Thousands of volunteers make our mission possible

Every month, thousands of volunteers make our mission to fight hunger possible.

Among those is Pat Caperino, or “Miss Pat” as she’s known around our offices and warehouse.

“I started with Second Harvest six years ago, and have enjoyed every minute of it,” Miss Pat says. “I’m a retired legal secretary, and I knew I wanted to do something to help kids
and the homeless.”

People often associate volunteering at Second Harvest with sorting donated food and working in our kitchen, but there are many other types of volunteer activities, such as the administrative duties Miss Pat helps out with.

“I do like preparing meals in the Community Kitchen, but I also help out with processing mail and data entry a couple times a week.”

Volunteers like Miss Pat are also essential during our fundraising events such as Rubber Duck Derby, when huge volumes of mail can arrive in a short amount of time. In all, volunteers contribute more than 56,000 hours a year to Second Harvest – that’s the equivalent of 27 full-time employees.

“It’s such a wonderful feeling to know I’m helping Second Harvest take care of people right here in South Louisiana. It’s been a very pleasant experience.”

Click here to learn more about how you can volunteer with Second Harvest Food Bank.