Tuesday evening, Aimee and I had the opportunity to spend a couple hours at the Food Bank of the Rockies warehouse, packaging orders for community charities as part of the Quaker GO Project – dedicated to helping feed hungry families all over the country.

In addition to being a valuable resource for these charities, the Food Bank of the Rockies is a really neat operation. The warehouse contains pallets and pallets of boxes, categorized by their contents and organized numerically so that they’re easy to find. The boxes contain everything from paper products and personal care products to canned fruits and vegetables. There’s also a huge walk-in refrigerator and identical freezer. Items are donated primarily by grocery and supermarket chains, and the Food Bank charges a minimal per-pound fee for most items, while some items – such as bread and produce – are free.

We accompanied charity representatives, reviewing their orders and pulling the corresponding boxes. Some items were apparently in high demand, such as canned fruits and vegetables, and no boxes were left. Others, like paper products, don’t have the same contents in every box. However, each box weighs the same amount, so the cost to the charity can be calculated easily.

While sorting through some as-yet unopened boxes, looking for bread items for one representative, we found a couple trays of croissants and a package of bakery cookies. It was almost like finding treasure among the stacks of assorted rolls, and it made me really happy to think of how these goodies would be a treat for the people receiving them. I think nothing of occasionally picking up a croissant to accompany a latte, or grabbing a cookie at the bakery if I’m craving chocolate, but not everyone is so fortunate.

I wish there had been more work for us to do; I expect if we’d been able to visit earlier in the day, there would have been even more orders for us to fulfill. Out in the loading area, one organization had eight pallets assembled and shrink-wrapped, waiting to be picked up. Several other agencies also had orders waiting. I could tell it had been a busy day.

I hope to go back again soon. A couple of my neighbors have high school students who must complete a certain number of hours of community service as a graduation requirement, and I would love to take them with me to help out.

Oh, and fellow bloggers are welcome too. Just drop me an email!

For more information on volunteering at the Food Bank of the Rockies Warehouse, check out the Volunteer page on their website.

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