National Volunteer Month is celebrated every April. This is a great time to highlight and celebrate the volunteers of our Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative Food Pantry and invite anyone new who may be interested in joining us.

Our pantry is 100%-volunteer operated. We have a great group of people who work well together to accomplish our common goal — to alleviate hunger in Whitehall and Coplay. Our volunteer opportunities are open to anyone who is available and willing to share their time.

There are some clearance requirements, which need only be renewed every five years, since we are on the property of the Diocese of Allentown. All the volunteer requirements can be found at whitehallcoplayhungerinitiative.org, and you are welcome to contact Sylvia, our volunteer coordinator, with any questions.

We have many things to do throughout each month. Some of our volunteers give many hours per week, and we are also happy for those who are able to give a couple hours of their time each month. Our volunteers of all ages, including middle and high school students, family members, friends, individuals and even octogenarians, bring a variety of professional and personal experiences and abilities to our team.

Most of our volunteers are folks who enjoy keeping busy and helping many people in the community through their involvement with multiple organizations. We are a flexible group, and we appreciate any time people are able to give.

We encourage everyone to help with the jobs that are most suitable to them. While we most often run a busy and active to-do list, we sometimes have jobs for those who work best while seated, such as bundling items from large cases into smaller packages or checking the Best By dates on items that have been donated.

When we receive large donations from a food drive, volunteers check and organize the packages to prepare for distribution. On Wednesdays, we have strong volunteers who work together to unload thousands of pounds of food from the truck and also a crew to organize items on the shelves or down-pack produce into smaller bags.

Our distribution days are on the second and third Thursdays of each month, and we have evening hours for those who may not be available during the day. Distribution days require many hands on deck, and we love the “many hands make light work” approach to keep things moving smoothly.

We need volunteers to assist our guests through the pantry to make their food selections, escort the grocery carts to the parking area and return the carts to the pantry. We have positions for people who are interested in interacting with others and positions for those who prefer not to.

For those who like getting their hands dirty or have green thumbs, we have plenty of tasks at the garden and would love to have more gardeners join us this season. Our garden has expanded every year, and it requires many hours of labor to grow and maintain. We usually work there for a couple hours, one evening each week.

If you are a regular reader of this column, you know we have grown a variety of herbs and vegetables including basil, cilantro, dill, peppers, radishes, tomatoes, zucchini, winter squash and potatoes. We grew 1,500 pounds of produce last year!

I cannot say enough about the fantastic group of people I have met in my six years of volunteering at the pantry. I initially reached out to get involved simply because I believe food is a basic need, and no one should experience hunger.

I never anticipated it would teach me so much more and lead to the many friendships and connections I have made. Our group of volunteers are very special people who are truly making a difference in the lives of everyone they interact with, and I appreciate being a part of this team.

Editor’s Note: This column was written by Jenn Dietz.