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When Judy Willis retired, she knew she wanted to get out there and do something. “I look around and I just think, golly, there’s just so much people could do if they would just do it,” she said. So, when Judy found out she could use her gardening hobby to help feed her community, that’s exactly what she did.

Judy volunteers with Ozarks Food Harvest’s Full Circle Gardens program at least once a week. With two raised garden beds at home, volunteering with the Glean Team is a perfect fit to benefit both her community and herself. She even has personal connections to hunger.

“When I was a kid, we certainly could have used help like this,” shared Judy. “As a child, you know that [parents] are struggling to buy groceries and stuff. I’ve seen that firsthand as a kid, and it’s just so sad that anybody has to live like that today. We’re the richest country in the world, and there’s food waste.”

Fortunately, Full Circle Gardens helps reduce food waste and increase access to fresh produce in the Ozarks. Glean Team volunteers like Judy help plant fruits and vegetables at The Food Bank Farm and harvest excess produce at partner farms before it goes to waste. Judy admires that the produce she helps pick is typically delivered to a local food pantry or meal program that day, so she knows she’s making an immediate impact.

Ozarks Food Harvest has made an impact on Judy as well, who said volunteering with Full Circle Gardens fulfills her love of gardening, learning and has even taught her some useful tips for her own garden. Learning is one reason she keeps coming back to Ozarks Food Harvest, but the biggest reason is the people she meets. She explained, “Everybody just seems to be on the same page. They want to come in. They want to help. It’s a very comfortable atmosphere.”

That’s the kind of experience Ozarks Food Harvest strives to maintain for our volunteers. We’re so appreciative of generous people like Judy who give their time to help provide meals for thousands of our neighbors facing hunger. As Judy said, “I just really appreciate that Ozarks Food Harvest wants volunteers and appreciates their volunteers. I think the people that I’ve met seem to be really devoted to Ozarks Food Harvest, and I think that’s because you feel like you’re getting something done. You’re not just spinning your wheels.”

There’s always something to do at Ozarks Food Harvest, where volunteers help sort, pack and harvest more than 100,000 pounds of food for our neighbors in need each week. We truly could not Transform Hunger into Hope in southwest Missouri without the help of our amazing volunteers like Judy. Thank you, Judy, for helping us fight hunger right here in our communities. We’re so glad to be a part of your weeks!