Time Well Spent

Today’s post was written by Jen Worth, RVFB board member, volunteer and Rainier Valley resident. 

Food matters to me. It’s one of the primary reasons I volunteer regularly with the Rainier Valley Food Bank (RVFB). I care deeply about what I prepare and serve to family and friends and I want every member of my community to have access to quality food that they can be proud to serve to their family and friends.

I give my time to RVFB for two other reasons—it is necessary and it makes a difference. Two key findings from a study entitled Food Banks: Hunger’s New Staple conducted by Feeding America in 2010 illustrate this point.

First, it is necessary—according to the study, emergency food from pantries is no longer being used simply to meet temporary acute food needs. A majority of the clients being served by the Feeding American network (54%) have visited a food pantry in six or more months during the past year. At RVFB, we have seen a similar trend with many of our food guests visiting regularly to put nutritious food on their tables.

Second, it makes a difference—the study indicates that households that are food secure are more likely to include individuals that have used a pantry every month within the past year. Although Feeding America cannot state that this relationship is causal in nature, it is preliminary evidence that food pantry use over longer durations may lower the likelihood of food insecurity. While this point may seem counterintuitive, it means that food banks like RVFB are likely contributing to the ability of folks in these households to have the confidence of knowing where their next meal will come from.

When I see familiar faces month after month at RVFB, I know my time is making a difference. With a little luck, my time combined with that of all the volunteers at RVFB will help us come closer to ending hunger in the Rainier Valley.

Would you consider adding your time or your resources to help RVFB in its mission to end hunger in the Rainier Valley? Believe me when I say it would be time well spent. Learn more about ways you can help by visiting www.rvfb.org.