Student demonstrates commitment to helping hungry Delawareans

April 26, 2019

In the world of Food Bank volunteers, Cindy Lin is a rock star.

This Milford High School senior says her passion for volunteering started back in junior high as a member of the National Honor Society, and helping has been a part of her life since then.

Yet one has to wonder how a scholar, dancer and member of the marching band who holds several part-time jobs finds the time to volunteer at the Food Bank of Delaware’s Milford branch – something she’s been doing faithfully since July.

At the Food Bank of Delaware, we say that volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization. They help us out by sorting packing food donations and creating meal boxes for families, seniors and children. In 2017, volunteers donated 40,162 hours through 15,601 visits, the equivalent of almost 19 full-time employees.

And many of our volunteers, like Cindy, juggle other responsibilities, but find their experience here very rewarding.

In addition to attending high school, Cindy is also dual enrolled at Wilmington University and Delaware Tech, and will graduate in May with more than 20 college credits. While she’s trying to decide which college she will attend, she regularly assists every week at the Food Bank.

Cindy also is a member of the Leo and Varsity clubs at school, and works part-time at China Wok, tutors, and babysits.

She’s obviously accustomed to adults being surprised by her time management expertise.

“I did grow up in a stereotypical Asian culture, and my parents had very humble beginnings. I want to show them that I appreciate all the opportunities I had,” Cindy said.

Volunteer Coordinator Aaron Stone explains that Cindy’s reliability is a big help to the clients we serve. She is part of a team which packs weekend meals for food-insecure Delaware children; some shifts may involve sorting donated food collected at food drives.

“Cindy has volunteered 129 hours, as of the end of April. That’s the fifth highest of all time, and most of the other volunteers are all retired,” Aaron said.

Visit www.fbd.org to volunteer at either the Milford or Newark branch of the Food Bank of Delaware.