Six years ago, Linda Lazoran was introduced to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank by a friend who was collecting for a Thanksgiving food drive. Once she saw the magnitude of work at the Foodbank she began volunteering—and now is a proud regular volunteer. Linda can be seen multiple times per week at the Foodbank, volunteering and spreading joy to those around her.
You’ll find Linda in the Volunteer Center sorting food products, in the Commons tirelessly stuffing envelopes or completing a task for anyone in the Foodbank who needs her. She has a true heart of gold and also spends time volunteering at other local nonprofits important to her.
“I love volunteering at the Foodbank because I never feel like I’m sacrificing my free time,” said Linda. “I genuinely enjoy being here and working alongside like-minded individuals who all have a ‘heart of giving’!”
Above all, she values the friendships she has made as a result of her time at the Foodbank. “When you’re here at the Foodbank, you can always feel the ‘love in the air,’” said Linda.
Not only does Linda work to help fight hunger by volunteering, she also quite literally puts her money where her mouth is, trying to fully understand what it means to be hungry. She challenged herself to spend $30 on groceries for a week. She quickly learned she had to prioritize and ration the food she had to stretch it as much as possible.
“Working to help fight hunger is a humbling experience,” said Linda. “I know that anyone can find themselves in need of a little help, and I’m happy to live in a community that has so many options for people in need— but I’m here because I know there are still many people who are struggling.”
Linda says that those giving to the Foodbank have a heart of love and she encourages everyone to remember to “pass the cookie forward.”