Drake Volunteers at Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Published by: Samantha Swaim, Intern
Team Drake recently had the privilege of partnering with The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s mission to end hunger. On June 11, six Drake employees helped pack over 3,000 boxes of food for children in need of lunches over summer break. According to the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, “As of 2021, Virginia’s food insecurity rate stands at 8.1%, meaning that over 704,000 people had to worry where their next meal would come from on any given day. And of that over 704,000, more than 164,000 children, or 8.8%, are facing food insecurity.” Specifically in Virginia’s western region (where the Blue Ridge Food Bank serves), one out of twelve children are in need of food, and Drake pitched in to help.
Upon arrival at the food bank, Drake was informed on the statistics of the food bank, its distributors, who the food is distributed to, and the ways the pantry helps the community. The Drake team comprised different stations along a conveyor belt to efficiently pack the boxes. Each station packed the box with one item. Some of these items included peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, fruit, green beans, and tuna fish. F. R. Drake is not only a family oriented company, but one that genuinely enjoys lending a helping hand.
A message from Drake’s Vice President, Chris Hopkins:
Personally, I have been raised and firmly believe that we are put on this planet to serve and lead with compassion. Drake also has a history and culture of serving and leading, as seen through our purpose:
At Drake, we’re…
Simplifying the World and Elevating Humanity
- We’re simplifying the loading process
- We’re simplifying food safety
- We’re creating worldwide accessibility to affordable protein
- We’re providing safe protein at the lowest possible cost
- We’re creating better jobs through automation (safer/less risk & injury and more fulfilling work)
The Result: We’re Simplifying the World and Elevating Humanity by helping to feed billions of people better, faster, and safer.
When my wife, Margaret, who volunteers at the Verona Food Bank every week, asked if I could help with this special and immediate need to pack the summer feeding boxes for the school children that were not able to get their meals in the cafeteria, I responded that I could do better. With the support of Robyn Dean, President, and Vickie Martin, HR Manager, Drake staffed most of one shift of workers and provided our summer interns with a different view of life at Drake. Drake automates the food industry and has a strong presence in the local community. Working at Drake is about more than sitting behind computers, running machines, and having meetings. We have a responsibility to serve our community just like we serve our customers. It makes me feel good that Drake, and I, can support an amazing organization, doing the great work of feeding our community, families, and kids, while awakening our interns to more opportunities to learn, grow, and serve!
Connor Chapman (Marketing and Customer Service Intern) said, “I felt that helping put together food shipments was not only a great team bonding experience for our staff members but it also showed what happens when discipline and kindness combine for the greater good of society. Overall, I had an amazing time, and I encourage all to help when possible due to connections and experience you get in return.”
Jillian Danson (Marketing Department) said, “I enjoy working as part of a team to do good in our community and I loved learning about how the BRAFB organizes its manpower and resources to help so many other outreach facilities (beyond helping individuals in need.) I’m happy that larger companies and corporations are able to pitch in and make the world a better place – since we’re part of the food processing industry we should do all we can to make sure no one goes hungry.”
Jimmy Chen (Manufacturing Intern) said, “It was a rewarding experience as I was able to make a positive contribution to the local community and ensure that people were fed. I enjoyed the experience because I was able to get to know my coworkers on a more personal level outside of the professional setting.”
Isidor Lacy (Manufacturing Intern) says, “Being an active member of the community is our duty as human beings, and supporting access to free food for individuals is extremely important. Volunteer work also allows us to take a step back in life, evaluate what matters to us individually, and encourages us to see situations from various perspectives. It is critical to understand that we are very fortunate and to recognize the value of giving back.”
Samantha Swaim (Marketing and Customer Service Intern) said, “Volunteering at the food bank was not only a fun activity that helped establish connections with my fellow interns and staff, but a rewarding and fulfilling experience because we got to help those in need. My eyes were greatly opened to the needs of my community, and I was overjoyed to lend a hand to fill a child’s stomach.”
Drake not only cares about our community, but we care about your community too. As a leading company in the food manufacturing industry, our goal is to serve our community and yours by providing top-of-the-line machinery to feed your community. The more efficient, durable, and high quality our machines are, the greater we can serve our community and yours in an effort to end hunger. Producing good quality, high functioning, efficient machines means we can serve a greater need, strive to end hunger, and take the burden off families so they do not have to worry about their children going hungry. This is the mission of F. R. Drake. Whether we are engineering new designs, shipping orders, manufacturing parts, assembling loaders, or serving our community, our mission is to serve people, limit hunger, improve productivity, and provide for families.
If you would like to volunteer or donate to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, their website is Home – Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (brafb.org). Give back, give cheerfully, and lend a helping hand.
