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Week in and week out, dozens of volunteers arrive at The Food Bank for their regularly-scheduled shifts. In August, two of these dedicated volunteers surpassed 1,000 hours of service with Ozarks Food Harvest.

John Cooper, a retired public accountant, began his journey with Ozarks Food Harvest in 2013. After spending several shifts sorting and packing food at the warehouse, Cooper signed up to volunteer at Crimson House, an Ozarks Food Harvest member agency that distributes food on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

Throughout his time with Ozarks Food Harvest, Cooper has gained a greater understanding of the prevalence of hunger in the community.

“At some point in their lives, anyone can find themselves in a difficult situation where just being able to get some groceries can mean a lot.”

Lona Wait began volunteering at Ozarks Food Harvest in 2010 after retiring from her career. She was already familiar with The Food Bank’s mission and wanted to get more involved in the community.

Wait gives most of her time to Ozarks Food Harvest in the warehouse sorting and packing food. Several years ago, she helped collect information at a local food pantry during Feeding America’s Hunger in America study and witnessed the need firsthand.

“I was amazed at the number of people both in need of the food provided by the pantries as well as the number of organizations and people that volunteer to make the services available,” she said.

The Food Bank is thankful for Cooper and Wait’s commitment to fighting hunger and the thousands of meals they have provided over their years of service. To apply for volunteer opportunities and self-schedule, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/volunteer.