The “We Don’t Waste” mobile market is currently experiencing increased demand for food assistance. In the past year, the number of admissions in the market he increased by 42%.
As more people participate in the market, the need for additional volunteers becomes increasingly apparent.
Sue Lyming, a longtime volunteer who spends time each month at markets across Denver, understands this need.
“It’s the best. My husband and I do it once or twice a week, and it’s the most fulfilling,” Liming said.
The Lalo Delgado We Don’t Waste mobile market will distribute approximately 12,000 pounds of food during each session.
A former teacher and food service worker, Sue sees food waste every day and sees volunteering with the organization as a way to give back to underserved communities. .
“I saw a lot of kids going to school hungry because they didn’t have enough food, and I was shocked that somehow both of those needs couldn’t be met. When I saw this, I knew it was a perfect match,” Limin said.
She uses her passion to help people register to get essentials like diapers, baby formula, eggs and vegetables. “In this market, she started with maybe 150 families, and now she’s growing to 300 families almost every week,” she says Liming.
Mobile Market Coordinator Brandon Anderson sees this need firsthand.
“Because of our scale, we are in great need of Spanish-speaking volunteers and support,” Anderson said.
That’s because immigrants who don’t qualify for federal aid like food stamps rely on it, Anderson said.
That’s something Erin Lennon, a volunteer who helps about three families at the market every other week, understands.
“These pop-up markets that they do are really essential for a lot of people to actually eat, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to eat,” Lennon said.
In 2023, 89 mobile food markets served 115,175 people. At its Lalo Delgado locations, the nonprofit has added 50 to 100 households per market this year alone.
“With inflation and rising food prices, it’s really difficult for people who live here and have connections to services, let alone people who are immigrants,” Lennon said.
This highlights the importance of volunteers like Sue and Erin who understand and care about contributing to the community.
“They are the lifeblood of this entire organization. We would not be able to do what we do without them,” Anderson said.
On average, the organization sends 25 to 30 volunteers to each market, but needs 10 more. Bilingual volunteers are especially important.
Bilingual volunteers are especially important.
To become a volunteer, visit We Don’t Waste’s volunteer page.
To see a list of upcoming markets, visit We Don’t Waste’s Mobile Markets page.
