Friday, March 21, 2014

Volunteer Opportunity in La Verne - Sowing Seeds for Life


Several weeks ago my neighbor Jim invited me to the local food bank, that aids him with food twice per month, which has been extremely helpful for him. Jim is a retired truck driver that gets by on $850 per month, so the food he receives helps him very much.

My first thought was to observe and see how the process works, but after waiting in the long line I decided to actually go through the line myself, to get a feel of what the recipients go through. The only requirement being you must live in Los Angeles County, I made the cut and registered with the ladies at the first desk, I was also given my paper pass that is shown to the volunteers distributing the food and other health care products.

Everyone I encountered was friendly and offered a smile, the clients were much different from the folks on Skid Row Los Angeles, I would guess most would be considered the working poor? The volunteers range in age from twenty to seventy-seven, the older workers were either retired or preparing to retire shortly. The young ones were from the University of La Verne and Kohls, they proudly wore shirts showing where they were from.

The creator of this group is Ms. Vicky Brown, she holds a prayer with all the volunteers before giving away the food to almost 500 hundred families, she's a blessing for many that are struggling to survive.

I volunteered two days ago, and it was well worth the six hours I put in.

If you would like to volunteer, drop by 1350 Arrow Highway, La Verne, CA. 91750
The food bank is open the 1st and 3rd Wednesday every month from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

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