Got to help sort donations at the food pantry downtown yesterday and it felt good

I finally had a free Saturday so I went down to the community food pantry on 3rd Street, the one run by the church. I thought it would be boring but honestly the time flew. We had like 40 boxes of canned goods come in from a school drive and we had to check expiration dates and organize them by type. I got put on labeling and sorting the beans and rice section. There was this old lady volunteering next to me who told me she's been doing it every Saturday for 12 years. She showed me how to spot dented cans that might be bad. By the end we had everything set up neat for the Tuesday distribution. I never realized how much work goes into just the storing part. Has anyone else here volunteered at a local pantry and found it way more chill than expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_martin1mo ago

Felt the same way when I helped out at my local pantry a few months back. I was dreading it but ended up having a solid afternoon just chatting with people while we sorted through a huge pallet of pasta. It's honestly pretty meditative work once you get into the rhythm of checking dates and stacking boxes. Glad you had a good experience, those places always need extra hands.

vera_lewis1mo agoTop Commenter

My neighbor Sarah went last spring and said the same thing. She got stuck labeling jars of peanut butter for two hours and told me it was the most relaxed she'd felt all month. By the end she signed up for a regular shift because of how easy and helpful it was.