Mobile Food Pantry Volunteer Spotlight: Texas Mutual Insurance

Apr06

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and we would like to recognize TXM for helping us impact families across Central Texas. Thank you Texas Mutual Worker’s Compensation Insurance!

Families wait hours in the heat, cold and rain at the St. John’s Mobile Food Pantry distribution to receive food from the Food Bank. From the time they arrive to when they leave, families are greeted with a warm and happy smile by a Texas Mutual Worker’s Compensation Insurance (TXM) volunteer.

The St. John’s Mobile Pantry is one of the Food Bank’s largest distribution sites, serving nearly 200 families. We couldn’t get food into the hands of families without TXM's help.

They stepped up to take on the responsibilities of being volunteer leaders at the site in January. That means they are responsible for helping recruit enough volunteers to help run the two-hour distribution.

“We thought it was important to be at the forefront of the mission-handing out groceries to families in need directly supports our mission of creating a healthier Texas. Providing healthy meals to families who may not have had the resources to purchase nourishing foods is the reason why we support the Food Bank, and the reason why we wanted to be at the helm of making that happen,” TXM Community Affairs Program Administrator Jackie Sekiguchi said.

The company has a team of nearly 700 employees locally who are ready and willing to volunteer. The local regional office helps fill the volunteer spots each month.

The TXM volunteers do it all. As the Food Bank truck arrives, they help unload the truck and start setting up tables with food. Once the distribution begins, some help with intake, others hand out food to families, and some help families carry the heavy boxes of food to their cars.

Once the distribution is over, they help pack up everything and clean up.

“It's been amazing to see and hear the response from Texas Mutual volunteers after their shift at the food pantry,” Jackie said. “They are really seeing the difference they are making in the community first-hand and are getting very special experiences that show how important their time is to our communities.”

Our mobile pantries provided more than 2.6 million pounds of staple foods, fresh produce and meats to an average of 14,570 clients each month last year. At each site we rely on dedicated volunteers like TXM to help fill geographic and service gaps in emergency food assistance where local food assistance services cannot keep up with demand.

“Texas Mutual's commitment to the Food Bank is driven from our commitment to a healthier Texas--and we join in their mission of solving the hunger crisis in Central Texas. The health of ALL Texans is important to Texas Mutual, and we know that access to fresh food is the key for ensuring a community as a whole is healthy,” Jackie said.