(Pictured: Nourishing Hope volunteer Gabby Jarosz, right, on a picnic with a friend).
Nourishing Hope is an organization sustained and supported by more than 7,000 volunteers each year. These dedicated folks pick up food donations, sort produce, pack orders, move pallets, stock shelves, deliver groceries, and more.
For many of the people who pitch in, volunteering goes beyond an act of service. It’s a point of community connection. We strive to provide a safe, supportive, and fun environment where our volunteers can show up as their authentic selves.
Recently, one of our volunteers shared with us a bit more about why she started volunteering and why she has continued returning over the years.
Please enjoy this guest blog post from Nourishing Hope volunteer, Gabby Jarosz:
I started volunteering around April 2020. My employer had furloughs during COVID, and I thought volunteering would be a nice way to fill the time. I volunteered at some of the Wrigley Field packing shifts and enjoyed the experience.
In such a stressful and unpredictable time, giving back to the community helped me feel a little more hopeful and positive.
In 2022, I found the Wednesday Online Market evening packing shift and started volunteering regularly. I quickly felt like part of a team. Seeing Cathy and the same volunteers every week was a welcome way to spend the evening after a stressful day at work!
While my day job has grown more busy and I can’t volunteer weekly anymore, I still try to volunteer on the Wednesday evening shift as often as I can. I miss everyone in the weeks I am gone!
Volunteers pack Online Market orders at Nourishing Hope’s HQ.
I’ve always loved volunteering and a routine, so working with Nourishing Hope has been perfect for me. I also really enjoy being a volunteer ambassador and helping welcome new volunteers. I also help with events that pop up throughout the year. I am always telling my friends about Nourishing Hope, and I’m happy to talk to strangers about it too.
When I am not volunteering, I work in Supply Chain at Ingredion and plan corn starch production.
Fun fact: our corrugated Online Market boxes have corn starch in them!
I also enjoy exploring the city, traveling to see and eat with friends (my picture above is of me, right, eating a picnic in a park in London). I also love going to the movies with my husband (we are a proud AMC A-List household).
— Gabby Jarosz
Nourishing Hope cannot sustain our mission without the regular support of committed volunteers like Gabby. We take pride in the community we’ve built. It takes all of us to get food to folks who are experiencing food insecurity: staff, donors, friends, and thousands of generous volunteers.
Volunteering regularly doesn’t just benefit our neighbors who need support — it physically and mentally benefits the volunteers themselves.
A 2023 study by the International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations found evidence of “a multitude of benefits of volunteering on mental, physical, and social health and well-being, particularly reduced mortality, and increased functioning, quality of life, pride, empowerment, motivation, social support, and sense of community.”
If you haven’t volunteered with Nourishing Hope before and have yet to experience these benefits in action, simply click here to register for your first volunteer shift (available at multiple locations, 6 days a week).
To Gabby, and to ALL of our volunteers: thank you so much for showing up with energy, passion, and joy for your community. Your support means the world to us.