Volunteer Spotlight: Lanier’s Team

April 20, 2023

Most days, you can find Food Bank of Delaware Driver, Lanier Williams, out in the community running a mobile pantry. For Lanier, serving the community is a labor of love, but he knows it’s not possible without volunteers who care.

Al and Dawn Mapp (and sometimes their son, Kendall), Walden and Paul travel to most of our weekly community-based mobile pantries to help Lanier register neighbors, distribute food and bring smiles to the faces of our community members. They have coined themselves “Lanier’s Team.”

“They are always ready and always dependable,” said Lanier.

Al and Dawn have been volunteering since the start of the pandemic. They started in the Newark volunteer room, but now spend their time out in the community.

“We don’t do it for the recognition,” said Al. “We’re people who do stuff behind the scenes. If we can help, that’s a blessing.”

Rounding out “Lanier’s Team” is Paul and Walden. Paul works for UPS, but also volunteers with the Boy Scouts. He was looking for other ways to engage with the community. The mobile pantry was a good fit – especially the camraderie among the “team.” Walden is a retired Vietnam Veteran and travels to our northern mobile pantries from Dover. He has also volunteered with Food Bank of Delaware Mobile Pantry Driver Frank “Fresh” Coverdale.

The group communicates via text to stay up to date on the latest pantries. They will travel wherever help is needed and have even gone as far south as Georgetown.

These team members know exactly what to do at each pantry and serve as leaders to volunteers who may not have worked a mobile pantry before.

When this group is together there is a lot of laughter, camaraderie, and a genuine joy to be with each other to serve. Lanier’s team have become friends who enjoy each other’s company.

“We have a good time,” said Dawn. “There’s lot of laughs.”

To learn more about volunteering at the Food Bank of Delaware, visit www.fbd.volunteerhub.com.