>>> IT IS NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEKEND WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE GOOD WORK LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS DO TO PUT FOOD ON YOUR TABLES AND BUILD BRIDGES. AN AVERAGE OF 500,000 BAY AREA RESIDENTS A MONTH RELY ON SECOND HARVEST OF SILICON VALLEY FOOD BANK TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLES . AND THEY RECOGNIZE THE DEDICATION OF SO MANY VOLUNTEERS. THEY SAID LAST YEAR VOLUNTEERS PUT IN NORTH OF 200,000 HOURS OF SERVICE EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT 100 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. TO GO OVER AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU, WHY YOU NEED TO GET IN AND VOLUNTEER AND WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT, I HAVE DIANE. THE VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT DIRECT THEIR. NICE TO SEE YOU . >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON. >> OF WHERE THE OUTPUT OF WAR FOR THE FOOD FOR BAY AREA FAMILY SECOND HARVEST SPECIAL TODAY BECAUSE I THOUGHT, I HAVE TO DO IT IN HONOR OF YOU. YOU ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE PEOPLE IN ALL OF THE BAY AREA. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED WHEN I HAVE COME TO THE FOOD BANK IS VOLUNTEERS HELP TO GET MORE FOOD OUT ON THE STREETS , NOT ONLY MOVING FOOD BUT ALSO MAKING IT SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY SALARIES SO YOU CAN PUT THE MONEY RIGHT BACK INTO GETTING PEOPLE FOOD. >> SO TRUE. VOLUNTEERS TOUCH EVERY PART OF OUR OPERATION. WE COULD NOT DO WHAT WE DO WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY. THIS IS A SPECIAL TIME BECAUSE WE CELEBRATE OUR VOLUNTEERS ALL YEAR ROUND. BUT THIS IS VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION MONTH AND THIS WEEK SPECIFICALLY, VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION WEEK . WE WANT TO PUT THIS OUT THERE AND SAY A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE MANY VOLUNTEERS THAT MAKE THIS WORK HAPPEN. >> WHAT I LOVE IS YOUR VOLUNTEERS AT YOUR FOOD BANK AND SO MANY FOOD BANKS AROUND THE BAY AREA, YOU ARE ANGELS. YOU SEE VOLUNTEERS COME IN AND THEY SIGN UP FOR THE HOURS. I HAVE SEEN THEM START THEIR SHIFT NOT KNOWING ANYBODY, THEY ARE BOXING FOOD UP OR MOVING FOOD. BY THE END OF IT THEIR STORY HAS EMERGED AND THEY ARE GENUINELY FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS. HOW DOES VOLUNTEERISM CAUSE US TO BUILD BRIDGES? NOT ONLY BETWEEN PEOPLE BUT BETWEEN PEOPLE'S HEARTS AND MINDS? >> IT IS SO TRUE. HONESTLY, WHAT YOU GET OUT OF VOLUNTEERING IS MORE THAN WHAT YOU PUT IN. WE HEAR THAT ACROSS-THE-BOARD. PEOPLE COME BACK AND THEY CREATE COMMUNITY AND TO CREATE FRIENDS. I ACTUALLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE OUT AT ONE OF OUR FEUD -- FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS. AND THE VOLUNTEERS SEEMED SO BONDED WITH EACH OTHER AND JOKING AND LAUGHING , AND HELPING THE COMMUNITY, WHILE HAVING A GOOD TIME. THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY KNOWS, THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO VOLUNTEER. IT BENEFITS YOU IN THE LONG RUN. >> ALSO ONE OF THE SIDE BENEFITS THAT IS SO SACRED TO ME IS THE FACT THAT THE WORK YOU DO HAVE FOOD BANKS, POWERED BY VOLUNTEERS, IS ABOUT HUMAN DIGNITY. I HAVE BEEN WHERE THE FOOD IS BOX UP BUT WHERE THE FOOD IS BEING GIVEN OUT. PERSON TO PERSON. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL BLESSING AND A MOMENT OF HUMAN DIGNITY , ONE HEART TO ANOTHER. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE POWER OF HUMAN CONTACT IN OUR COMMUNITIES BECAUSE OF FOOD BANKS? >> IT IS SOMETHING WE SAW ESPECIALLY AFTER COVID THAT PEOPLE ARE THIRSTING FOR CONNECTION. VOLUNTEERING IS A GREAT WAY TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION. THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO DO IT. BEING OUT OF THE COMMUNITY, DISTRIBUTING FOOD DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE THAT NEEDED , IT IS WONDERFUL TO SEE THE FACES OF THE PEOPLE YOU'RE HELPING. WE ALWAYS HAVE FOOD SORTING OPPORTUNITIES AT A WAREHOUSE. THERE ARE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES. YOU CAN BE A SPEAKERS BUREAU VOLUNTEER AND SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE WORK WE DO. YOU COULD DO HOME DELIVERY. THERE ARE VOLUNTEERS THAT DO DELIVERIES TO PEOPLE'S HOMES. >> SO MANY GREAT THINGS. I LOVE YOU ALL AND SAY HELLO TO ALL YOUR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS. I WANT TO TALK TO ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO IS LISTENING AND MAYBE YOU GOT UP THIS MORNING AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR LIFE HAS NO PURPOSE. WE ALL HAVE DAYS LIKE THAT. VOLUNTEERING AND HELPING OUT, MAYBE WITH LOCAL FOOD BANKS WILL PULL YOU OUT OF THAT PART, DIFFICULT FEELING. TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN BE A PART GO TO SECOND THIS WEBSITE.
