Saturday, December 16, 2017
YOUNGSTOWN
Boardman High School students in Emerging Leaders volunteered their time today to help Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley salvage nonperishables.
The students worked from 9 a.m. to noon inspecting, piece-by-piece, donated food items. They were looking to ensure the food was safe for consumption, while reinforcing damaged boxes and packaging with tape. Second Harvest Food Bank’s Paige Miller, volunteer coordinator, said help from the community is always needed and welcome, especially for sorting and re-packing.
“They are looking to see what is still safe to eat,” explained Miller, “They are literally looking at every single item and keeping what we can, discarding what we can’t.”
In October, Emerging Leaders donated $307 to the food bank, which provided about 1,500 meals, Miller said. She was delighted to see so many young adults willing to volunteer their time and services.
“We love when our young friends come because they bring so much energy and enthusiasm for the cause,” she said, “It’s a joy to work with them. They are very supportive of us and faithful to what we do.”
In 2016, the food bank reported they were able to distribute 10.5 million pounds of food throughout the tri-county area, 3 million of which were fresh vegetables and fruit. According to Miller, the young Spartans sorted and packed more than 5,400 pounds of food items Saturday.
Read more about the group and the project in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.