September 2023 - Paula D.

Help us congratulate Paula D. for being our September 2023 Volunteer of the Month! Here’s a little bit about Paula:

1.  Are you from the valley?  If not, where? and what brought you here? I’m originally from Southern California but I moved to Oregon where I lived for 13 years while I obtained a degree in dietetics and completed an apprenticeship in commercial baking. I relocated to Grand Junction in 1982 after my parents and sister left California to live in the Grand Valley.

2. What is your favorite thing about the Grand Valley? My favorite things about Grand Junction are all the sunny days and the beautiful scenery we have.

3.  What do you like to do when you're not at the Food Bank? I’m a huge kitchen nerd so when I’m not at the food bank I’m usually cooking or baking one of the many recipes I’ve found online. I especially enjoy dancing with my husband to live music whenever possible, we dance our own special version of “bar-room tango”. I’m also a member of Shimmy Mob which is an annual "bellydance flash mob" event, creating awareness of emotional abuse and domestic violence.

4.  What motivated you to get involved in the Food Bank, and how long have you been volunteering with us? I left Colorado for 6 years to work in Arizona where my work unit volunteered at United Food Bank in Mesa to sort and pack donated canned goods, so after retiring and moving back to Grand Junction I was motivated to get involved at Community Food Bank. I’ve been a volunteer at CFB since December 2022.

5.  Anything else you'd like to share with the rest of the awesome volunteer team? I’m honored to be named Volunteer of the Month for September! I truly enjoy the opportunity to volunteer at Community Food Bank and look forward to working my weekly shift Tuesday mornings. Everyone I interact with has a positive, helpful attitude and I appreciate the cooperative and friendly atmosphere. Kindness matters.