New year, new you rings true for Tracey who has been a welcome addition to the food bank family since January. Tracey is originally from the east coast but since her move to sunny Southern California she has decided to give back to her community. As a warehouse volunteer, Tracey has quickly learned the ins and outs of food sorting. She is a wonderful asset to Robert and Bryan on the volunteer floor helping guide and answer questions for new volunteers. Additionally, Tracey has brought family and friends to give back at the food bank as well.

Karen Lennert has been with the food bank since late 2017. She is a dedicated office volunteer helping wherever she is needed. Karen focuses her efforts in Logistics where she has been a critical component to the Operations Department's success. Karen is welcoming, warm and hard-working. We are proud to have her as a member of the food bank family and we know her own family shares in that pride.

Esther has volunteered to sort donated foods at the food bank a number of times, but today she focuses her efforts at our Kids Produce Markets (KPMs) at Highgrove Elementary and soon at Jackson Elementary. When asked about KPMs she says, "I try to help out at the Kids Produce Markets because I know children cannot learn well if they are hungry. Being there in person helps me keep real faces on the problem of food poverty. Numbers and statistics are easy to forget or ignore, but the smiles on the kids’ faces stays with me week after week and reminds me to keep trying to make a difference.”