ORLANDO, Fla. – Throughout the pandemic, many groups and nonprofits are relying on the help of volunteers to keep their operations running.

​Second Harvest Food Bank in Orlando utilizes a team of volunteers to make sure the central Florida community doesn’t go hungry. And during National Volunteer week, they’re recognizing the vital role they play in keeping families fed. 

“I can’t imagine not coming here,” said Brian Straub, a volunteer at Second Harvest. 

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Straub shows up ready to help out.  It's a routine, he said, that's always on his calendar. 

“I mean it saddens my heart if I have to cancel one of those days,” Straub said. 

Missing a day, he said, seems unimaginable just six months after he started volunteering. 

“I lost a couple of my jobs and was like ‘oh, I’ve got to find something to do.’ I just retired in 2018 so I just started looking at websites and I found Second Harvest,” Straub said. 

“Volunteers are vital to the success of our mission, we really truly couldn’t do what we do without their support,” said Mindy Ortiz, Director of Volunteer Services at Second Harvest Food Bank. 

Sixty to 80 volunteers show up daily to sort through the food, check expiration dates and help to make sure they can feed the growing demand for food from families in need. 

The organization is down from the 150 volunteers a day they were seeing before the pandemic, Ortiz said, in part due to COVID-restrictions and social distancing. But even with that dip, Ortiz said the pandemic has driven many people to help out.

“All of the people that would normally come in through their corporate world were coming in as individuals right now. I think a lot of the people were tired of being home and wanted to feel good, do something for their community,” Ortiz said. 

It’s help they need. The COVID-19 crisis is doubling the demand for food, they now distribute 300,000 meals a day. Volunteers like Straub are key to keeping food on the table for families.

“It’s heartwarming that we get to come out and do this and I know when I leave, that we’ve helped the community out,” Straub said. 

It’s that drive to make a difference that pushes Straub to come back week after week, hopeful that with every hour of time he donates, he’s helping Second Harvest to take a big bite out of food insecurity. 

“And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” he said. 

Second Harvest says there is still a very real need for more volunteers at their food bank warehouse and at their new facility, Mercy Kitchen, too.  For more information on how to volunteer or if you need to connect with a food bank near you, visit the website.