Paramount Volunteer Day: CBS13/Good Day employees volunteer at Sacramento Food Bank
SACRAMENTO — With inflation and a rising cost of living, the need for aid at local food banks has doubled, which means so has the need for volunteers.
Dozens of volunteers pack food boxes at the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.
Margaret Bullock and her twin sister, Roseann, have been volunteering for 25 years. Mo and Ro, as they are known, were part of an army of volunteers from 200 corporations that help feed the hungry.
Paramount, the parent company of CBS13, stepped up to help.
"This is a great organization here in the community that does a lot of great for Sacramentans and also does a lot of good for folks who are refugees coming here from other countries escaping war," said Mark Kewman, a CBS Sacramento employee.
Due to inflation and the rising cost of living, the need has more than doubled since before the pandemic, according to Sacramento Food Bank CEO Blake Young.
"At the height of the pandemic, we were providing food to [300,000], or 275-280," Young said.
Volunteers culled expired dry goods and organized them into categories while others sorted fresh vegetables and fruits. Produce accounts for 42% of what goes out.
"You get like a warm fuzzy feeling knowing you're helping somebody who needs it and can benefit from it," said Charlise Savell, another CBS Sacramento employee.
The volunteers at the food bank are from different backgrounds with a belief in community service — it's both team building and bonding for a good cause.
The help is appreciated because while Mo Bullock says the roles change, the need always remains.
"We just love to be with the volunteers, and you know, we're doing a good thing for people who have nothing," she said.
