Shirley Robinson first came to CEAP for food assistance after suffering from a brain aneurysm several years ago. She began by volunteering one or two days each week while she recovered from her aneurysm. Now, Shirly volunteers in CEAP’s Food Market nearly every day. She’s also a great advocate for CEAP throughout our community. “I tell everyone to come to CEAP,” Shirley says.
When fresh food at CEAP is going to go bad before we’re able to distribute it through our Food Market, Shirley will take some home to share with her neighbors. She loves to cook and feels called to serve our community by making sure everyone has something to eat. Shirley says, “People think hunger is something that just happens overseas, but it’s here in our own front yard.” In fact, 1 in 9 Minnesotans, including 1 in 6 kids in Minnesota, experiences hunger.
Shirley does it all at CEAP, from building produce boxes to keeping our shelves stocked to cracking jokes with staff and volunteers. She says that there’s great communication at CEAP and that participants, volunteers, and staff alike all respect each other. “My daughter tells me I could get paid somewhere for the work I do, but that’s not what this is about,” Shirley says. “I just love being here at CEAP.”
“I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”
