The Monthly Morsel

Recap of October 2023

Join us in December for a Celebration of your hard work this year! More info coming soon.

Announcements and Updates:

Shifts Posted Through December - Sign Up Now!

Heidi has updated our Galaxy calendar to include all available shifts through the end of 2023! As you plan your holiday travels and events, please don't forget to sign up for some shifts at the food bank. Shifts fill up fast this time of year, so claim a few spots while they're still available.

We anticipate needing extra help the week after Christmas, so if you know you'll be in town, we'd be so grateful for your help! Click here to view the calendar and sign up.

Saturday Opportunity on November 18th from 10am-2pm!

Help needed for an outreach opportunity at four local Safeway stores! We will host a mandatory outreach training for all volunteers who want to participate on Friday 11/17 from 3-4pm. The training will cover our outreach basics, common food bank FAQs, and more info abut the Safeway Nourishing Neighbors fundraising campaign. On Saturday, volunteers will meet at their assigned Safeway store and hand out flyers to shoppers to encourage them to donate to the fundraiser while they shop and to spread awareness about PFB and our role in the community.

Click here to sign up.

Help Needed in El Dorado County

We need volunteer help at our food distributions in Pollock Pines and Placerville! These distributions are consistently in need of additional volunteers and we would be so grateful if you are able to attend!

Click the options to the right for more info and to sign up.

Click for Placerville

Click for Pollock Pines

Volunteer Opportunity: Drivers Needed

We need a few volunteers who are interested in potentially driving one of our small cargo vans to a local bakery to pick up donated food. This shift will occur several days each week from about 11am-1pm, and we're trying to recruit a group of folks who can rotate through the shifts.

Please email volunteer@placerfoodbank.org if you are interested in learning more. This opportunity is not available to anyone completing hours that require verification for court or school, and requires you to have a current CA driver's license and clean driving record.

Holiday Volunteer Celebration - You're invited!

We invite you to join us on Friday, December 12th from 10am-12:30pm for some light refreshments, fun games, and quality time with your fellow volunteers and PFB staff. This is a celebration of all of your hard work this year and a chance for us to say THANK YOU for your service to our community. Please rsvp here so we know how much food to order!

October 2023 Recap:

Produce bags packed: 22,212 bags

Meal Kits Distributed: 4,455

Total volunteer hours: 1,999 hours

Individual volunteers: 360 people

Cameron Park:

266 households

913 individuals

This time last year, we served 247 households and 764 individuals

Pollock Pines:

282 households

746 individuals

This time last year, we served 276 households and 774 individuals

Sheridan:

279 households

878 individuals

This time last year, we served 178 households and 538 individuals

Georgetown:

128 households

379 individuals

This time last year, we served 126 households and 406 individuals.

Foresthill:

207 households

565 individuals

This time last year, we served 167 households and 431 individuals.

Roseville:

811 households

2,577 individuals

This time last year, we served 512 households and 1,667 individuals

Placerville:

361 households

971 individuals

This time last year, we served 308 households and 926 individuals

Colfax:

165 households

421 individuals

This time last year, we served 152 households and 395 individuals

Lincoln:

511 households

1,619 individuals

This time last year, we served 280 households and 923 individuals

Rocklin:

648 households

1,952 individuals

This time last year, we served 482 households and 1,551 individuals.

Volunteer Spotlight:

Lovingly compiled by Jeremy + Heidi

Aryc K-S

We're thrilled to shine a spotlight on one of our dedicated volunteers, Aryc, who brings a unique blend of interests and passion to our PFB volunteer family. Aryc is not only a devoted volunteer but also a music enthusiast who loves singing. He is also an animal lover, and has two Shih Tzu mixes. In addition to his musical talents and canine companions, Aryc has a playful side. He's an avid gamer, enjoying both video games and tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons. Aryc has been in a committed relationship for two wonderful years, and his partner, we're sure, is as lucky to have him as we are.

Aryc keeps volunteering at PFB because of the incredible people he works with and the camaraderie he feels when volunteering. Aryc has been a vital part of our volunteer team since June 30, 2022 and has volunteered more than 130+ hours. We're immensely grateful for his passion, talents, and commitment to making a difference in our community.

Carla and Mae B.

