Annie’s Volunteering Experience at Parkdale Community Food Bank, Partner of My Food Savers

Annie spent a part of her weekend volunteering at Parkdale Community Food Bank, a partner of My Food Savers.

Parkdale Food Bank has a flexible system for customers to browse for the items and products that they need for their families.

This generous service provided in the goal of creating a hunger-free community through barrier-free access to many different options allows everyone to walk out of the food bank knowing that they will not have to face hunger for the coming week and will have enough food to sustain their families.

“We feed over 8000 families every month! Our mission is to ensure access to barrier free food with choice, dignity & respect for all” - Parkdale Community Food Bank

“I spent several hours working at the desk counting, cutting, laminating, and organizing numbered cards that are distributed to the community members waiting outside the food bank that determine the order in which they get to shop.

While doing so, I watched countless people walk around, picking out what they needed. At the time I arrived for my volunteer shift (more than 30 minutes prior to opening), there was already a huge line outside the food pantry. So many people were waiting for the opening of the food pantry long before its opening time. A staff member even said that some arrive as early as 6 am for an opening time of 10 am! This highlights the importance of these community food banks, which so many people rely on to alleviate hunger and fulfill their basic needs of food and hygiene. I cannot imagine some people finding food gone bad in their homes due to a lack of planning and foresight while there are others who will go lengths to simply obtain it.” 

- Annie, Founder of My Food Savers

This is why we need to learn how to reduce food waste. With so many people in need of food and it being a necessity to us humans, wasting food is the last thing we should do. My Food Savers can help those who may over shop for groceries track their food items. In doing so, it will prevent food that was once perfectly fine ending up in the bin.

In fact, if people find non-expired food that they do not need, they may even donate it to a food bank near them, which as Annie’s experience highlights, benefit tons of people in the greatest way possible.