Tim King
VFR: Tell us about yourself and how you got involved with Vancouver Food Runners.
Tim King: I have recently retired and found myself not doing much during COVID, so I bought a used truck and joined VFR. I thought that I should use some of my spare time giving back to those who have more needs than myself. As my wife and I are avid travellers, I wanted to find something that doesn’t require regular planned commitments, and VFR allows you to pick and choose which rescues that you can and want to do, depending on your schedule. This flexibility was key for me. The app allows me to manage my active schedule and fit in rescues at the right time. I love the team and the simplicity that allows me to make a meaningful and positive impact in my community.
VFR: You have done over 200 food rescues since December and you know our program so well. Please share any additional insights, thoughts, or opinions on our program, as well as potential for the program in the city and beyond.
TK: I like to maximize the time I have allotted for the day. So I try to find rescues where I can pick up in roughly the same area, at roughly the same time. Usually, I will do a pick-up at 10:15am, then another at at 11am in the same area, and then I can do the drops accordingly. You do not need to only do them one at a time: if you do a little route management, then you can do more rescues with less time (just make sure that you look at the size of the rescues before committing!). Usually, I can fit 3-4 rescues in in two hours, without much driving, and the app allows multiple rescues to run concurrently.
I also like to tell the community partners at the drop-off where the food is from because I feel the donors would like the recognition for what they do. One example is when I have taken small donations from Lemonade Gluten-Free Bakery to big partners like YWCA. I was unsure of how this smaller donation would make a difference, but wow, the need for gluten-free is real: there are also celiac issues in homeless and food-challenged families.
I also have two regular weekly rescues that are my favourite! Through a weekly rescue, you get to know the donors and nonprofits so well. It is a good feeling to fill a need with food that would otherwise be wasted. I would love to see VFR expand to neighbouring cities. I feel this organization is young and needs the story of its fabulous volunteers to get out, and then everyone will want to do what we do! I think the group does a great job at matching donations and needs - no easy task, I am sure.
VFR: What makes volunteering with Vancouver Food Runners special and why is it important to you?
TK: I think we all take food for granted, unless you do not have enough. There are a lot of stresses in life, and in Vancouver, food should not be one of them. Considering that there is quite a bit of wasted food due to lack of transport resources for smaller donations, I feel that it is a shame that people go hungry just because available food is not in the right spot, so I felt it was easy for me to help get that food to the right spot and help people and families that are hungry.
VFR: Which food rescue is your favourite?
TK: I like doing the larger food donations, as I use the loading and unloading as my daily exercise, and helping out at the same time! As I mentioned previously I like to do some route management and get 3-4 rescues done in a short time, which feels like you are making an impact. With 2 hours once or twice a week, you can really make a difference! Also, now that summer is here, it is a good idea to include kids, as they can learn from this and grow up understanding that there are people in need and it is not hard to make an impact with some of your time.
VFR: What has been your best volunteer "moment" so far?
TK: That is a very tough one, I have met many great food donors, and many great volunteers and employees working for the nonprofits we serve. People are doing their thing in different ways to help out. I think my favorite is a Wednesday Salvation Army rescue. They gather a lot of donated food on a larger scale, and then break it down for many smaller nonprofits and churches. The smaller nonprofits then distribute to their own communities, but some simply cannot get to the Salvation Army warehouse, and that is where we come in! This rescue goes to St. Augustine’s church near the airport and the many volunteers on the receiving end help me unload with their little carts and big smiles. They’re smiling widely at all the food that they will hand out to their neighbors in need.
VFR: Would you recommend volunteering with Vancouver Food Runners to others and why?
TK: Of course, due to the flexibility and immediate impact! You can do one rescue that takes about 45-60 minutes and deliver food to someone in need, literally on your way to do something else. The app allows you to fit it into your schedule and doesn’t require any future commitment on your part unless you want to. It’s kind of like Uber for donated food: you can pick the rescue that you want to do, and it could be a different rescue each time or a regular weekly one. The weeklies are great because you can build up acquaintances and friends that you see each time upon pick-up and drop-off. You know that your rescue will be put into some families’ kitchens in the next few hours or days, and that many soup kitchens and non-profits like Covenant House will have most of it for that evening’s meal.
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