Forgotten Harvest has need for donations, volunteers amid post-holiday lull

Olivia Sheppard and other volunteers think it’s simple to become engaged in trying to change the world.

FOX 2: ROYAL OAK, MIHunger affects more people than you may imagine, and although food banks and pantries receive an increase in volunteers and contributions during the holidays, those numbers can rapidly decline after that.

“We have a very dedicated crew of volunteers,” Forgotten Harvest CEO Adrian Lewis remarked. “But just to put it into perspective, about 50 percent of our volunteers that signed up weren t able to make it today for whatever reason.”

For decades, Forgotten Harvest has been providing food to the community and those in need. According to CEO Adrian Lewis, there is a big demand, and his team makes it simple for people to volunteer.

According to Olivia Sheppard, she made the decision to volunteer during her winter break from college.

“I found out that it was super easy to sign up for, really accessible and pretty close to my house and, I don t know, it seemed like an easy opportunity to get involved,” she stated.

At the enormous warehouse, boxes must be lifted and disassembled in order to organize everything from station to station.

“I’ve done a little bit of everything,” Olivia remarked, adding that she began helping in December.

“At first in December, right after Christmas, I saw so many people volunteer,” she stated. “Everything was packed in the volunteer room. I thought it was awesome that everyone wanted to participate.

She discovered a regrettable change when she got back early this month.

“I think I came back Jan. 2nd and there were significantly less people for sure,” Olivia stated.

Research indicates that year-round giving contributes to the development of more resilient, healthy, and sustainable communities in addition to more regularly replenishing resources.

Lewis remarked, “The more the better,” “If anyone would just go to our website you ll see many opportunities to not only volunteer but to donate, or just be involved.”

If you want to volunteer or if your organization wants to participate,

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