April 12–18 is National Volunteer Appreciation Week. During this very special weeklong celebration, we pause to applaud our hardworking volunteers for their sincere desires to make a difference in our communities. We are amazed and grateful for the dedication, compassion, and generosity of the more than 300 individuals who support Loaves & Fishes by donating their time, energy, and skills.
Loaves & Fishes is truly fortunate because our volunteers donate their time every week helping clients to shop for food, assisting in the office, receiving food donations, and stocking our shelves. We also have dedicated teams who spend countless hours organizing our Clothing Room, help us during special events throughout the year, and spread the word about Loaves & Fishes.
Over the past year, Loaves & Fishes has been working with Points of Light and the United Way of North Central Massachusetts to become a nationally certified organization in volunteer management. Our vision throughout this process is to enhance our volunteer program in ways that will strengthen and sustain our organization’s mission into the future—providing better service to our communities and improving our volunteers’ experiences.
Our certification should be completed next month, and I want our volunteers to know how much I appreciate everything they do to support our organization and contribute to our success, not only by rolling with changes during this certification process, but by lifting and feeding our neighbors each and every week.
Although you volunteer for many different reasons, when you do, you provide hope. You give your time generously without any expectation of reward. Please know that I, the staff, and the board of trustees appreciate and value your commitment to our organization, and we thank you!
Karen DeGagne, volunteer and office coordinator
Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry
