My Service Experience at the Larimer County Food Bank

The day I became a YMSL member, I wasn’t sure whether it would be interesting or enjoyable. I thought it was going to be very strict and formal; but after helping out at several philanthropies, I realized it was an awesome experience with amazing, outgoing people who really care about others.

My service at the Larimer County Food Bank had the biggest impact on me and made me realize how special it was to be in YMSL. When my brother Flynn and I and my mom arrived at the Food Bank, we walked through a big warehouse full of pallets piled high with food for people in need. They had us organize food into boxes in a very orderly fashion. I realized how much they truly care about what they are doing. 

An older woman who had seemingly spent many hours volunteering to sort food helped us figure out how to categorize foods and how to look for expiration dates. We needed a lot of help! She told us that someone had found a box of food that was over ten years old! (Later, when I toured the Food Bank during a Boy’s Meeting, our tour guide told us the oldest food they have found was a can of food from 1965!). I remember finding a bottle of pasta sauce that was a couple of years over the expiration date and feeling that this was pretty old.

It was nice to know that without doing what I did people wouldn’t be safely enjoying the food, and it lightens up my heart and makes me feel really good. At the end of the day we had emptied many bins and piles of unsorted food and we had a big pile of boxes full of food ready to feed hungry people. I walked out of the Food Bank with a smile on my face.

Very recently we went back to the Food Bank with YMSL to donate turkeys and have a tour of the facility. The thing that stood out to me (besides how huge their freezers are) was that they have a professional chef to make meals that are delivered to seniors, Poudre School District children, and other people in need. It was very surprising how so much food was donated.  Our tour guide told us that 95% of their food is donated by farmers and stores all across the country, and 80% of the food donated would be in a landfill without the Food Bank. Much of what would end up in landfills is “Ugly Food,” which is food that is not perfect but is still quite edible.

I was impressed by both of my experiences at the Food Bank, and can’t wait to volunteer there again.

Sam Wilder
Communications Team
Class of 2020