"All together, we are quite a force"

Some Monsanto employees are donating their time to help the St. Louis Area Foodbank

Employees at Monsanto in Creve Coeur are giving up their lunch hours to feed others.

Twice a month a varied collection of Monsanto staffers carpool to the St. Louis Area Foodbank at 1451 Page Industrial Court in Overland.

"Sometimes there are two or three cars, and they're all filled with people," said Creve Coeur resident Jenne Ahlgrim, who spearheaded the volunteer mission.

"It only takes about five minutes to get there, and we're usually there for about an hour. I make up (the driving) time at the end of the day," she said.

The foodbank receives donations from local food store chains and distributors. The donations are stacked on pallets by food category, and then volunteers load and seal individual meal boxes.

The contents come from a predetermined list of about 20 items. For instance, each box has a collection of cereals, rice, pasta and fruit.

"There's one meal a day for one person for one month in each box," Ahlgrim said.

On average, the Monsanto volunteers prepare 250 boxes in one hour. The boxes they pack feed 10 percent of the senior citizens who receive food from the foodbank.

"We rely on individuals and groups to help us sort and pack the 4,500 senior boxes we provide each month," said Brett Moeller, the foodbank's repackaging center coordinator. "The Monsanto team is a perfect example of how one small group of people can touch the lives of so many in need."

The volunteers said they have gotten to know people from other departments during drive-time chats, but it's rather quiet while they're working.

"We don't talk much; we just pack the boxes," said Dennis Ward of Wildwood.

Bonnie Ayden of the Central West End agreed.

"We all get there, find a task to do and then do it," she said. "And it's labor-intensive, so you get a good cardio workout from bending, lifting and moving around."

"We work hard to get as much done as possible," said Sharon Morgan of Ballwin. "By the time you're finished, you're pretty tired."

Because their work schedules vary, the number of Monsanto volunteers who take part varies from visit to visit.

These volunteers have been at it since August, and they feel the rewards every time.

"When we get in the car afterward, there's jubilance," Ahlgrim said.

"It's tangible," Ward said. "Someone is going to get this box of food. It's not like giving someone your money and not knowing exactly what it's used for. It's worthwhile, and I got to put a little bit of my sweat into it."

Ayden said, "You feel so good when you're done because you're doing something so worthwhile. The other benefit is the physical activity. Many of us have desk jobs, so it's nice to get up and move around."

Because they are working during their regular lunch hour, they find themselves eating their lunches at their desks either before or after their time at the foodbank.

Their work there can be traced back to Ahlgrim. She was researching local volunteer services online and found out the foodbank was just down the road from her Monsanto office. She signed on as a volunteer and recruited a few co-workers. They started volunteering one lunch hour each month.

About four months later, through word of mouth and an interoffice newsletter, the few grew.

"It goes beyond me and my little circle (of original recruits)," Ahlgrim said. "There are all sorts of people who are involved now."

With so many volunteers coming at one time, the Monsanto volunteers were asked to divide up and come twice a month.

"All together we're quite a force," Ahlgrim said.

And they don't plan on slowing down. All the volunteers said they would continue the work indefinitely.

"When you look at it, it's just an hour of our lives, and it seems to make a big difference in getting the food to those who need it," Ahlgrim said.

Big results in a short time

> Time per visit: 1 hour
> Monthly visits: two
> Volunteer hours since August: 150
> Average number of boxes packed per visit: 250
> Number of senior citizens the foodbank feeds each month: 4,500
> Percent of those served by Monsanto volunteers: 10

You can contact Kate Miller at katemiller@yourjournal.com.