When Karen Andrasi retired, she knew one thing for sure: she wanted to give back. She began volunteering with the Central Texas Food Bank in January 2025 and within one year has become a regular, familiar face logging an impressive 340 hours!
Her connection to our mission began over a decade ago. In 2014, she became involved with the Austin Empty Bowl Project, which in part, benefits CTFB. Though it’s a once-a-year event, it sparked something deeper.
“I was intrigued by what more I could do and how I could give back,” she said. “That’s what got me started.”
Finding Her Place in the Kitchen
Karen volunteers in the kitchen three mornings a week, and what she finds most exciting is that no two days are ever the same.
“We may be doing dish pit one day. We could be doing meal prep,” Karen explained. “Today, I worked on roasting broccoli and prepping broccoli. Then [I] worked on medically tailored meals, which are for new mothers.”
From vegetable prep to meal boxing to keeping the kitchen spotless, Karen does it all — and enjoys every minute.
“I’m a clean freak,” she laughed. “I love going around cleaning windows, tables, mopping floors, and whatever I can do.”
Why She Keeps Coming Back
For Karen, the variety keeps things fun, but it’s the people and the purpose that make volunteering so meaningful.
“The team here is amazing,” she said. “From the minute you walk in the door, Kate, the volunteer engagement coordinator, greets you and she's always so, so enjoyable."
She also loves meeting new volunteers and hearing their stories.
“It's an amazing feeling waking up every morning and knowing I'm coming here,” she said. “This is a great opportunity to see what's going on in the community and how you can make a difference in people's lives.”
Seeing the Impact Firsthand
Coming from a finance background, Karen naturally thinks in numbers — and seeing the scale of the kitchen’s work was eye-opening.
“One rack is 160 meals,” she explained. “And each table is doing five or six racks. That’s how many families you’re feeding or how many individuals you’re feeding.”
Knowing that each meal prepared helps fill empty tables across Central Texas is powerful.
“To know that somebody whose life is going to be enriched because of what you've done is pretty empowering, and it's pretty exciting, and it's a great feeling.”
A Call to Get Involved
“The people and the mission keep me coming back,” she said. “The programs here and what they do for the community — it matters.”
For anyone considering volunteering, Karen has a simple message, "If you're thinking about volunteering, please give this a consideration. Whether it's the kitchen, the warehouse, the garden... they're a great group of people.”
And if time is limited?
“If you personally can't come, you can give a shout out to a friend and say, ‘hey, they're a need.’ Please make it a part of your day, even if it's for a few hours. We need you. We want you. We need you,” she said.
Because, as Karen sees every week, showing up, in any way you can, helps make tomorrow possible for our neighbors across Central Texas.
