It’s National Volunteer Appreciation Week, and we’re celebrating the incredible folks who show up daily to chop veggies, shovel compost, mix dressings, and even sharpen knives! These simple, sometimes un-glamorous tasks are the backbone of the Food Project — but the community members that lend their hands to this work each day are the heart.
In the kitchen, volunteers keep us afloat. The hundreds of unique volunteer hours given each month make it possible for our team to produce 6,500 meals each week — in fact, every single meal that comes out of our kitchen includes some contribution from volunteers, be it colorful assembled salads, diced roasted potatoes, or a chicken pasta bake that volunteers took the time to shred.
The best thing about our volunteers, though, is the community they cultivate by bringing their generosity, creativity, and positivity to our space. If you walk through the headquarters kitchen during a prep session, you’ll see strangers becoming friends as they blend smoothies, or a corporate volunteer group dancing along to the music as they work through a container of strawberries at their cutting boards.
Our friend Madison is an incredible example of community during the time she frequently gives us at evening prep sessions, which she brings energy and life to despite having worked a full day at her job. She’s been volunteering with us since 2021 and we feel lucky to count her among our regulars!
“Madison is exactly who you want to be partnered with when volunteering in the kitchen,” explains Hannah, a former staff member who still shows up often to volunteer. “She's so funny and fun to talk to, she's fast and efficient at any prep task, and she knows how to find anything you need in the kitchen. We're so grateful to Madison for her dedication to The Nashville Food Project over the years and the energy she brings to any prep!”
Hannah and Madison volunteering at Meat Conference earlier this year, where The Nashville Food Project recovered over 16,000 pounds of food for our meals program.
Check out this Q&A with Madison:
How do you see your role in this work of building a just and sustainable food system?
I see my role as a TNFP volunteer as a critical piece of TNFP's offering to the community. The TNFP kitchen staff is an amazing team that is enabled by TNFP volunteers to serve even more meals to the community.
It might be hard to see the impact of a 2 hour shift when you're surrounded by stacks of veggies to chop, but at the end of a volunteer shift, when everything is prepped and ready to be used, you can really see the magnitude of the team’s work.
I also see TNFP as a learning experience for myself as I have become more aware of food waste and up-cycling at home and in my personal grocery shopping.
What excites you about the vision of a world with a just and sustainable food system?
I've learned a lot about TNFP's vision in my time volunteering here. Some of which, I had not thought about much before — i.e., the need for nutritious meals in food insecure communities beyond just providing a meal. Most importantly, I've experienced the power of community and sharing goals, tasks, and meals together as such. I've learned the most from the sheer magnitude of the meals we prepare and have gained a lot of perspective through the simple tasks of chopping and portioning.
What about this work brings you hope?
I am motivated by the teamwork and community that TNFP creates. From the staff to the other volunteers, I have met so many people across different backgrounds, all while preparing meals for different groups across the city. It's very common for me to get stuck in my friend group or within my work industry, so meeting people outside of that really has shown me the power of community, and there's something really exciting to me about preparing meals as a community that are going out to even more communities across our city.
