Volunteer Spotlight | Pradeep

Today we’re spotlighting Pradeep, one of our Food Sorting Volunteer Leaders!

Pradeep found Food Banks Mississauga while searching online for volunteering opportunities. He had recently retired from a career in banking and figured he would try his hand at food banking. He began volunteering in May 2023 as a food sorter, sorting food donations in our warehouse to be distributed to neighbours across Mississauga through our 60+ agency members.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the friendly and happy atmosphere. Also by the mammoth size of the warehouse and facility. 

Over the past year, Pradeep became an *expert* in food sorting: inspecting donations for best-before dates and package integrity to ensure they meet health and safety requirements, and then categorizing by type for easy distribution. A couple of months ago, he put all his knowledge and experience into a leadership role – as a Food Sorting Volunteer Leader. Now Pradeep assists in supervising and training food sorting volunteers, ensuring excellence and accuracy and giving volunteers a meaningful experience.

Food Banks Mississauga does an amazing job in ensuring that food, as a very basic necessity, is available for everyone. They are certainly benefiting a very large number of families and making their lives a little bit easier, especially now that the runaway inflation has negatively impacted everyone.

Pradeep is grateful for the opportunity to volunteer, saying it allows him “to be a small contributor in this noble endeavour.” He encourages folks to volunteer at Food Banks Mississauga as they will see and feel the impact of their contributions. He says it’s a “win-win for everyone, including self-development through teamwork and collaboration.”

When asked about things he has learned since volunteering with Food Banks Mississauga, Pradeep shared how great the need for food is, yet how generous the community is. He feels happy that he can support his neighbours and connect with fellow volunteers who share a similar passion for serving their community.

In his spare time, Pradeep loves to work in the garden (although he doesn’t consider it work!) He is also very passionate about mentoring and supporting skilled newcomers in their job searches, sharing that he likes to call himself a “serial mentor!”

We’re thankful for Pradeep’s passion for the community and his leadership qualities through his role as a Food Sorting Volunteer Leader. If you’d like to share your passion and leadership skills with Food Banks Mississauga, consider becoming a Food Sorting Lead as well! We’d love to have you.