Second Harvest is powered by volunteers. Without their dedication, we simply couldn’t serve our neighbors in need. Retired physician Tom is one of Second Harvest’s cherished core volunteers. He can be found at our Pasco Hunger Solution Center several days a week, doing whatever he can to help make an impact on hunger in the Columbia Basin.
Tom knows fresh fruits and vegetables are integral to good nutrition and overall health and wants others to reap the benefits. He keeps busy this time of year harvesting a large “pasture” on which he grows peaches, apricots, cucumbers, garlic and other healthy vegetables. He generously shares his bounty with neighborhood pantries and Second Harvest, knowing it will make a difference for people facing hunger.
Tom shares Second Harvest’s passion for reducing food waste, so it’s especially rewarding for him to help with our new Zilch zero-waste program. He enjoys making Zilch deliveries of fresh food directly to people who may not be able to access their local pantry. “We have all this unmet need and all of this food going to waste. We can match the two up, and I can be part of the solution. I love to do it.”
He was drawn to volunteer at Second Harvest “because of the mission, the people and my belief in health and food and trying to alleviate need.” When asked how volunteering makes him feel, Tom was quick to say, “Gotta love it! It’s one of the things that is central to staying happy. I’m pretty selfish about it, actually.”
So what keeps him coming back to Second Harvest? “It’s fun, it’s exercise for me. It’s good health for me. That’s a win, win, win all the way around, and I have a lot of fun doing it.”
Are you ready to have fun volunteering? Find opportunities at our volunteer centers in Pasco and Spokane at 2-harvest.org/volunteer.
