Catering to People in Need

Everything in Marlon Gray’s life comes back to one of three things: food, family and helping others.

Marlon first volunteered at GBFB in 2010, while studying to become a chef. “I thought it was just going to be this little food pantry, but it was huge,” he said of his first trip to GBFB.

After starting his own catering business with his wife, called Joella’s, he came back to GBFB in 2016 when he found himself with more free time. Marlon volunteers for a few hours at GBFB most Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Marlon has done more than just give time to GBFB, he’s helped us do things better. Because of how often he volunteers, Marlon has taught other volunteers how to use equipment and move pallets of food on the shipping dock—speeding up the entire shipping process.

In addition to his volunteering and catering business, Marlon created “Healthy Cooking on a Budget,” a cooking class where he teaches local kids how to make delicious and nutritious meals, such as homemade pastas, sauces and salads.

“We want to show kids that they can make a good meal with the things they have in their cabinet at home,” Marlon said.

The people he’s met volunteering and the impact he’s seen GBFB make in his community are the two biggest reasons why Marlon keeps coming back.

“People don’t go hungry only in the winter or only in the summer heat. It’s always there,” he said. “So anything I can do to help alleviate that is big to me.”

We celebrated Marlon, our Individual Volunteer of the Year, and others during our 2018 Partner Appreciation Day. Read more >