Volunteer Spotlight: Teresa Ast
For more than 14 years, Teresa Ast has been the force behind one of Boeing’s longest‑running volunteer traditions. What began in 2012 as a request to coordinate volunteer events has grown – thanks to Teresa – into a thriving program that now unites dozens of Boeing employees each month at Food Lifeline. Teresa has built a welcoming, community‑building space for colleagues across the company, ensured thousands of volunteer hours are matched through Boeing’s giving program, which helped generate more than $18,000 in donations last year alone. Driven by her belief that no one in America should go hungry, Teresa has woven service into every role she’s held during her 35‑year Boeing career, showing how one person’s commitment can spark a culture of volunteering and giving.
In 2012, Teresa was asked to serve as the Boeing Food & Essentials Site Leader and to coordinate volunteer events at local nonprofits focused on addressing food insecurity. She visited all three partner organizations, volunteered alongside the teams, and found the experience incredibly rewarding. The other Boeing volunteers felt the same, and several asked whether they could establish a recurring volunteer opportunity for employees.
That conversation sparked what became a biweekly Boeing volunteer program that has now continued for more than 14 years. Initially the group volunteered once a month at Northwest Harvest with about 29 employees. Within a few years, participation grew so significantly that the team expanded to two monthly shifts, each with roughly 60 volunteers.
Just before the pandemic, they volunteered for the first time at Food Lifeline. The proximity to the Boeing Field location made it really easy for employees to come after work. Teresa met Renee, Food Lifeline’s Director of Volunteer Engagement, and she began running regular volunteer events at Food Lifeline.
The volunteer sessions have been hugely popular. When she follows up after sessions, team volunteers will send her pictures and share what a great time they had. The sessions are also a great way for employees from different Boeing locations to get to know each other.
“Everyone I talk to, they always have fun,” said Teresa.
Beyond organizing the volunteer sessions, Teresa also manages the volunteer gift match, ensuring that every Boeing team that volunteers has their hours entered into the Boeing Volunteer tool. By entering the gift matches, Teresa is able to ensure every volunteer receives the match, and has substantially increased the gift matches. In 2025, these matches amounted to $18,185 in donations to Food Lifeline!
Teresa began working at Boeing when she was just 19, and has now been there over 35 years. Having such a great career has inspired her want to give back.
“I just feel I’ve been very fortunate … And so volunteering at Food Lifeline or any other organization where we’re given back to community really makes me feel good because I had the ability to do so.”
Boeing values employee volunteering as part of their global corporate citizenship so over the years, her Boeing Career and volunteer work have grown together. She’s taken the coordinating the volunteer teams as part of her job with every position she’s held at Boeing.
“On a daily basis, I’m doing something for Food Lifeline during my workday,” said Teresa. “It just makes me feel great. I love meeting the folks that are volunteering with me and bringing my family along and just giving back.”
She’s driven by a deep desire to give back and take care of her community.
“I truly believe that no one in America should ever go hungry. So it really makes me feel great when I volunteer and know that I’m helping you get that food out there so people in need to get to it.”
Volunteering so long has made her very aware of the challenges surrounding food insecurity. She was especially moved by the startling statistics on childhood hunger.
“It really hit me because I had small children at the time. And, those the parents of those children, they may not be as lucky as I was…I think people need to understand that hunger hits all of us, seniors and children, and people don’t always have control over their environment around them.”
She has seen how the rising cost of groceries has made it harder for people to afford food than it was just a few years ago. “I wish more people out there understood people aren’t using food banks because they’re poor or lazy. The economy has led them to have that need to go there.”
She encourages others to give volunteering a try.
“Volunteering is a great way to get to know other people and build a community of other people that are interested in volunteering too.”