Harvesters puts out urgent call for volunteers to help with perishable donations

Courtesy Harvesters

Harvesters Community Food Network is putting out an urgent call for volunteers to help ensure food gets out to the community before spoiling after receiving a large amount of perishable food donations. 

Children aged 12-15 can volunteer with adult supervision, and anyone 16 and up can volunteer on their own. Volunteer shifts are two hours long and require no previous experience but make a huge difference for the food bank. 

More than 600 nonprofit agencies are supported by Harvesters, providing food assistance to over 220,000 people per month. President and CEO of Harvesters Valerie Nicolson-Watson says they are incredibly grateful for the generosity of donations but need extra help to sort it all.

“We’re asking anyone who’s available to come and help us make sure it reaches our neighbors on time,” Nicolson-Watson says. “The demand for food assistance is very high during the summer, so if we can get this food out to where it is so needed, we can make a big difference.” 

The Kansas City location of Harvesters has shifts Tuesday through Saturday at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m., with additional shifts on Tuesdays at 4 and 6 p.m. The Lawrence location runs shifts Tuesday through Friday at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

To sign up to volunteer, visit the Harvester’s website or call 819-929-3000 to schedule your visit.