08/31/2026
🌟 Volunteer Spotlight: Meet One of Our Amazing Meal Coordinators - Mel J! 🌟
This week, we're shining the spotlight on one of our dedicated FOCUS Neighborhood Meals volunteers, Mel J (pictured far left), who has been helping make a difference for more than a decade! Watch our page for more spotlights over the next few weeks.
💙 How long have you been volunteering with FOCUS Neighborhood Meals? “About 12 years as a Meal Coordinator (MC)."
💙 Why did you get involved with FOCUS Neighborhood Meals? “Mark & I had recently married when Bonnie L. & Kathy J. (now retired MCs) approached me about becoming an MC with the Neighborhood Table. Mark worked shift work his entire career, so did not do much volunteer work; whereas I did a lot with high school sports and my church. We wanted to do volunteer work we could do together, so we attended a meal to see what ‘TNT’ was all about. We were impressed with how the organization was set up so that the work was distributed among a team, not all on one person. This seemed like a match for us… I would be the brains and he would be the brawn of the MC position… and joined the meal team!!"
💙 What do you enjoy doing outside of volunteering? “Travel hiking trips (recently traveled to the Italian Dolomites!) – kayak – bike – golf – cross-country ski – read & fish with Mark. And I have the flexibility to go to Florida for February & March."
💙 What has been your favorite meal served at Neighborhood Meals? “We tried a ‘Superfuel’ meal – no sugar, low carbs… and our guests loved it. It made me realize our need to put ‘healthy meals’ at the top of our menu checklist."
💙 Why should others get involved with FOCUS? "All three of the FOCUS entities are needed in our community. FOCUS offers the opportunity to help others in a variety of ways. FOCUS Neighborhood Meals is truly a team effort each week: MC – Cook – CHULA delivery person – Greeters – Dining Room Coordinator – Dishwashers – Security & Closer make up our meal team…. and we have fun working together and alongside our sponsor volunteers while giving back to our community."
👏 Thank you, Mel, for 12 years of dedication, teamwork, and service! Volunteers like you help create welcoming spaces, healthy meals, and a stronger community for everyone.
