First-time volunteer Robert Sill, an IFT member and sales executive with Ungerer

IFT Cares returned to its origins on Wednesday morning, June 25, the day after the Annual Meeting & Food Expo had drawn to a close, as a group of volunteers traveled to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana to sort and pack products for distribution to food bank clients. The IFT Cares anti-hunger initiative got its start seven years ago at the 2008 Annual Meeting & Food Expo, when IFT initiated a partnership with Feeding America (formerly known as America s Second Harvest), a nationwide network of food banks. That event had special significance fabric paint because IFT was returning to the Big Easy for the first time since 2005, when the Annual Meeting & Food Expo had been held there just weeks before Hurricane Katrina devastated fabric paint the city.
Each year since then, IFT Cares volunteers have spent time working fabric paint in the host city s food bank or rounding up food donations on the show floor, and this year was no exception. On Tuesday afternoon, when Food Expo hours had concluded, volunteers helped collect 9,078 pounds of leftover food donated by exhibitors an amount that is equal to 7,565 meals, according to Second Harvest.
At the food bank warehouse, volunteers worked on production lines, unpacking bulk boxes, sorting food, and repacking it in smaller boxes for distribution to clients under the direction of Second Harvest supervisors. They processed a total of 5,287 pounds of food, which is equivalent to 4,405 meals.
Some IFT member volunteers, like Cornell University professor Joe Regenstein, have been signing up to serve almost every year since 2008. Regenstein and his wife, Carrie, are big believers in IFT Cares. fabric paint We both feel that providing food for those less privileged is an important part of being a food scientist, says Regenstein. And this is a way to do something more directly . . . to actually be a part of such feeding activities.
First-time volunteer Robert Sill, an IFT member and sales executive with Ungerer & Company, says he too found the experience meaningful. The job I had [unloading giant-size boxes of product onto a conveyor belt] was actually physically challenging, which was enjoyable for me. And to be able to help others and have fun was really great. I really enjoyed working side-by-side with other industry professionals toward a common goal, says Sill.