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Every Monday and Thursday, Warren Satterfield drives into Springfield from his farm in Elkland to help sort and pack food for hungry families in the Ozarks.

Warren grew up in a food insecure family, so he knows exactly what it feels like to struggle with hunger. When he began looking for places to get plugged into after his wife passed away several years ago, Ozarks Food Harvest felt like the perfect fit.

“1 in 5 kids in the area are food insecure. I was that kid before food stamps and food pantries,” he shared. “And, my late wife was a supporter. I can’t donate as much money as she did, so I donate time.”

Warren also has a heart for taking people to pantries when he sees the need. He recalls a time when he took a man to get a few additional items at a grocery store after taking him to a pantry:

“He said something about making tuna salad. I didn’t pay attention to what he got. I paid for the few things he got. When I got home and looked at the receipt, I broke down. He had bought several cans of tuna-flavored cat food. I then remembered the clerk asking him if he had cats, and he told her he did not like cats. He was evidentially in the habit of buying cat food because it is a lot cheaper. I should have paid more attention. I volunteered the next week,” he said.

Although Warren had an initial understanding of what hunger looks like in the Ozarks, volunteering with Ozarks Food Harvest changed the way he thought about the size of the issue.

“It’s easy to know about the problem, to see the numbers. But to actually see the size of the warehouse and actually help sort or package thousands of pounds of food in three hours, changes the perception,” he said.

We are so thankful for Warren and how he serves the community! And in his words, volunteering with Ozarks Food Harvest “is the most fun you can have without paying admission.”

Want to volunteer with us? Visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/volunteer to sign up.