Those who give voluntarily of their time take center stage during April's National Volunteer Month. And New Mexico's Roadrunner Food Bank wants more volunteers to experience the rewards of helping others.

The Food Bank, like many nonprofit organizations, lost some of its regular volunteers during the pandemic - said Barbara Guenther, the manager of volunteer programs for Roadrunner. She said she's a firm believer that volunteer work should be fun.

"I always feel like with volunteering, sometimes people aren't really sure what they're getting into," said Guenther, "but if they can just get there and get their foot in the door, and kind-of get a little bit of experience - if that's a great experience - it's much easier to get them to come back."

The monthlong recognition of volunteers is an extension of National Volunteer Week, April 16 through the April 22 - first established in 1974.

Food from Roadrunner and other hunger-relief organizations will be in greater demand this year, since Congress has ended pandemic-related emergency benefits to households that participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Guenther said Roadrunner isn't a food pantry, but rather a food bank - operating a warehouse that includes a production center, where volunteers typically work two-hour shifts.

Volunteers sort produce and dry and canned goods which are delivered by truck to food pantries, senior centers, group homes, shelters, school partners and other locations.

"We get bulk food donations often," said Guenther, "so what we do is take those 50- or 100-pound bags of pinto beans or black beans, and repack them into 12- or 16-ounce bags that a family can use."

Roadrunner also offers mobile markets - smaller trucks sent to highly underserved communities with little access to fresh produce, or where Guenther says residents have fewer grocery stores or healthy food options.

"So," said Guenther, "we pack things up in a truck and once a month, they drive the truck out there, pull everything out, so that folks from the community can come and have that ability to get fresh fruits and vegetables, in particular, and healthier options for dry goods and canned goods."

She said of the millions of pounds of food and meals distributed to those facing hunger, nearly 30% is vegetables and fresh fruit.

A shortage of volunteers is taking its toll on food banks in Washington state.

Joe Gruber, executive director of the University District Food Bank in Seattle, said they have about 300 weekly volunteers who make their operations possible. But with COVID-19 worries subsiding this summer, their usual volunteer base has been getting out and traveling more than past years.

Gruber pointed out the shortage comes at an unfortunate time because they are busier than at any point during the pandemic, seeing 50% more people in 2023 than 2022. He acknowledged the increased need stems from a confluence of issues.

"The inflation that folks have experienced over the last few years, and then we've also seen an erosion of some of the enhanced benefits like SNAP had received some extra dollars," Gruber outlined.

An increase in funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the pandemic ended in March. A recent study found SNAP recipients experienced a 21% increase in food insufficiency after the increase ended.

Gruber emphasized the lack of volunteers is hurting not just inside the food bank but in other operations, such as their home delivery program. He added they have also seen a 10% to 15% decline in food donations, which means they have to buy more food.

"We're needing to fundraise more money to make sure that we've got those resources available, and that's another way that volunteers have helped us in the past," Gruber stressed. "We have an annual fundraising auction where we'll hope to raise $250,000 or $300,000, and it happens because volunteers commit."

Gruber noted fortunately for his food bank, students at the nearby University of Washington campus lend their assistance.

"They've engaged deeply in our work and supported it," Gruber observed. "Hopefully for us, we'll have a resource that not every food bank will have available to them; an abundant pool of interested and engaged students starting back in the fall."


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The burden of medical debt is not so heavy anymore for some lucky North Carolina residents.

The Coastal Credit Union Foundation partnered with the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt to wipe away some medical bills for about 1,200 people in central North Carolina. A grant of $17,000 was used to settle nearly $2.2 million in debt.

Joe Mecca, vice president of communications for the Coastal Credit Union Foundation, said the ripple effect of medical bills can take a toll on individuals' financial and emotional well-being, so the credit union was happy to help provide a pathway to a fresh start.

"Once they're able to get back on their feet from an occupational standpoint, they still have that medical debt looming over them," Mecca observed. "Clearing that out might be enough to get them back on the path to stability."

The problem of unpaid medical debt is a pressing issue in North Carolina, which ranks among the states with the highest percentages of medical debt in the country, according to a 2022 study by The Urban Institute.

The impact of medical debt is not limited to financial strain. The stress and anxiety associated as the bills mount can affect mental health as well. Adults facing medical debt are three times more likely to experience mental health concerns, according to a University of South Florida study.

Mecca emphasized helping to clear these balances is a small investment that can make a big difference.

"For us, it's just an extension of our mission and helping people achieve overall financial wellness," Mecca added. "This is the first time we've worked with this organization, and we're just really pleased with the overall impact that they were able to achieve with a relatively small grant from Coastal."

A study by the American Economic Association, found medical debt relief not only improves a person's overall well-being, but also improves their access to health care.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wants people to learn to disagree.

As the elected chair of the National Governors Association, he is leading a campaign called "Disagree Better" - an initiative "designed to help Americans bridge the partisan divide," and adopt more positive approaches to politics and social discourse.

Last week, a day after the first Republican presidential debate, Cox took to X - the platform formerly known as Twitter - and shared a video where he said he has found "listening to understand as opposed to listening to debate is a powerful tool."

"Healthy disagreement is about staying true to who we are, to the principles that we believe in," said Cox, "but also not attacking the person who disagrees with us."

Cox acknowledges that the United States is deeply divided and a majority of Americans are tired of the division and hyper-partisanship.

According to the Pew Research Center, partisanship continues to be the dividing line in the American public's political attitudes - far surpassing other markers such as age, race and ethnicity.

Cox said the nation was created with 50 states, of which he calls "laboratories of democracy." He said each state is uniquely positioned to work together and learn from one another.

The Disagree Better initiative has a list of recommended strategies and tools for state and local leaders to implement in an effort to ease tensions.

"Because what happens is when we're curious, when we're really trying to understand where the other person is coming from," said Cox, "they're much more likely to give us that same opportunity and to listen to us."

Cox said it's an important message with the 2024 presidential primaries in full effect.

A recent poll found that more Americans viewed neither President Joe Biden, the likely Democratic nominee, nor former President Donald Trump, the clear front-runner for the Republican Party, in a favorable light than those who saw either of them favorably.




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