On October 30, 2009, staff and volunteers from various programs at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) attended the 9th Annual Volunteer Spirit Awards luncheon at Arden Hills Resort. This event, put on by the Volunteer Center of Sacramento and DOVIA, is the largest volunteer recognition ceremony honoring Sacramento area volunteers. Nominees come from a wide range of agencies, with areas of volunteerism ranging from education, animals, heath, family services, hospitals, shelters, counseling and much more. Many SFBFS program managers take advantage of this opportunity to recognize their dedicated volunteers by nominating the dedicated and accomplished volunteers we have at SFBFS.
This year, like years past, SFBFS nominated several outstanding volunteers in various categories. The nominees included Aiyana Pearson (Women’s Wisdom Art program) as Volunteer of the Year Supporting Arts and Recreation, Donald Moore (Adult Education program) as Volunteer of the Year Supporting those Less Fortunate, Minnie Jimenez (Clothing program) for the Heart of Gold award, Colin Keiner (Run to Feed the Hungry fundraising) as Youth Volunteer of the Year, Carrie Detwiler (Mother-Baby program) for the Ray of Light award, Nellie Mackie (Clothing program) for Lifetime Achievement award, and Hank Greenfield (Adult Education program) for the Salt of the Earth award.
All nominees were honored at the luncheon; however, it was Hank and Nellie who took home the awards. Nellie, receiving the award in the Lifetime Achievement category, was recognized for her 19 years of volunteer work in the Clothing program. Nellie has taken it upon herself to make improvements to the Clothing area, purchasing supplies, and taking pride in keeping the shopping area tidy and organized. She is very dedicated, arriving at 7:15am every Monday and Tuesday morning. Nellie has also trained countless other volunteers in the program.
Hank Greenfield, the Salt of the Earth award winner, volunteers at the Saca Community Learning Center in the English as a Second Language classes. Since August of 2006, Hank has contributed over 500 volunteer hours. The Saca Center does not have a full-time ESL teacher and SFBFS relies on volunteers to run the education classes. Hank goes above and beyond by preparing lesson plans at home, providing one-on-one tutoring and even substitute teaching for other classes. Because of Hank’s volunteer commitment, over 50 ESL students are served daily.
SFBFS staff was thrilled to take home two awards and have the opportunity to recognize seven excellent volunteers. “It’s a really nice way to tell volunteers that the time they spend with our organization means a lot to us,” says Volunteer Services Manager Robin Simpson. “Volunteers are vital to all our programs so it’s wonderful to be able to recognize that whenever we get a chance.”

Photos are of Hank Greenfield and Nellie Mackie