SFB-CRC could not possibly do what we do without the dedication of five pairs of volunteer food rescue drivers who keep our shelves stocked while providing tax deductions for our generous local grocers because of the excess food they donate to us—a win-win.

These ten people rise early in the morning week after week to visit six stores in the area where they load up with safe and nutritious food items that we can get to the tables of hungry families instead of landfills.

Hathaway Cornelius is our senior food rescue volunteer (and former board president) with 13 years of service to us. Hathaway, retired from computer consulting, and Nancy Bowen, retired from the Federal Reserve and, for years teamed up in their own white van they call Beluga regularly visiting four stores. They now use our new spacious cargo van. Nancy loves spatial challenges, so she enjoys organizing the van. They keep doing this for the food bank because, as they humbly and perceptibly put it, “You can’t have a food bank without food!”

Taylor Hoskins and Dick Wheeler do Tuesday runs together. After 30 years with Fry’s/Kroger in Ohio, Taylor possesses invaluable knowledge and experience, already a mentor for us when it comes to food products. He enjoys working with his partner and keeping in shape lifting 30-40 pound food boxes. “It’s an easy fit, and I like giving back,” he said.

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Dick was in sales and marketing for an orthopedic business and has done volunteer food rescue work for two years, along with a couple of days a week with the Fire Corps, and just recently started working with Taylor. Together they have already built a strong relationship with grocery employees, and Dick appreciates the person-to-person contact with people “in the back behind the doors.” They get lots of excellent produce from all the supermarkets, and he also likes staying fit with all the lifting. “SFB volunteers are older,” he noted, “but still work so hard.” He wishes the food bank could give even more since we live in a country with so many resources. “Nobody is going to a food bank unless they have to.

 

”Retired professors of ornithology and environmental biology, Carol and David Vleck have been with us for eight years, picking up at all six stores on Thursdays, often making double runs. Then they dive in to help Sam McElwaine’s team in the kitchen, sorting to make sure our clients get the best possible produce. Avid birders, they devote a morning most every week to food rescue. “We need to make sure that our food bank visitors get the food they need,” they agreed. “It’s something we can do to give back.”

 

Forced to quit volunteering for Whipple Observatory in 2019 due to Covid, Steve Brown joined us later in that year, teaming up with his partner Bud Forman, who had already been driving for us for a while. Steve was an environmental manager and engineer for power plants in Ohio. Executive Director Carlos Valles put them together on Mondays visiting both Safeway stores, Sprouts, and Fry’s. Like all the others, they are committed to giving to their community. “It’s a need that’s out there,” Steve said, “and it’s not going away.

 

”Our team of food rescue drivers is just another example of great people doing great things for folks they don’t even know. Their tireless efforts and sacrifices are what make SFB-CRC a principal resource center for those in our community who need a helping hand.