Carla and Mae are a dynamic mother-daughter duo who have been lighting up our volunteer shifts since December 2021. Before the pandemic, Carla and Mae exclusively dedicated their time to the SPCA, but were encouraged by PFB's affiliation with Feeding America and decided to joined our team. Carla's skills extend to her favorite dish, jambalaya. Mae, on the other hand, has a liking for chicken Alfredo. Mae graduated High School in 2020. She played steel drums and showcased her musical talent in her marching band, known as "Band United Youth Movement." Her passion for music has found a new tune in volunteering.

In 2022, they attempted to watch a play every week for 52 weeks. While they made it to at least 40, "Come From Away" and "The Play That Goes Wrong," were their favorites. Mae's love for our produce shifts, and Carla's dedication to Starbucks (Weekly Wrap-up), demonstrate their unique contributions to our organization. Together, they make a wonderful team, and we're incredibly thankful to have them as part of our volunteer family!

Vicki H.

In her own words…

I moved to Roseville in 1998 from SF to work for Hewlett Packard (HP) and now work for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). I'm married, with two kids in college. I started volunteering with the Placer Food Bank in August 2022. You'll usually find me on one of the afternoon shifts in the warehouse or occasionally at the Rocklin or Roseville mobile distribution sites, if my work schedule allows. I am also on the data entry team which is an easy way to volunteer from home. My favorite shifts at the warehouse are the Weekly Wrap-up, Salvage Savers, and Wildcard Wednesdays. Everyone I have met through the PFB has been so friendly and welcoming. I really enjoy the camaraderie and getting to know the other volunteers.

When I'm not working or volunteering, I like to stay active with hiking, trail running, paddleboarding, the occasional pickleball game, or snowshoeing in winter. I love sushi, Thai and Korean food, and brownies. I've recently started to binge watch Korean dramas on Netflix - they are addicting!

Trane Technologies

Fifteen employees from Trane Technologies volunteered for the first time as a group at the warehouse on October 26th. They kept busy by packing bags of non-perishable food items for students in Placer County schools and by packing produce for the mobile food distribution in Rocklin. Trane Technologies has a local office in Rocklin where its employees “create comfortable, energy efficient indoor environments for commercial and residential applications.” We hope to see this lively group again in 2024!

Sierra College Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society

This group of 14 young adults exuded such great energy which we put to good use packing bags of non-perishable food items for school-age children! It was wonderful to see a couple of our individual volunteers involved with this group. Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is an “international honor society of students who attend open-access institutions and are seeking associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, or other college credentials.” The club at Sierra College “has many committees dedicated to philanthropic causes in order to make our community a better place.” We would love to host this group for another shift next year!

Last Minute Responders!

A few of our amazing volunteers who responded to an urgent needs email for a late produce shift.

To see our urgent shifts in need of help, click here!

November Birthdays

Happy birthday to all of our volunteers born this coming month!

Be sure to wish these folks a happy birthday if you see them this month:

Karen R

Lori S

Mala A

Liz F

Ligia M

Tiffany U

Bob R

Brian H

Theresa G

Mike C

Toby F

Preston L

Bonnie N

Gail A

Ann B

Nicole J

11/1

11/2

11/4

11/7

11/8

11/9

11/10

11/11

11/12

Jordan H

Nancy P

Paul B

Denise Y

Jack L

Christy F

Lora M

Citadel B

Kathy E

Ryan F

Tony G

Preston W

Jeffrey R

Brittani W

Dorothy B-S

Barbara R

11/12

11/13

11/15

11/16

11/17

11/20

11/21

11/22

11/24

11/26

11/29

With gratitude and best wishes,

Heidi, Grace, Jeremy, Shatonia, Jose, and Johnny

We want to hear from YOU!

Use this link to submit anonymous comments, concerns, feedback, or other thoughts about your volunteer experience at Placer Food Bank!

All feedback helps us keep growing and improving the volunteer program. Thanks!

Submit your feedback here!

Keep in Touch! Follow Placer Food Bank on Facebook and Instagram:

If you ever feel inclined and able to make a financial donation,

click here to view our online donation website.

Please know that the last thing we want is to make volunteers to feel pressured to donate money, because you are already so generous with your time. We so appreciate your gift of time and spirit, so please don't ever worry that it's not enough on its own.