Intrepid volunteers began making their way into Food Bank for New York City’s warehouse at 10 am on a Sunday — no easy feat considering it’s located so far out in the Bronx it practically touches the East River.

But nothing was going to stand in their way.

Hundreds of New York-area volunteers joined together for Hungry to Help on May 6th, a service day focused on fighting poverty in our community. The event was organized by Time for Good, UJA’s volunteer initiative. Projects across five different New York area locations attracted more than 370 dedicated participants. Together, 64,000 meals were packed for donation, thousands of pounds of food distributed, 200 meals delivered to homebound seniors, and 30 students were assisted with career prep.

One enthusiastic family stood out, Valerie and her two young daughters, who sifted through canned food and taped up boxes with huge smiles on their faces. A Food Bank employee reported that Valerie’s older daughter kept running up to double-check the food’s expiration dates, because she wanted to be extra thorough.

When volunteers finished packing food, they were taken on a tour of the warehouse, which used to be an ice cream factory before the Food Bank took it over. The guide explained exactly how the organization obtains and distributes food, and discussed their recent initiative to provide healthier options for families.

After all this, Valerie reflected on the day, “We thought this was a good way of giving back,” she said. “In the tour at the end, we saw how it all works and how they do everything to eliminate waste and make sure that the food gets to people that need it as quickly as possible.”

Many of the other volunteers said that they didn’t expect to learn so much about how food banks distribute food to those in need. The experience was eye-opening for them.

For Valerie, the day was also about showing her children the significance of giving back.

“I think it’s important for kids that are as fortunate as mine are to see that there are people in need and that this is an easy way of helping, and just giving two hours of your time is not that much,” she said.