Volunteering at the Interfaith Food Center
The Body of Christ came together in the days before Thanksgiving to provide meals to the less fortunate in our community. Several weeks prior to Thanksgiving, the Interfaith Food Center (IFC) put the word out that volunteers were needed to bag and distribute food, and WACC’s congregation rose up to serve. Volunteers stacked food on pallets on Saturday in preparation for transportation to St Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Whittier, the distribution site. On Monday night, many hands made light work as the canned and dry goods were bagged by WACC volunteers whose numbers allowed them to quickly complete the task. Colleen Marks, Ginny Edwards and I arrived at St Andrew’s on Tuesday morning to help with the food distribution. Chad Miller and the “Illuminate” group along with other devoted early-bird volunteers from WACC, St Andrew’s and IFC were already hard at work. We met with Steve Arredondo, WACC’s Outreach liaison to IFC and Veronica Hernandez from IFC, who showed us the ropes and put us to work.
Those who came to get food for their Thanksgiving meal seemed to cross every demographic. Upon arrival, they checked in and were given a “passport” that was checked off as they visited each food station. There were stations for canned and dry goods, bread, vegetables and fruit, eggs and dairy products, desserts, and frozen turkeys were waiting at the final station. The crew worked joyfully and with purpose. Ginny took a spot bagging pies, and Colleen and I pitched in bagging fruit and vegetables. Each person’s shopping basket was filled, and gratitude was expressed for the quantity and variety of food received. The midday flow of people was consistent, not overwhelming, and tapered off dramatically in the early afternoon.
As we packed food on pallets to truck over to Interfaith Food Center for the evening distribution, I had time to reflect on my life’s blessings. I count among these blessings my family and friends, my job at the church and the car that allows me to get there, my restored health after cancer treatment, and the privilege it is to be counted among those who call themselves the Body of Christ.
Filed under: In The Community, Missionaries