Peter Jensen volunteers for Montgomery County Food Bank’s Produce Rescue Center (PRC), which diverts truckloads of produce that were on their way to the local landfill to the food bank instead. The produce is then sorted by volunteers like Peter and packaged for distribution to families in need.

Following his retirement from Exxon Mobil, Peter worked closely with MCFB staff and long-tenured volunteers to establish the PRC in 2017.

“We’ve had thousands of volunteers come through the PRC, many of whom Peter has worked with personally during his more than 2,000 hours of service,” said Andrea Richardson, MCFB’s Volunteer Services Manager. “This is an incredible ongoing project, because not only does it help reduce food waste, but it also may be the one and only opportunity for some of our food insecure neighbors to have fresh, nutritious produce.”

Despite his many hours of service and helping the PRC rescue over 16 million pounds of produce from the landfill to date, Peter still remembers the first time he volunteered at one of the food bank’s mobile distributions. He says, “Attending my first mobile market on March 4, 2017, I was emotionally overwhelmed by the number of people in our community who needed food and showed up before 5 a.m. for a 10 a.m. food distribution.”

“To anyone thinking about volunteering in the PRC,” Peter says, “you will not be disappointed. And you may leave with a warm feeling and a new family. I arrived hoping to solve world hunger, but learned to do it one person at a time.”

We’re so thankful to our volunteers helping get fresh, nutritious food to individuals and families who need it most. To everyone who serves with us, thank you for everything you do.