Jan is one of our most valued, talented, flexible and accommodating volunteers. She can do so many jobs at the GVFB, we can literally throw anything at her and she takes it on with her calm competence and her beautiful smile. She truly personifies the welcoming experience we commit to providing for our clients.
At first, Jan wasn’t sure she’d be able to volunteer at the Food Bank. “Prior to retiring, I worked as a nurse. And you do shift work, so you can’t really make a commitment to do anything on a volunteer basis. But here there are so many different things that you can do, and you can kind of pick and choose, and work your own lifestyle around volunteering at the Food Bank.”
Pre-pandemic, Jan was a regular volunteer at a few of our food distribution locations; now she can be found primarily at our Burnaby location, distributing food to our clients each week. She still volunteers in our warehouse and in the office as well – there’s nothing Jan can’t do! When she is on the front lines distributing food, she draws on her nursing background in mental health and addictions. “When we get some of the people who are not emotionally stable it really helps because I can see where they’re coming from.”
Thank you, Jan!