At the height of the pandemic while many were isolated in their homes for safety, Food For Free Healthy Eats volunteers were out in the world making absolutely critical deliveries to ensure even the most vulnerable were able to access fresh food at this time. The clients of our Healthy Eats program may be unable to visit a food pantry due to illness, disability, or age, and thanks to our volunteer drivers, nutrition was one less thing to worry about.
One of the dedicated drivers to support us throughout the pandemic was super star volunteer Joelle Renstrom, making over 260 deliveries over the past 17 months!
Because of her wonderful smile and infectious energy, Joelle has created special relationships with the people on her route and has truly become an asset to this critical hunger relief program.
Joelle—thank you for picking up and delivering over 8,700 pounds of delicious, nutritious food to our neighbors. We are so grateful for you!
We got a chance to ask Joelle more about her experiences volunteering with Food For Free. Read more below:
Q. Why do you volunteer with Food For Free?
A. I started volunteering during the summer of 2020. I’d spent so much time staying isolated and doom scrolling that I felt both sad and disconnected from my community. I wanted to help people during the pandemic, and I also wanted to feel useful. Volunteering was the perfect way to be of service and to get myself out of the house and focused on tangible ways to help people.
Q. Did your time at Food For Free teach you anything valuable that you’d want to share?
A. Volunteering has taught me more than I could have hoped or expected!
I began volunteering to do something for my community, but it quickly became clear how much volunteering helped me. Helping people in a tangible way and being connected to members of the community, especially during a pandemic, made me feel grounded and purposeful.
I got glimpses into the lives of people I’d otherwise probably never meet. Sometimes, I was the only person they saw, as many of the people on my route are high-risk and/or housebound, so I helped tether them to a community as much as they tethered me.
Ultimately, volunteering reinforced the idea that we’re all in this (the pandemic, the community, life itself) together, and the more we act like it, the better it is for all of us.
Q. What advice do you have for people looking to give back to their community?
A. Don’t put it off! I’d been intending to volunteer for a while before the pandemic got me off my butt to actually do it.
I cannot overstate how good it feels to be useful in your community and how good it feels to support people who need it. Making the call or sending the email to an organization is often the hardest part—once you arrive somewhere to start helping, it’s easy. There are so many ways to help, and so many different types of shifts at different times and on different days, that everyone can find some way to give back.
I wouldn’t think about it as a regular thing at first—just volunteer once and see what happens. I bet you’ll be back.
We are always seeking dedicated people to help support our programs through any one of our volunteer shifts. For more information and to get involved, visit www.foodforfree.org/
