Guest Blogger: Linda Elliott

February 20, 2015

I’ve been a volunteer with Care and Share Food Bank for more than 11 years and couldn’t think of a better place to give my time. The staff is wonderful and there’s always a “Thank You” no matter what you do.

Care and Share has become near and dear to my heart over the years. Their mission sounds simple, but when you actually meet the users of their services and they tell you that they couldn’t live without the food that Care and Share provides, it brings the urgency to the forefront. I learned a lot from visiting Food Pantries last summer to conduct a hunger survey. The participants were so grateful for the food pantry service, and thankful that we treated them as people and not a burden on society.

Many people experience hunger at some point in their lives. I have been fortunate that I’ve never been hungry (in fact, I could stand to miss a meal or two!), but there were times when we were just a paycheck away from being unable to pay our bills. I have a support system that works for me; others are not as fortunate as I and need a helping hand. That’s where Care and Share comes in and provides help when help is needed.

Care and Share’s Recipe for Hope event is one of their most important events of the year. It has grown from just a few participants to maxing out the Broadmoor’s International Center. The event is a learning experience about Care and Share’s mission and offers personal stories from actual recipients. All too often we forget about those in need and need to be reminded that so many of our Southern Colorado neighbors are at risk of hunger. Many of these individuals are hard working young moms that simply can’t make ends meet when they are raising children on a minimum wage salary plus paying for daycare.

I firmly believe that we each need to participate in the Recipe for Hope event to make it successful, raise awareness of the need for food, and bring in as much money and resources to the organization as possible. I’ve been a table captain, helped with directing individuals to their seats, found empty seats for late comers when there was already a packed house, and totaled the donations after the event. I truly can’t think of a more worthwhile organization to spend my day supporting. I’ll stop volunteering at Care and Share when there is no longer a need for their services and there is no more hunger in our society.