Local non-profit aids families in need

The Community Food Bank in Fresno helps communities all around the valley. With donations from families all across town, the people that help run the food bank are one of the main reasons why it still exists.

Volunteer coordinator of the Community Food Bank Sarah Pedelty, has done a lot for the food bank. She treats the food bank as her second home because she is always trying her best to help the community and get more volunteers.

“I have been here for almost four years now,” Pedelty said. “I really love my job. I get to work with a lot of amazing people and interact with a lot of great personalities. We have over 5,000 volunteers each year. All of those volunteers are very dedicated and work extremely hard to beat the fight against hunger. ”

People all around the Valley have been positively impacted by the food bank. For those who can not afford meals every day, they look to the food bank for a sense of comfort knowing they will help as much as they can.

The food bank also helps people that have recently moved into Fresno. Shad Dhaliwal is bringing his family from Yuba City through job purposes and the food bank has helped him settle into the city very well.

“I am really thankful for what the food bank does,” Dhaliwal said. “It has helped my family settle in well into the city. We have also had family members help us out. I am just happy to see there is an organization in the city that will help those that are in need. So a big thank you to the food bank in Fresno. ”

The entire message of the Community Food Bank is to fight hunger by gathering and distributing food, engaging in partnerships that advance self-sufficiency, and by providing community leadership on issues related to hunger. This motto is put into every worker and helper that the food bank has.

Thousands of cans and packaged foods are delivered to the food bank every year. Every little bit of food or support that they get is helpful towards not just them but also the community.

The Community Food Bank also offers volunteering opportunities for people of all ages. For high school students, it can offer as community service hours for their college requirements.

Food banks all across the United States are important to their certain communities. The Community Food Bank serves as a helping source for many other cities in the Valley such as Fresno and Madera. They also help communities in King and Kern county.

Every year on the FC campus, history and leadership advisor Robert Foshee makes sure to get all of the students involved. He hosts a canned food drive for the students and the class who brings the most cans gets a special prize.

“I enjoy the food drive a lot,” Foshee said. “Because it supports the Pinedale Community Church and Pastor Amparano. He does an amazing job ministering in the Pinedale community. We are grateful for the chance to partner with him. I also love getting the students involved and it makes us as a school feel better since we’re helping such a great cause such as the community food bank.”

This year the Community Food Bank was a location for FC students on FC Serve Day. Nick LeBlanc, ’17, helped out at the food bank. He enjoyed the opportunity to serve at the food bank and appreciates what they do for the community.

“I served at the Community Food Bank,” LeBlanc said. “We spent most of the day packing up bags of food and organizing items for them. I loved helping serve there because of the impact they have on the community. They are constantly giving aid to families in need by giving them something as simple as food.”

The Community Food Bank offers many opportunities for people who do not have the chance or the money to shop at a FoodMaxx or a Savemart. This food bank helps millions of people every year and Fresno is very grateful for their services.

If you would ever like to volunteer at the Community Food Bank then you should contact the volunteer coordinator, Sarah Pedelty. You can contact her at 559-237-3663 for questions about volunteering or about the food bank in general.

To read an article about FC Serve Day check out: FC Serve Day Recap.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @sukyboiii and via email: Suky Cheema.