Food For Thought (Aired: December 24, 2019)

Food For Thought provides healing nutrition and compassion to over 850 people affected by serious illnesses in Sonoma County.

They also supply over 300,000 meals per year at no charge to qualified clients who are at risk of malnutrition. Food For Thought services eliminate food insecurity, reduce hospital visits and medical expenses, and improve clients’ health and quality of life.

Food For Thought offers comprehensive nutritional services to over 850 people affected by HIV and other serious illnesses in Sonoma County. Their services are confidential and provided at no cost to clients in a welcoming and beautiful environment.

All clients are welcome to receive weekly groceries, vitamins and dietary supplements, and nutritional counseling. Groceries are delivered to clients who are homebound due to illness or lack of transportation. Clients who are unable to prepare food for themselves may receive frozen meals by applying through their case manager or doctor.

Clients are also invited to participate in FFT’s nutrition education and garden programs and to join other clients for a hot lunch three times a week at their Forestville location.

Volunteers are always needed and greatly appreciated!

To get started, please complete the volunteer registration form. You will be contacted soon after you submit your form. If you have any questions, please email Helen Myers at HelenM@FFTfoodbank.org or call (707) 887-1647.

Volunteer Opportunities include:

FOOD BANK CLERKS
Clerks staff the food bank itself in downtown Forestville. Duties include: greeting clients, taking their orders, and filling grocery bags both for walk-in clients and for those who are homebound. Clerks also stock shelves, receive deliveries, break down bulk items, wash windows, sweep floors and pitch in for any task at hand.

FOOD DRIVE VOLUNTEERS
This is a great opportunity for those who work during the week but want to help once a month for a few hours! Three times a month, on Saturdays, volunteers conduct food drives outside the doors of local markets. Food drive volunteers offer flyers to shoppers as they enter the door, asking them to buy extra items while they shop and then receive the donations in bins as the shoppers exit. View upcoming food drive dates.

PICK-UP AND DELIVERY DRIVERS
Deliver groceries to clients who are homebound due to illness or lack of transportation. Pick up groceries in Forestville in your own car. We provide maps and directions. Usually four to eight stops on a route. Volunteers report an average of two hours of time per route.

GARDENERS
Under the direction of master gardeners, volunteers work to help maintain and harvest our organic vegetable, herb and flower gardens and orchard. The garden volunteers generally enjoy a lunch break together, often with fresh greens from the garden. A fine opportunity to learn more about organic gardening as well as touching the earth and connecting with nature.

LOVING SPOONFUL
Volunteers in the Loving Spoonful Program assist our chef to prep, prepare, and package healthy and delicious soups, salads, and other items for our clients. Volunteers with all levels of cooking skills are welcome to join our kitchen crew — and no experience is necessary! Shifts take place at the kitchen at Shone Farm in Santa Rosa every Monday from 10:00 am – 12:30 pm  and 1:00 – 4:00 pm.

SPECIAL EVENTS
Volunteers for a wide range of jobs are needed for all our special fundraising events: ticket takers, registration folk, guides and hosts, food and beverage assistants, drivers, phone solicitors, envelope stuffers, set up, parking, people with strong backs and people with gentle hands, and the (always important) clean-up crew.

Location:
6550 Railroad Avenue
PO Box 1608
Forestville, CA 95436
(707) 887-1647
info@fftfoodbank.org

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