Suzanne, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, built a long career in nonprofit leadership and community service. She served as Assistant to the President of Scarritt College before going on to lead the Rotary Club of Nashville as Executive Director for more than three decades. Suzanne is also a member of our “Tuesday/Thursday Regulars” volunteer group. She also serves on Second Harvest’s Board of Directors.
Married to Mark and a proud mother of two adult children and grandmother of four, in retirement, she enjoys spending time with family and traveling the world. Today, Suzanne shares how to make an impact by volunteering at Second Harvest
Volunteer. Support. Donate. These are the easiest ways that anyone can be involved at Second Harvest Food Bank.
My journey with the Food Bank began 25 years ago. In my role as Director of the Rotary Club of Nashville, we partnered with the Food Bank in 2001 supporting an annual holiday food box program and a monthly volunteering at Second Harvest shift for their Backpack program.
Feed the Need, our holiday food box project involves Rotary members, their families and friends and has become a holiday tradition for many families, mine included. My children, now adults with children of their own, began volunteering with me at the Food Bank as teens.
Last December, my children and four grandchildren joined me in the annual project. From packing the food boxes to delivering them door to door, you know that you are helping our neighbors in need.
After retiring and looking for ways to fill my time, I discovered a volunteer opportunity at the Food Bank. For the past 6 years, most Tuesday and Thursday mornings you will find me as part of a ‘regular’ volunteer team ranging in age 50-90.
It is immensely rewarding and when the shift is over, I know that we have sorted thousands of pounds of food that will go to partner agencies or provide backpack meals to children who may be food insecure over the weekends.
I am also involved as a member of the Board of the Food Bank and see first-hand the effort and dedication it takes to create and implement the various programs addressing health and hunger across Middle Tennessee.
I am proud of my time volunteering at Second Harvest Food Bank. It is meaningful to share a legacy of giving back, meeting people where they are and helping our neighbors who are food insecure get the nutritional food they need. My involvement feeds my soul.