The Food Bank Rio Grande Valley is in need of volunteers as they anticipate an increase in demand in the coming weeks.

Olivia Lucio, the director of development and donor services at Food Bank RGV, says the number of staff they have is not enough to move the thousands of pounds of food in stock.

Lucio says the number of volunteers they have has dropped dramatically since the start of the pandemic.

“Pre-pandemic we used to have around 500 volunteers every week and now post-pandemic we’re barely touching the 150,” Lucio said.

Without the right amount of volunteers, the food just sits there.

“Our facility is not meant for food to stay there, we want food to come in and food to go out,” Lucio continued. “If we don’t have enough volunteers, families don’t get the food that they need.”

Lucio says they anticipate the demand for food will only rise in the coming weeks.

“As of this week, we’ve definitely been seeing more traffic come in, as well as people coming saying they have to stay home because they’ve tested positive,” Lucio said.

Lucio says all it takes is one hour of volunteer work to make a difference.

“Every volunteer that comes in through our doors, they actually help us provide a 105 meals,” Lucio said.

If you’re interested in volunteering, click here.