Hamilton is a long-term volunteer at EPFH Food Bank, and she’s also a key volunteer at Valley Community Food Pantry, though it is currently closed due to COVID-19.

Hamilton states, “I volunteer, in particular at the food bank, because I am retired and had big plans for retirement, but then COVID came and I decided I could use my skills here.”

Hamilton feels the most rewarding thing about volunteering is, “feeling that I’m contributing, being a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. I’m keeping track of the statistics for COVID-19 so that I don’t put my family in danger and so far, the safety aspect at the food bank is really good. They’ve got some really good protocols and I help oversee some of those protocols, so I feel very confident and safe working here.”

Hamilton always feels that after she volunteers at the food bank, whether a full-day, half-day, whatever it might be, she always feels satisfied that she has done something that allows her to give back and help the community. “I feel pretty good because there’s a lot of young people volunteering, and it’s good to see them contributing and coming in to volunteer. It is encouraging and really makes me know that we do have a bright future and we’re going to get through this together because we’re all a team here and our whole community is a team, so it’s really encouraging. It makes me feel good even when I’m exhausted and tired.”

Volunteers - Since March 16, the start of the drive-through distribution model:

•2,593 new Individuals signed up to volunteer (Over 3x more per month!)

•11,945 volunteer hours have been logged, a value to the community of $303, 761*

*The organization Independent Sector estimates that the value of volunteer time for 2019 was $25.43 per hour.