Volunteer Spotlight: 451 Marketing

Each year, The Greater Boston Food Bank has over 25,000 volunteers donate their time at our Yawkey Distribution Center in South Boston. GBFB is so grateful to these volunteers because they save us over a million dollars each year in labor costs! Recently, a group of three volunteers from 451 Marketing dedicated a whole day to volunteer and submitted this guest blog. Read about their experience below:

Three of us from the 451 Marketing team spent the day at The Greater Boston Food Bank, a non-profit organization that serves more than 90,000 people each week through a network of 550 member hunger-relief agencies throughout Eastern Massachusetts. Their mission is to end hunger here in Eastern Massachusetts and to distribute enough food to provide at least One Meal A Day to those in need.

We spent the morning sorting potatoes with a hardworking and dedicated group of other volunteers from United Way—The Federal Reserve and Sentinel Benefits and Financial Group.

After sorting through thousands of potatoes, none of us wanted to eat French fries ever again (well at least not for a few weeks). Our next project was to label seafood products.

In the midst of all the potato sorting and labeling, I reflected upon how great of an opportunity it was to be helping so many people in need. 451 Founding Partner Nicholas Lowe said, “to be able to support a great cause with a great volunteer organization and help support The Greater Boston Food Bank was a magnificent experience.”

After our morning shift, we were informed that we sorted through 6,930 pounds of food! That is enough for 5,246 meals.

After our lunch break we were back at it packaging flavored water, labeling frozen galettes and deli meats. In the afternoon shift the volunteer team sorted through 12,025 pounds of food, enough for 9,250 meals! Individually, each 451 volunteer sorted through 1,041 pounds each, making 798 meals possible.

After a full day of volunteering at The Greater Boston Food Bank, it was rewarding to know exactly how many people we helped just by volunteering for a day. “Visiting The Greater Boston Food Bank as a 451 member brings a great sense of joy and accomplishment,” said Public Relations Account Coordinator, Alex Molina. “It’s an amazing feeling to give back to the Boston community and know that even with the smallest task, you’re achieving a lot.”

Please consider volunteering or donating to The Greater Boston Food Bank! Together, we can End Hunger Here.

**Written by Justin Warshavsky, Communications major at Endicott College (Class of 2015).