Meet our volunteer, Jane!

Jane has been volunteering at Food Bank of Iowa for a little over a year. Last July, Jane’s job was terminated due to COVID. She was offered a retirement package that came with a bonus and she decided to donate the bonus to 5 different organizations, Food Bank of Iowa being one.

After donating, Jane received a handwritten letter in the mail from a Food Bank staff member thanking her for her donation. She was so moved by the letter that she decided she wanted to volunteer. “Volunteering is the best 2.5 hours of my day and it always makes my heart smile!” 

“The first time I walked into the Food Bank of Iowa, I was immediately greeted by the two volunteer center coordinators,” Jane said. “They took my temperature, showed me the locker to lock up my purse, and I took a seat. Within minutes I had connected in conversation with the other volunteers. When I got back home, I signed up to volunteer 4 more days the next week!”

When Jane is not in the volunteer center, she is volunteering from home. She writes personalized “thank you” postcards or makes phone calls to food bank donors and thanking them for their gifts. Over the last year, Jane has come to love and appreciate Food Bank of Iowa. Last fall, Jane volunteered at a drive-thru mobile food distribution at the Iowa State Fairground.

“I had the opportunity to talk with people who were struggling with food insecurity. So many were ‘first timers’ waiting in line for free food. It broke my heart to see people who I knew were living out of their cars, a child who admitted they had ran out of food the day before, and another mother in tears whose child was so hungry sitting in the backseat crying,” Jane said. “Every one of them was so grateful for the help. They are the reason I donate my time and money. I truly believe that each one of us can make a difference in someone else’s life.“