Augusta Food Bank

12/31/2022

Council: 334 - AUGUSTA

Project Description:

I am a volunteer for the Augusta Food Bank. My main duties include making pick ups twice a week at 3 or 4 major retail stores. I am the main driver of the agency’s van. The van needs to be loaded with contributions which in some cases exceed 4 thousand pounds. These contributions need to be unloaded at the food bank. Often the loads total about 8 to 9 thousand pounds daily.
I also deliver non food items to Bridging The Gap which is another organization that provides clothing, basic essentials and other items for those in need. These items are picked up during the regular food pick ups at the stores. I also have picked up the van when it was being repaired as I did today which is a Saturday and New Years Eve.
There is only one other Knight from our council who donates many hours to the food bank. His shifts occur on different days than mine so I am not sure of his exact hours but I know he tends to volunteer 2 days a week as I do throughout the year. Therefore I did not include him in this report. The amount of hours that he contributes probably mirror mine.
The number of people that I work with varies but 5 or 6 are average. The work we perform is very physical. The actual hours I put in from April to the last day of the year was 312 and a half hours. I did a separate report for January to April but I will return to doing one for the upcoming year.
I feel that providing physical labor to food banks in order to help feed the hungry is an essential activity for all Knights throughout the State of Maine.