lined up, ready to go through an assembly line, where they are filled with boxes of fresh produce, dairy, meats, and dry goods. They are quickly sent out the door to another team of volunteers who lovingly gives them to our clients waiting in their cars. Back inside the warehouse, our volunteer drivers have just brought in a pallet of oranges. Another volunteer team will then diligently examine and sort them to prepare for distribution and delivery to our homebound senior citizens and our satellite location in Bolingbrook. It doesn’t stop here.
Across the hall, you will find the CARES volunteers preparing for the high level of calls they receive each day. These volunteers work individually with our clients to assist with emergency assistance for rent, utilities, and the additional CARES programs we provide to our clients.
Margie Tarpey, one of our veteran volunteers, reflected on the community at Loaves & Fishes. “Volunteering at Loaves & Fishes is twofold; it provides me with caring friends and family who are there for me through the ups and downs of life, then, in turn, I pass that on to the clients who need the same support and love.”
It takes many volunteers to make things happen at Loaves & Fishes, and we are so very grateful for their dedication and commitment to our mission. To learn more, or sign up to volunteer, visit loaves-fishes.org. Our clients will be grateful, and so will we!
