PHOENIX — St. Mary’s Food Bank is for more volunteers as a record month of service comes to an end.
Ahead of National Food Bank Day on Friday, the Phoenix-based nonprofit said it is on track to serve 150,000 families in August, the maximum for a month without getting married in 55 years.
“The line is going around the building,” spokesman Jerry Brown said Tuesday on KTAR News’ 92. 3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show.
He said about a hundred cars can line up at the Phoenix lot at 31st Avenue and Thomas Road at the same time before the overflow hits the street.
The deal also operates a distribution in Surprise near Bell and Dysart streets.
Brown 7 to 8 million pounds of food is stored in its warehouse according to the month.
It takes a lot of hands to pack the food boxes for families, at a time of year when the food bank is full of volunteers.
“The middle and high school students who spent the summer with us packing the boxes and getting the hours of service they wanted for school, are now back in school,” Brown said.
“It’s that we can do what we do without those volunteers when you talk about packing more than 50,000 of those emergency food boxes that are sent to customers. We want as many hands as possible.
Volunteer shifts are scheduled for nine a. m. m. and the return at 1 p. m. Tuesdays Fridays. Saturday shifts are held at 8 a. m. m. y at noon.
“You inflame the music, we want it to be as fun as possible. “
Shifts last about 90 minutes, two hours, Brown said.
In a singles shift, volunteers can build boxes, Brown said.
“It’s wonderful to have a sense of accomplishment – you can see the pallet or boxes you’ve built when you faint at the end of the shift.
“Pallet after pallet after food pallet. And we want to move at that speed [to meet demand],” Brown said.
Volunteers can register or team up at St. Mary’s.
“We want teams of three. . . we want teams of five. If you’re 50 to 100, we can accommodate you,” Brown said.
National Food Bank Day, which St. Mary’s opened on the first Saturday of September 2017, kicking off Hunger Action Month.
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