The Arlington Food Pantry could not exist without its volunteers - Wicked Local Arlington

The Arlington Food Pantry could not exist without its volunteers - Wicked Local Arlington

Bram Berkowitz bberkowitz@wickedlocal.com @BramBerkoWL

As part of our Gifts of Hope campaign this year, The Arlington Advocate is partnering with the Arlington Food Pantry to help raise money for the organization. As you plan your year-end charitable donations, we will be bringing you a stream of stories throughout the holiday season about the pantry and how residents can make a difference.

It’s pretty incredible.

The Arlington Food Pantry serves full meals and groceries to roughly 800 Arlington residents four times a month, yet doesn’t have one single full-time employee.

That’s right, even the pantry’s director, Andi Doane, despite the countless hours she puts in, is only a part-time employee.

So how does an organization function so well and help so many?

It’s all thanks to the 75 volunteers that donate their time after work or early in the morning every month to ensure the pantry is ready to go for its clients.

“Without volunteers, the Arlington Food Pantry wouldn't exist,” said Doane. “Each month volunteers contributed 250 hours to ensure that food is available for Arlington residents in need. However, what is most amazing about our volunteers is that they care. It's not uncommon to see volunteers give a hug to someone who is a new shopper and finds it hard to come to the pantry for the first time.”

Who are these volunteers?

They are young and old; from Arlington and not from Arlington; people that just started helping and those that have been with the pantry for decades.

But the common denominator seems to be their desire to give back to a community that they cherish.

“There is a need to help the people that are little more disadvantaged than you are,” said Nan Enos, a volunteer since September of 1993. “It’s nice doing something for the community other than paying taxes and sitting on your hands.”

During her time with the pantry, she has worked at almost every section from the spaghetti and fruit to the cereals, and seen the pantry transform from an organization frequented by backlogs to one that now runs like a well-oiled machine.

A few of Enos’ friends that she first started volunteering with are still at the pantry, but most have moved on due to age, retirement or relocation. But the one’s that are left are always replaced by fresh, enthusiastic faces.

One of those faces is Gwen Mansfield, a 15-year Arlington resident that has been volunteering for about a year now.

Mansfield works remotely for Adobe, where she is in constant communication with a team out on the west coast. Adobe is always pushing its employees to do a quarterly volunteer project.

Despite the 3,000 plus miles standing between her and the rest of her team, Mansfield wanted to volunteer as well, but she wanted to participate in an organization she had a connection to.

“The food pantry is certainly a cause I have always supported,” said Mansfield, who typically volunteers in the Marathon Street location.

Mansfield, who volunteers one Saturday each month, said she likes how the pantry allows for flexible hours so she can still volunteer while balancing her family and work schedule.

The opportunity has also really opened the longtime Arlington resident’s eye to the fact that there are a lot of people struggling to get by in town.

“I was really shocked at the amount of families in need,” said Mansfield. “I started to recognize faces and people, who give you a warm ‘Hello’ and its really nice.”

As the pantry prepares to expand the amount of time they are open each month starting in January, Doane will be looking for new volunteers.

“It’s an easy thing to do,” she said. “You go online, sign up, there is a 10 minute training and you are ready to go.”

Not only is it is a way to make a difference in the lives of your fellow residents, but also in your own.

“They are all very grateful,” said Enos of the pantry’s clients. “And volunteering does make you feel good.”