The following letter was written by one of our Food Bank participants. This participant wrote this letter voluntarily to explain why she was so grateful for the staff and volunteers of FamilyWorks. (emphasis added)
“I have been receiving food from FamilyWorks for more than 2 years.
I am so grateful for the food, but further, I am amazed at the current staff and group of volunteers. Not only are they respectful and competent in their jobs, they are very personable and nice. They are patient and helpful.
Coming to the food bank is a “good” outing for me. I feel like a part of a Tuesday social group. Many of the recipients look forward to seeing each other and talk about everything, including the food bank.
With the current staff and helpers we often help out in anyway we can. We will try and mostly succeed at calming down or administering to the mentally challenged or disturbed. Some of the smiles are the only comfort some of the folks have all week. People are impressed. Lots of people go to other food banks and they say the same thing that those of us who only go to FamilyWorks say about your staff. Thank you!
–Jenn*”
*Name has been changed to protect anonymity
Something that we don’t 
often talk about is the emotional impact of hunger; how it negatively affects one’s confidence and self-esteem. We are a society that doesn’t like to ask for help, that values independence. When someone is in the humbling position of having to ask for food they likely feel embarrassed or ashamed at their need. It’s possible that when someone is hungry and vulnerable, and they feel unwelcome at a food bank they would avoid accessing services altogether.
This is why the “patience,” 
“helpfulness,” “respect” and kindness our Food Bank team extends to our participants is so vital. As Jenn puts it, “Coming to the food bank is a ‘good’ outing for me.” Operating a food bank that participants “look forward” to coming to is vital if we are going to nourish our most vulnerable neighbors and eliminate hidden hunger.
At FamilyWorks we are so fortunate to have such an awesome team of staff and volunteers who operate our Food Bank, and make this a “good place” for so many. Thank you team!
If you’re interested in volunteering in our Food Bank CLICK HERE for more info.
*GiveBIG is coming May 3rd! CLICK HERE for more info about GiveBIG.