Food Bank thanks volunteers with, well, food

By Lethbridge Herald on June 21, 2025.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald

Not even a downpour was enough to stop the Lethbridge Food Bank staff from showing their appreciation to the volunteers who help operations run smoothly. 

Denille Tizzard, program and event co-ordinator with the Lethbridge Food Bank, says without the help of volunteers, the food bank would not be able to operate. That’s why it’s important to the staff to show their appreciation for everything the volunteers do.

“Last month we did 1,014 hampers and over 3,000 bread and produce, which means three times a week people can come in to pick off the shelves,” says Tizzard. 

There were more than 4,000 visits from clients last month, along with the food bank’s No Fixed Address lunch program, which saw more than 1,500 lunches go out last month. It all amounted to more than 1,400 volunteer hours. 

“That’s close to 6,000 visits last month, and without our volunteers that wouldn’t be possible,” says Tizzard. 

Because of the, she says, it’s important that they feel appreciated. 

“Once year we celebrate our volunteers for all the work they do for us and their dedication, so this year we decided to go all out and do a huge barbecue for them.”

The event was possible thanks to the help of sponsors and local businesses showing their appreciation for the hundred or so volunteers who braved the rain. 

With a long table set up indoors for volunteers to enjoy their food and mingle, and a barbecue and buffet set up for the food under a couple of tents, the celebration went ahead despite the inclement weather. 

“We do things throughout the year for our volunteers like random lunches here and there, but this event is the formal thank you for all they do,” says Tizzard. 

She says the food bank tries to make shifts light and fun, and they treat their volunteers like family. 

One of those volunteers, Irene, says she does it because it’s her way of repaying the food bank for their kindness, as she herself is also a client. 

“I owe them everything,” she says. “It was humiliating for me to get to this point in my life, but that’s how circumstances are. So, there is no judgment for anyone that receives help from the food bank.”

She says it’s great to be appreciated by the staff with the barbecue, as well as having the opportunity to meet and mingle with other volunteers who have different shifts than her.

Over the years, the process for volunteering at the food bank has changed, Tizzard points out. 

“People can’t just walk off the street and volunteer, we have to do an orientation.”

The next orientation will take place on June 25, at 5 p.m. Anyone wanting to join should contact Tizzard by email at program@lethbridgefoodbank.ca