La Voz

Media Credit: By Melissa Lewis / La Voz Volunteers sort the food many times before it reaches its destination. [Click to enlarge]

converged March 4 for one purpose: to sort the thousands of pounds of food Second Harvest provides to local families.

Several groups, including One Brick, a nonprofit volunteer- coordinating organization out of San Francisco, a sorority and several individual volunteers worked for approximately three hours sorting food and placing it in large bins.

Volunteers arrived early in the morning and separated into individual groups. After a brief introduction and explanation of the day's activity, they gathered in one area in the Second Harvest warehouse for training.

The Second Harvest team leaders, immediately engaging and helpful, worked alongside volunteers instead of simply directing them.

Sometimes going several minutes without speaking, volunteers helped each other sort and lift box after box, barrel after barrel of food for people they may never meet.

Sorting is one step of many in the process, so volunteers are always welcome.

Volunteers can attend these and other opportunities by themselves or with a larger group. The Second Harvest Distribution sites for Santa Clara and San Mateo serve 163,500 people each month.

Second Harvest holds events during various hours of the day multiple times each week.

Students can help volunteer with the organization by contacting Second Harvest through their Web site, www.2ndharvest.net, or by calling (408) 266- 8866.

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