Emergency Food Network recently hired Merrit Hoeh (pronounced “Hey”) as their new Volunteer Coordinator. Merrit joins Emergency Food Network with five years of experience with non-profits, most recently as the Volunteer Coordinator with the Pacific Crest Trails Association.

Her responsibilities include managing more than 2,000 volunteers annually who help with EFN’s warehouse Repack Project and throughout the growing season at Mother Earth Farm, and she will work with community groups to coordinate fund drives and food drives.

“We could not be more pleased to have Merrit on our team,” said Executive Director Helen McGovern. “We are only able to distribute more than 15 million pounds of food annually with the support of volunteers who contribute their time and experience to help to feed hungry people in our community. I know that groups that volunteer here will love interacting with Merrit.”

Merrit is originally from Wyoming but has lived throughout the Northwest for the past ten years (with a brief stint in Missouri). She graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, camping, gardening, and chopping firewood. Says Hoeh, “I am very excited to join Emergency Food Network’s team. It allows me to continue to follow my passion for working with volunteers and serving the local community.

Interested in volunteering in our Warehouse or at Mother Earth Farm? Want to host a food drive or fund drive? Contact Merrit at merrit@efoodnet.org.

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities:

• Emergency Food Network is hosting the second annual Breaking Hunger Trap Shooting Tournament in Gig Harbor on Friday, August 9. We are in need of ten volunteers from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm to help keep score, collect tickets, and register participants. Dinner is provided at no cost!

• In the beautiful Puyallup Valley is Emergency Food Network’s eight-acre organic farm. This farm-to-table operation provides a fresh and nutritious food option to individuals and families in need within our community. Volunteers are invited to lend a hand Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm as we pull weeds and harvest berries, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and squash.

• Our popular Repack Project has several upcoming openings! Volunteers join us at our Distribution Center to help repackage bulk food donations into smaller, family sized quantities. Once repackaged the food is ready to be distributed to community members in need. Opportunities are available on August 3, 15, and 24.

Emergency Food Network’s mission is “to provide a reliable food supply so that no person in Pierce County goes hungry.” EFN distributes nutritious, staple food to 67 food banks, shelters, and hot meal sites in Pierce County. They do this through a combination of sources, including purchased food, food donated from grocery stores and food distributors, food received from food drives, fruits and vegetables gleaned from residential gardens and area farms, and food grown at EFN’s 8-acre organic Mother Earth Farm. Eighty percent of all food in the county makes its way through EFN’s 22,000 square-foot warehouse in Lakewood.

For information about the Emergency Food Network, to donate, or to learn about volunteer opportunities, visit www.efoodnet.org

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