The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank knows how to party.
The food bank kicked off its annual Operation Orange volunteer event Friday where volunteers spend day and night prepping food for distribution to local food pantries and shelters.
Between the 1,600 volunteers clad in bright orange shirts, music by a DJ and spontaneous line dancing, the 24-hour event took in a party atmosphere.
“The simple joy of people dancing while they’re volunteering is a beautiful thing to see,” said food bank CEO Dan Flowers.
Starting at 10 a.m. Friday and ending at 10 a.m. Saturday, the volunteers are spending two-hour shifts sorting and inspecting tons of donated food.
But when popular songs like Cupid Shuffle are played, some volunteers can’t help but break rank for a quick dance.
“It’s fun, it’s been a blast,” said Niki Oberlander, a volunteer from Canton, after doing the shuffle. “It’s neat to be a part of what they do here.”
A bulk of the donated food was made up of 328,000 pounds of produce, along with some canned food that needed labeling.
“Nutrition is a big priority,” Flowers said as volunteers sorted through hundreds of crates of apples, onions, carrots and sweet potatoes. “Our specific outreach for that has grown.”
Many volunteer as a group with their organization or company, including FedEx, Akron Area YMCA and Akron Children’s Hospital. Dominion East Ohio is this year’s title sponsor.
“It’s really awesome. There’s so much energy,” said Kelly Ward-Smith, a media relations specialist from Cleveland Clinic Akron General who was volunteering with others from the hospital. “Supporting our community is really important to us.”
The food bank is part of Feeding America, a national network of food banks that has dubbed September Hunger Action Month and assigned it the color orange.
Flowers said on top of being an event that encourages volunteerism and philanthropy, Operation Orange and the food bank work to provide one of the basic necessities of life.
“We want you to have food to eat because being alive is important,” Flowers said. “Every single life matters.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @Theresa_Cottom.