On Shift: Sorter-Packer and Delivery
Ever wondered what goes on during a Food Link volunteer shift? Today, we will explore not just one, but two of our weekly shifts! Our Administrative Assistant Darcy recently accompanied volunteers in sorting and packing groceries at Whole Foods Arlington and delivering donations to Lexington Food Pantry. They shared their experience below. Whether you are a long-time volunteer or a visitor looking to learn more, keep reading to get a taste of volunteering at Food Link, and stay tuned until the end for a little treat!
Stop One: The Hub
Like many of our shifts, it all begins at the Hub. The Hub, which completed renovations in 2021, is Food Link’s headquarters and where we load, sort, and customize our food donations. When I arrived in the morning for my shift, I was greeted by operations lead Bridget M. and quickly joined in loading our van, aptly named aMealia1, with banana boxes that we would soon fill with food. Once the volunteer van driver, Tucker, arrived, we headed off to Whole Foods Arlington!
Image Description: A view of the street from inside aMealia1!
Stop Two: Time to Sort!
Once we arrived at Whole Foods Arlington, we parked close to the loading dock in a shady spot that would protect the food from direct sunlight. We then headed to the loading dock where Whole Foods staff had left us carts of food. Two other Food Link volunteers also arrived to help with the sorting. There were a lot of boxes, but with our sanitary gloves and versatile carts, we were ready to meet the challenge!
Image Description: A hand holds an open box of juicy raspberries.
Image Description: Avocados inside a carboard box.
Image Description: A grocery cart of boxes of strawberries.
Image Description: Ripe bananas inside a banana box.
The donations Food Link receives often depend on the season and availability, and on that day, we sorted berries upon berries upon berries. I sorted through dozens of raspberry boxes and composted the moldy ones, so only the highest quality berries would be sent to our recipient agencies. Realizing we didn’t have enough time to sort all the strawberries on location, we set them aside to sort at the Hub.
In addition to raspberries and strawberries, we sorted bread, root vegetables, frozen meat, prepared salads, and more. The other volunteers on shift took the time to teach me their best sorting practices. I learned how to test the firmness of turnips and radishes and peek around salad boxes to check for wilted leaves. Food Link provides only high-quality food to recipient agencies, so foods that do not meet our standards but are safe for consumption are set aside for volunteers or composted (more on what happens to food saved for volunteers later!).
Before leaving Whole Foods, we packed our now filled banana boxes into the van.
Image Description: Stacks of full banana boxes inside aMealia1.
Image Description: Tucker lifting a box into aMealia1.
Stop Three: Return to the Hub
Next, Tucker and I drove back to the Hub to drop off any unsorted boxes and to pick up more donations to deliver to the Lexington Food Pantry.
Image Description: Tucker stacking boxes inside aMealia1 while Bridget M. tallies the type of food we rescued.
When we returned, Tucker and I reported how many boxes of each type of food we rescued and Bridget M. called the Lexington Food Pantry coordinators directly to confirm which boxes to send. As seen here, Food Link works hard to collaborate with our recipient agencies so that the food they receive from us meets their needs.
Once all the boxes were accounted for and the van was loaded, Tucker and I headed out again!
Stop Four: Making the Delivery
After arriving at the Lexington Food Pantry, we loaded our boxes onto carts to bring inside. Even though we had fifteen boxes and only two small carts, we managed to bring down the donations in two trips.
Image Description: Tucker picking up boxes from inside aMealia1 to put onto a cart.
The Lexington Food Pantry’s sorting area was spacious with volunteers directing us where to place our boxes. I was impressed by their quick and efficient process. As soon as we placed each box down, other volunteers were swift to begin sorting and organizing the donations further.
Image Description: A stack of two banana boxes full of bagels perched on a metal table at the Lexington Food Pantry.
Before we left, we made sure to pick up boxes of non-perishables that the pantry had set aside for Food Link. Since Lexington Food Pantry does not distribute food past their code dates, we take the pantry’s past-date non-perishables to include in deliveries to some of our other partners. When we arrived in the kitchenette, we only saw one box set aside. Just as we were about to wheel it back upstairs, the food pantry coordinator ran up to us to let us know that there were more boxes left for us on top of the kitchenette fridges. Laughing, we headed back into the kitchenette where we found three more boxes of non-perishables waiting.
Image Description: Tucker reaching in to sort the past-date non-perishable items inside a banana box.
Stop Five: Final Return (+ A Treat)
With the food delivered and non-perishables packed, we made our final return to the Food Link Hub. On the way back, Tucker and I shared smiles over the mix-up with the non-perishables and discussed our admiration for the Lexington Food Pantry’s organizational skills.
When we arrived back at the Hub, we delivered the non-perishables to be sorted and said our goodbyes. I felt pleased with how smoothly both shifts had gone and grateful for the guidance of the Food Link volunteers I had worked with. Now, we could all enjoy the fruits (or bread) of our labor. Remember the food we saved for volunteers at Whole Foods? We could now use that food for our own recipes! Below is a photo of the delicious garlic bread that my father and I made later that night from bread left over from the Whole Foods shift. Looks scrumptious, right?
Image Description: Darcy's father slides out a pan of finished garlic bread from inside an oven.
Thank you for making it to the bottom of the article! Are you interested in getting involved in our sorting and delivery shifts? We encourage you to sign up to volunteer on our Get Involved page. You can also subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
If you have any questions about volunteering, email us at info@foodlinkma.org or call us at 781-819-4225.