From Sandy Vivian: I heard a speaker last week talk about why people volunteer for the first time. One of the biggest reasons, she said, is because their lives are in transition: They’ve become empty nesters, lost a loved one, retired, survived an illness or have decided to leave their stuck-in-a-rut job.

But underlying all of that is, perhaps, a more fundamental, but profound transition that happens within. It happens as we begin to yearn for something more, wanting to be better and do better in our lives, to get outside of ourselves and to make a little bit of difference in the world.

That transitional shift can create seismic change in our lives (and in the lives of so many others) when we take action. We make the phone call, we e-mail or we walk through the door and….volunteer.

So many have walked through the After the Harvest doors—literally and figuratively—since they opened last May. This week, during National Volunteer Week (and National Volunteer Month) we applaud each and every one of our volunteers for stepping forward and making that difference, for themselves and for others.

In that spirit, we hope you can join us for our upcoming After the Harvest Volunteer Appreciation gathering (a Save the Date date is coming soon!).

In the meantime, a big thank you to the hundreds of gleaners, drivers and field supervisors who worked tirelessly to rescue fresh produce to feed hungry people. And a shout out to those volunteers not in the fields but in the trenches: to Elisa, our social media warrior; our new graphic designers—Emily, Talia and Zach, whose work you’ll be seeing shortly; our stalwart office volunteers who have labeled more envelopes, made more phone calls and crafted more spreadsheets than anyone should do in a lifetime!—Amy, Mary Ann, Jay, Peggy and Mary—you’re the absolute best.

This is beginning to sound like an Oscar acceptance speech, but there’s no stopping now! Thanks to newbies onboard Brenda and Kelly…we know great things are to come!; Tom, Barb, Clay, Claire—just a few of the volunteers who went the extra mile every time; Vanessa and Melanie, our expert Salesforce authorities!; Matt and Derek who saved the day more days than we care to count; and, last but not least, our stellar Advisory Board and Executive Board.

If your name is not written here, know that your efforts are equally appreciated…you have helped provide so many with so much nutritious food. We thank you.