For years, Janet identified as a businesswoman, working to grow her woven textiles company. She later transitioned from this role to being a full-time parent to her son. When he grew up and went to college, Janet was ready for her next adventure.
For years, Janet and her family have supported hunger relief in Western Washington. But it wasn’t until Janet attended a local “Meaningful Movies” event sponsored by Food Lifeline in 2016 that she decided to begin her volunteer journey.
After the movie, a documentary about food waste, there was a group discussion led by a representative of Food Lifeline. Janet was deeply moved by the conversation, so much so, that she decided to sign up as a Repack volunteer on the spot.
On her first day of orientation, Janet joined the ranks of one of the most important volunteer groups at Food Lifeline – the individuals who sort and repackage donated food items for distribution. Without caring individuals like Janet, our member agencies wouldn’t be able to stock their shelves with the groceries our hungry neighbors need.
Reflecting on her time spent on the Repack team, Janet said that since day one she’s been impressed with the solid business model, innovativeness and can-do attitude she sees at Food Lifeline.
“I am amazed at how they cleverly source food, organize it and get it out to the food banks and food programs,” said Janet. “This operation is saving so much healthy food from going to waste and getting it effectively to people in need!”
Because both of her parents lived through the Great Depression, Janet takes her work at Food Lifeline very seriously. She was raised to never waste food, so it’s been wonderful working with an organization that makes sure perfectly decent food ends up on plates instead of in landfills.
This back-to-school season, we’re grateful to have friends like Janet to help connect children and their families with nourishing meals. Thank you so much for your time and effort alongside our army of Repack volunteers!
