Meet our 2024 Volunteer of the Year!

Cleveland area native Tom Orange first found his passion for volunteering at a food bank when he lived in Washington, D.C.

When he moved back here during the pandemic, Tom went right back to volunteering, first at Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, then here at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.

Tom does everything, from working in the kitchen to repacking shifts to helping at the front desk. There isn’t anything he can’t do, and he’s a near permanent fixture here at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. That’s why it wasn’t a tough choice selecting Tom as our 2024 Volunteer of the Year.

“I’m very pleased and proud and flattered and humbled,” says Tom of the honor. “I know there are other volunteers who do a lot of the same things I do and that are equally as deserving. I’m honored.”

Tom encourages anyone who can to find time to join him in volunteering and be part of something bigger. No matter what you like to do, there’s something everyone can do to help. “If you love personal one-on-one interaction, the pantry is for you … but if you’d rather do behind-the-scenes or assembly-line style, whether it’s stuff on the belt or putting together box lunches in the Kids Cafe, there’s that kind of stuff too,” he says.

He believes we all have to do our part to help our neighbors — however we can. “You need food, clothing, shelter, and love. They’re just essential basics,” he says. “And if we can do anything for each other as a people, it really ought to be covering those basics.”

Volunteers like Tom are essential to the work we do helping our neighbors facing hunger! We value our supporters in every way they give! Learn more.

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