Thank you to Jim Meseck (and Ruth), Savvi Neufer (and Ross), Adam Goldstein (and Kacey) and Karen Caston for their volunteering time in April.  Adam and Jim were in the warehouse, Karen and Ruth were in the marketplace, while Savvi, Ross and Kacey helped people get all their groceries out to their cars!  All of the White and Steele volunteers who attended had a good amount of experience working at Metro Caring. Thank you to our volunteers for doing your part for our community!

White and Steele has a group working at Metro Caring each month on the last Tuesday, so come join us and see what Metro Caring is all about!

Thank you to our volunteers this month, Karen Caston, Savvi Neufer (with Ross), and Adam Goldstein's daughter Kacey! The shortest month of the year did not mean Metro Caring was any less busy, and our volunteers were put to work for the thankful shoppers.

Are you interested in helping out Metro Caring and just have not had the time to give them a shot? Tuesday nights are a great time to test the waters and see if you are interested in volunteering! There is always a lot to do and many friendly people who will help you get pointed in the right direction. Tuesday nights are distribution night for Metro Caring, where all the food that has been collected is distributed to those in need. Clients are treated to a grocery store type of feel which makes them feel more comfortable with what could be an awkward experience. Come give Metro Caring a try!

Thank you to Jim Meseck, Savvi Neufer, Adam Goldstein (with Kacey), and Susan Portillos (with Mike and Jeremy) for their volunteering time in January! They all worked in the warehouse sorting produce, rearranging racks, boxes, bins, and stocking shelves. There was a ton of fresh lettuce our volunteers had to sort through, getting rid of wilted leaves and composting.  They also filled newspaper bags with partial rolls of toilet paper donated by airlines.  Kacey and Susan did check in part way through the evening, helping get the families shopping and checked in.  Jeremy and Kacey need volunteer hours for school so they were able to log 2.5 hours each.  There were 43 families that went through the marketplace - a super busy night.  What a great start to White and Steele's 4th year of volunteering at Metro Caring!

Interested in joining us? White and Steele has a group at Metro Caring the last Tuesday of each month!

Thank you to Jim Dieterich, Savvi Neufer (and Ross), Donna Parker (and Jennifer, Parker, Cameron, and Dorien) and Agnieszka Karcz-Sickles (and Hannah) for their volunteering time in December.  Most of our volunteers were  in the warehouse sorting a large amount of limes and other produce.  The produce that got out on the shelves looked especially good and there was a lot of it!  Jennifer and Susan (and periodically Donna and the boys) were in the marketplace assisting shoppers, stocking shelves and keeping them neat.  Hannah came out and helped in the marketplace later in the evening.

In 2016 White and Steele had 59 different volunteers (30 W&S employees and 29 non-W&S volunteers). Together these volunteers have logged 209 volunteer hours.  This is White and Steele's best year yet by almost 29 hours. Thank you to everyone that has volunteered this year!  You really DO make a difference!

The next volunteering night is January 31, 2017 and is great way to start the year off!

The distribution night before Thanksgiving is always extra busy and extra rewarding! Thank you to Jodi Derrera-Guffey (with Lorraine, Nina, and Brandi), Monty Barnett (with Denise, Brandon, and Gabe), Rachel Ryckman (with Kris, Jason, Parker, and Landon), Matt Tills ( with Tricia), Savvi Neufer (with Ross), Louie Reinenger, Susan Portillos and Mike Daugherty for their volunteering time in November. This was the biggest turnout yet and everyone got a ton done. Jodi and her crew, Rachel and her crew, Monte and his crew, Savvi and Ross, Louie, Matt and Mike all worked in the warehouse. They sorted a lot of produce, including a ton of cucumbers (if the produce does not get sorted and into the marketplace it ends up going bad). The group also broke down big bags of pinto beans (10 or more 15 pound bags) into family size portions, they sorted canned goods and dried goods, loaded and moved pallets of produce to get into the marketplace, washed down bins, broke down boxes, etc. They got about a week’s worth of work done which is huge. There was a lot of laughter and fun going on back there also! Tricia and Susan worked in the marketplace starting people shopping, checking them in and helping weigh them on their way out along with Matt’s periodic help.

"It’s always rewarding to volunteer at Metro Caring, but this month was especially unique due to our large group. We were not only able to get a lot of tasks accomplished, but it also provided a nice opportunity to spend time with colleagues and their families outside of the office, and that made for an even more enjoyable evening." -Louie Reininger

"It was my first time volunteering for anything, and I must say it was a great feeling to be able to do something to make someone’s life a little easier.  It being right before Thanksgiving made it even more special." -Jodi Derrera-Guffey

"If anything I would say that it felt a little chaotic at times, but it was still great to see so many faces and we got so much extra work done than we normally would!" -Savvi Neufer

"It was nice to help others. I thought the shopping area was cool." -Landon

"It meant a lot to me to help others." -Parker

"We had a great turnout of White & Steele volunteers (along with friends and family members) and, as usual, it was a rewarding and fun experience. With the number of people that showed up we accomplished a lot of work and helped a lot of people feed their families over the Thanksgiving holiday." -Monty Barnett

40 families went through the marketplace that night, and their boxes were overflowing with food to the point the boxes were breaking! Each family went home with a turkey, and most with two turkeys! A lot of happy faces as they went out with their hauls. Thanks to everyone in the warehouse for getting so much food out on the shelves!

Come join the White and Steele group at the next volunteering night on December 27, 2016.