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January 11, 2017

Community Spotlight:
volunteersDennis O.

Since joining ExtraFood as a volunteer food runner in October 2018, Dennis has completed more than 600 trips, rescuing over 45,000 pounds of food for the vulnerable people we serve in Marin County. In 2020 alone, he has completed more than 400 trips, which is the highest number of food trips completed in just one year by ANY volunteer on our team! Dennis delivers food from local organizations such as Safeway and Trader Joe’s to local nonprofits such as Marin City Senior Center, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Sausalito Presbyterian Church, Marin Services for Men, and People’s Inter-Cities Fellowship.

Dennis was one of the first volunteers to step up and volunteer by delivering food with our new COVID-19 safety protocols in place. Dennis wanted to ensure that our mission could continue by doubling the number of food trip shifts he completed each week. Dennis was one of ExtraFood’s “go-to” volunteers as we navigated the many changes necessary to keep our mission alive to deliver food to those in need.

One great example of this comes directly from our contact at People’s Inter-Cities Fellowship in Marin City, where Dennis delivers food several times per week. She told me that Dennis is “dedicated, dependable, kind and has a heart of gold – he has been a “God-sent”. One of the deliveries that Dennis makes to People’s is a large Saturday donation from Trader Joe’s, which he does with him lovely wife, Vickie. Together, they drive two large cars filled with an average of 600 pounds of food for People’s to utilize and distribute throughout their community. One particular day, Dennis asked, “What else can I do for your community?” He knew that there were many seniors that were homebound, so he wanted to help even more. On his own, Dennis purchased 30 restaurant meals that he personally delivered to the sick and shut-ins throughout Marin City. He and his wife also found a flower donation at Trader Joe’s and brought the flowers along with the prepared meals. We were told that the seniors were extremely grateful for those meals and the flowers were such a special touch that brightened their day during a very dark time.

Dennis truly embodies ExtraFood’s values, as reflected in our motto: “Food recovery with the human touch.” We feel so fortunate that he has chosen ExtraFood, our partners, and the people we are serving together as the grateful recipients of his boundless generosity, enormous impact, and exemplary service. It is an honor to work with Dennis, whose personal ambition is to be of service to others in his very humble way. We thank you for your devoted time, energy and generous heart to those in need throughout the community of Marin - Congratulations Dennis on being ExtraFood’s Volunteer of the Year!