ST. LOUIS — 5 On Your Side volunteers put in some labor Tuesday afternoon at Operation Food Search.
It started out with a tour and some simple instructions.
Officials at Operation Food Search said they depend on volunteers to pack food. About a dozen 5 On Your Side volunteers were told they packed some 600 meals in less than two hours.
Operation Food Search utilizes more than 7,500 hundred volunteers a year. Officials said that saves the organization more than $1 million which they can instead spend on programs like Operation Backpack, which is what 5 On Your Side helped with Tuesday.
Matt Kasate is volunteer and food drive manager.
“Operation Backpack essentially makes sure kids have food to eat over the weekend,” Kasate said. “So, it involves packing grocery bags with non-perishable food, which is then shared with schools throughout the St. Louis area.”
Kasate said the money Operation Food Search saves through volunteer labor can, instead, also go to purchase fuel for trucks to rescue food from grocery store chains like Schnucks, Dierbergs and Straub’s.