As we say goodbye to our Food Corps team, we’d love to highlight some of the incredible work they’ve accomplished this summer. On top of daily work at our urban farm, our volunteers spend each Wednesday and Friday packing and sorting food for United Way Carlton and Pine County Area and Second Harvest Northland.
At Second Harvest Northland, the Food Corps put in nearly 400 volunteer hours between June and August. They worked on a number of projects including sorting produce, bagging bulk cereal, maintaining outdoor spaces to mitigate pests, and packing boxes of supplemental food for qualifying older adults in the area.
Holly Grace, Volunteer Coordinator at Second Harvest Northland, commented, “The Eco3 team played a huge role in maintaining our operations and food distribution throughout the summer, ensuring reliable access to nutritious food for our Northland neighbors. We would not be able to do the work we do without our volunteers.”
At United Way Carlton and Pine County Area, our dedicated volunteers packed food bags and organized supplies for the Summer Food Bag Program, made possible through the generous support of Project Joy. The Summer Food Bag Program ensures that children and families have access to nutritious food over summer break. With help from our Food Corps team, approximately 3,220 food bags were packed and distributed this summer.
“We are especially grateful to the dedicated volunteers from Eco3, who generously gave their time week after week to pack bags, organize supplies, and help keep the program running smoothly. Their kindness, dependability, and willingness to lend a hand made a real difference for the children and families served through this program. We truly appreciate their commitment and support,” remarked Jen Perttula, Program Assistant at United Way Carlton Pine County Area.
We cannot thank you enough for the dedication of our summer Food Corps team. Their work has made such an important impact on our community and helped us further our mission of promoting equity and sustainability in Duluth. We wish all our volunteers the best as they continue to the next chapter of their lives! If you are interested in joining the Food Corps next summer, stay tuned for job opportunities on our AmeriCorps page.