The Richmond Food Bank is celebrating its 40th anniversary and the biggest applause goes to its volunteers.
Hajira Hussain, executive director of the Richmond Food Bank, said all the work the Richmond Food Bank has done since its inception is due to volunteers that have stepped up.
“No matter how the need increases, the volunteers and our community have stepped up to meet that need, or to meet that demand,” said Hussain. “They are what keeps us going and how we are able to serve the growing number of people that are coming to the food bank for grocery assistance.”
The Richmond Food Bank started on March 6, 1983 by serving 20 families and is now serving 1,200 households.
Hussain told the Richmond News the need has also increased 56 per cent from before the pandemic.
“A lot of people who never expected to be here, but are finding themselves accessing the food bank just because it’s been harder to make ends meet,” she said. “We’re lucky to have so many volunteers every day coming in to provide for the community.”
With National Volunteer Week coming up, Hussain said they will be showing their appreciation to the volunteers with several social events including a barbecue potluck.
“I don’t think we can function even one single day without our volunteers. Because of them, we get our energy and motivation to go that extra mile.”
