Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank

BY LISA HAYNES

Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank Volunteer Manager

Volunteering outside of my children’s school was something I had rarely done before arriving in the US. However, on moving to Issaquah and not knowing anyone, I contacted the food bank to see how I could help. I hoped to make friends, be busy, and do something useful for others. I found all of these!

A few weeks after my first shift I met a fellow food bank volunteer at the grocery store. I realized at that moment that there was a place for me in this community.

I absolutely loved volunteering at the food bank. The camaraderie of a shared purpose to help others encouraged me to volunteer 2 or 3 times a week. I enjoyed it so much that when I got a job at the Issaquah Schools Foundation, I continued volunteering at the food bank, one shift a week, and was also able to work on some of the partnership programs.

When the time came, I knew exactly where I wanted to work next. I’m the Volunteer Manager at the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank. I understand from personal experience the importance of volunteering from the volunteer’s perspective, and I align this with my understanding of the needs of the organization and our shoppers. It’s a big job - I plan the volunteer schedule, recruit and train volunteers, and help manage the day-to-day operations. It’s important to me to get to know volunteers so that I can find everyone a spot that matches their interests and skills. I love going out into the community and talking to groups about the work of the food bank and encouraging them to volunteer too. As a part of a passionate and fun staff team, I also help plan donation drives and assist with special programs like the Summer Lunch Program and Tools 4 School.

Because the shoppers’ experience is important to me, last year I started a recipe card project. Community members write recipes using a list of foods frequently available at the food bank. With the help of volunteers, we translate these recipes into Mandarin, Spanish, and Russian. If you are interested in helping me with this project or have questions about any other volunteer opportunities, please email me Lisa@issaquahfoodbank.org