Meet LCCM food bank volunteers Joe Furlong and Mona Wolfe

Joe Furlong PHOTO: Katie Dudding, Lebanon Valley College

There’s not a week that goes by that Joe Furlong and Mona Wolfe aren’t clocking hours in at the food bank at Lebanon County Christian Ministries.

The couple, in their mid-70's, have been volunteering at the food bank for over eight years. Their main responsibility is to sort through the food donated and package it for shipments. Joe and Mona thank God for their good health and feel it’s their responsibility to fellow human beings to give back to anyone in need.  
The pair volunteer at the food bank warehouse three mornings per week. This warehouse consists of multiple other groups that focus on distribution, running phone lines, and organizing additional food drives.
“We are very thankful for the support we’re shown from local churches, helping LCCM get the supplies we need,” the couple said.

Joe and Mona have spent the last six months training a young couple to eventually take over the job of sorting through donations. Although they have no plans of slowing down any time soon, they realize that the younger generation will have to take charge when it comes to helping those in need.

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Joe and Mona work with a few other couples their age to meticulously sort through the food they are given, whether that means categorizing by expiration date or weeding out damaged products. There are strict guidelines for the donations to pass through, ensuring that no family is given inadequate provisions. Joe wants to emphasize how important it is that the food they give out isn’t spoiled or damaged, keeping everyone’s best health in mind.

Every food order includes well balanced, highly nutritional food for the entire family and the amount of servings is based on the household size. Families also get assorted snack foods to satisfy everyone’s not so healthy habits. Also included are health and beauty aids when in stock.

Joe adds that local homeless shelters are always in need of funds to help provide lodging and find people work, so both are fantastic causes to get involved with.

There were a few upcoming events that Joe wanted to get the word out about. The first being “Box City," a fundraiser where kids sleep in boxes outside of an LCCM affiliated church to raise money and awareness for the homeless in our community. Then this spring season there’s also a Postal Drive, followed in the fall by the Boy Scout Drive, both of which are major contributors to LCCM.
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Additionally, Joe and Mona have had first-hand experience with LVC when they worked with multiple other volunteers from the college on a local housing project, building a prefabricated home for a family in Texas. They have always been supportive of the college and are thankful for the opportunity to talk about what they do.
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Written by Zack Kime, Lebanon Valley College 
​Lebanon County Christian Ministries is working in conjunction with Lebanon Valley College students to tell the story of LCCM through the lens of its volunteers, guests, staff and board throughout the season of Lent