When you donate financially to FoodBank Lakeside, where does your money go? Who spends it? On what? Our new “Who’s in Charge?” feature spotlights those responsible for ensuring your money is spent wisely. Today, we are profiling the woman who oversees despensa operations.
Name & official title?
Patricia (Patty) Klauer, Manager of Despensa Operations
Where do you live?
San Antonio Tlayacapan
How long have you volunteered with Lakeside FoodBank?
Since March 2020
What are your duties?
Managing the distribution or delivery of despensas to approximately 700 families in six communities. Each family is interviewed and then included in our despensa program if they meet guidelines co-developed with Local Coordinators, who are Mexican volunteers from each community.
We purchase despensas from small, local markets that assemble the food into delivery bags called despensas. The despensa items are staples selected by Local Coordinators and market personnel. In some cases, families pick up despensas from a distribution point; in others, despensas are delivered to homes.
Each community has a volunteer team – a mix of local Mexican volunteers and expats, led by a Local Coordinator who determines the best way to meet families’ needs. I supervise the approximately 30 volunteers involved, and I coordinate the schedules for distribution and delivery.
Why do you volunteer?
When COVID shut down the economy, I worried that my neighbors might be going hungry – which was the case. That’s why our tagline is “Neighbors Helping Neighbors.” Once many went back to work, we realized there were still many who continued to need our help.
I am gratified to know that, as a guest in this country, I contribute to the community. I know these staples make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable. I also love working with the other volunteers.
We have become like a family. We know we can reach out to one another for help, and we have created relationships with other community organizations aligned with our mission.
I love the reciprocity of appreciation and gratitude that I share with the families we serve, the volunteers, community groups, donors, local market workers and restaurants who participate in our program. It’s a virtuous cycle of gratification all the way around!