May 2025

Announcements

Dress Code Reminders and Updates

Flip flops and sleeveless shirts are perfect for enjoying a warm day outside, but for your safety, they are not allowed in Second Harvest's warehouse or kitchens. As a reminder, volunteers in Food Sorting and Community Meals must wear closed toe shoes and shirts that are not cropped or tanks.

Community Meals has new additional guidelines for volunteers:

The following personal items should be removed prior to entering the kitchen:

All bracelets and watches
Large earrings (small hoops and studs are okay)
Large facial piercings (such as large hoops, chains, etc.; small hoops and studs are okay)
Necklaces that cannot be tucked into tops
Air pods, earbuds, or headphones

Additionally, Health Department regulations do not permit the wearing of false eyelashes in meal preparation kitchens. Thank you for following these guidelines to help ensure we are meeting required food safety standards!

Volunteers Needed in the Kitchen!

Summer is right around the corner, and that means our Community Meals team is gearing up for our Summer Meals program! From the end of May through mid-August, our kitchen will be producing 101,000 additional meals! We're going to need lots of extra hands to make this possible, and we would love to see you, your friends and family members, and coworkers come together to help ensure kids have the fuel they need to grow, play, and thrive while they're out of school for the summer. Sign up today!

You Make This Possible!

Staff Spotlight: David Swing and Jelesia Griffin

David Swing

David Swing is our Production Manager for Community Meals, ensuring that program recipients “are receiving nutritious, carefully crafted meals.” Formerly the Executive Chef at Young Cardinal, since coming on board at Second Harvest, Chef Swing has used his expertise and passions to elevate the Community Meals menu! He see volunteers as “vital” and says “it would be infinitely harder to try and complete almost thirteen thousand meals per week without the help of volunteers and community support.” Outside of the kitchen, Chef loves spending time with his six-year-old daughter and takes pride in being a positive role model for her.

Jelesia Griffin

Jelesia Griffin is a Forklift Driver for Second Harvest's Food Sorting team, but more than that, she keeps “the flow of the work going,” getting food to volunteers to sort, and then taking that food to the distribution side of the warehouse where it will be picked up by the food assistance programs we partner with. Jelesia says she is grateful to serve many communities, which she sees represented in all of our volunteers. Jelesia was one of the first graduates of Second Harvest's Warehouse Distribution and Logistics Management program, offered in collaboration with Forsyth Tech Community College and GoodwillI Industries of Northwest NC. Her favorite activity outside of work is being a volunteer herself at the Bethesda Center every weekend where she helps others advance out of homelessness.

We're Going Solar!

“This project reflects our commitment to sustainability—not just as a value, but as a strategy to power more of our work” - Eric Aft, CEO of Second Harvest

On April 22, 2025, Second Harvest, in partnership with Piedmont Environmental Alliance (PEA), celebrated the launch of Solar Harvest--a 1-megawatt rooftop solar array now operational atop the Food Bank’s headquarters--during a “flip the switch” event. One of the largest of its kind in North Carolina, the rooftop array represents a milestone in mission-aligned sustainability. Comprising 1,702 solar panels and spanning nearly two acres of rooftop, Solar Harvest is projected to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 197 homes annually and avoid nearly 1 million pounds of carbon emissions each year. It is also expected to save the organization $143,000 each year!

More Ways to Get Involved

WXII Food Drives

Come out to one of our upcoming food drives done in partnership with WXII 12 News! Drop off non-perishable items at one of the locations during one of the days (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) below!

May 21 at Food Lion (381 S. Main St., Sparta)
June 18 at Harris Teeter (2835 Reynolda Rd, Winston-Salem)
July 16 at Food lion (23 Sparta Rd, North Wilkesboro)

Can’t make it out? You can make a gift here:

Donate

Donate Your Vehicle

We can’t think of a more fitting way to give new life to your car, truck, van, SUV, boat, motorcycle, ATV, RV, trailer, or airplane than Second Harvest Food Bank’s Vehicle Donation program. Simply visit Second Harvest's page on the CARS website, or call 855-500-7433 to get started!

Learn More

Volunteer Opportunities

We would love to have your help in our Fitzgerald Teaching Garden this summer! Don't want to work outside? Our year-round opportunities in Community Meals and Food Sorting are also available. Sign up for a shift today!

Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

Thank you to everyone who donated and volunteered for Saturday's Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive! Thanks to you, we were able to collect 20,355 pounds of food. Your generosity and time make a lasting impact in the fight against hunger. We’re grateful for each and every one of you!

Volunteer Photo Gallery

See More Pictures

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC 3330 Shorefair Drive, WS | 336.784.5770 | SecondHarvestNWNC.org