Volunteer Spotlight: Carol Boncelet

April 21, 2022

Carol Boncelet has been volunteering on the Food Bank farm in Newark for three years now. She got her start helping at the Food Bank’s old facility on Garfield Way. She has spent time in the volunteer room packing food boxes and meal kits for the children’s Backpack Program, but when she learned about the Farm, she jumped at the opportunity.

An avid home gardener, Carol says she’s learned a lot by volunteering on the farm.

Since the start of the pandemic, she’s been helping every Friday morning, and says she loves it!

“It’s different every time,” she explains. “Sometimes I am standing planting seeds, sometimes I am weeding, sometimes I am harvesting or washing.”

The five-acre Food Bank Farm consists of a propagation house, three high tunnels, a demonstration garden, bee hives, and field growing space. Kyle Brolis, John O’Connor and Brendan Darji run the day-to-day operations of the farm, but its success is due to dedicated volunteers like Carol.

Carol speaks highly of the team. “Kyle, John and Brendan are great bosses. They don’t just tell me to do that. They tell me why.”

On this particular volunteer day, Carol and John were working together to plant cucumber seeds in preparation for the May 7 plant sale and the summer growing season.

When asked why she volunteers at the Food Bank of Delaware she says, “I’ve volunteered and worked at a bunch of nonprofits. And I start with the mission. I love the mission here. Truly the volunteer management is very good. It’s easy to sign up. Wes is great if something goes wrong with the website and once you are here, they treat you well. And I learn something.”

To learn more about volunteering at the Food Bank of Delaware, please click here.