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Priceless! Our volunteers are the driving force be- hind Second Harvest Food Bank's ability to pro- vide healthy food to our community. This last year has shown us just how important our volunteers are to our food distribu- tions. Overnight the need for food increased more than two-fold when the pandemic gripped Santa Cruz County. . The result- ing economic shut down caused mass unemploy- ment in a demographic already struggling to make ends meet and Second Harvest was called in to make sure these families continued to receive nutri- tious foods to thrive. The crisis also caused many people to take action and help. Second Harvest has been fortunate that so many stepped up, making it possible for the food bank to conduct the weekly community food distri- butions in response to the pandemic. These weekly distributions each require at least 120 volunteers, equating to around 600 volunteer hours each month. Morgan Imel, Robby Olson, and Justen Harper are just three of those volunteers, whose contributions of time and talent over the last year both in person and remote, have been truly priceless. Morgan Imel Morgan Imel is Product Operations Analyst at Looker in Santa Cruz. Looker is a local tech company that works with data and analytics. During this past year Morgan has been a driving force behind recruiting remote volunteers to help update over a years' worth of volunteer data into the food bank's data base. "I am so grateful for Morgan and the Looker team for providing an im- portant platform for us to move forward in engaging volunteers from afar." Jael Salinas, Volunteer Program Manager, Second Harvest Food Bank This project has helped individuals that cannot volunteer physically to still take part by working remotely. As part of this project, the volunteers have provided critical data and streamlined reporting processes. Thank you Morgan and Looker! Robby Olson When COVID19 shut down the economy and created a huge need for food, Robby Olson stepped up to help. Concerned with the overwhelming need, he contacted Second Harvest to see where vol- unteers were needed. He showed up at the commu- nity distributions a year ago and has volunteered at every single one since. As a local pastor, Robby's de- sire to help others in need runs deep and over the past year he has become a volunteer leader at these large distributions. "His compassion, under- standing, and great sense of humor uplifts all those around him. Robby has been vital in encouraging other volunteers and staff and is a perfect example of a real-life Hunger Hero." Jael Salinas, Volunteer Program Manager, Second Harvest Food Bank After a year and over 160 hours of volunteer service, he still shows up with an enthusiastic smile and positive attitude. Thank you Robby! The Value of the Volunteer By The Second Harvest Food Bank Justen Harper Justen began volunteer- ing at Second Harvest's weekly community drive- through distributions in April 2020. As COVID-19 began shutting down the economy and the need for food grew, Justen wanted to help. Over the past year he has contributed over 130 hours to Second Har- vest's volunteer program. His positive outlook trans- fers to everyone around him. "Justen is dedicated to service and is always willing to take the lead on any task he is assigned. He has become a great leader among the volunteers." Jael Salinas, Volunteer Program Manager, Second Harvest Food Bank Second Harvest is privi- leged to have Justen as an ongoing volunteer. Thank you Justen! To all who are part of the Second Harvest Food Bank volunteer team. THANK YOU… you are truly valued! For more information on volunteering either in per- son or remote, contact Jael Salinas at (831) 232-8141 or visit www.thefoodbank. org/volunteer Provided photo of Robby Olson Provided photo of Morgan Imel Provided photo of Justen Harper

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