Calgary Food Bank: Meet the longest serving and most dedicated volunteer

Meet TerryDeets. He's been at the Calgary Food Bankfive days a week for the past 33 years the longest serving and most dedicated volunteer.

"I started when they were in the oldSafewaystore behind city hall." he said.

Deets is part of the backbone of an organization that thrives on volunteers.

Just as Alberta's economy is dependant on oil, the Calgary Food Bank runs on volunteers.In the last year alone, about 6,000 peopledonated a total of more than 100,000 hours of their time.

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Deets has seen and done a lot with the the Calgary Food Bank over more than three decades. He's beenthere for every move, including to thecurrent address at 5000 11th Streetin the southeast.

He's been there so long, Deets is considered the official unofficial mayor of the Food Bank.

"Nenshi is the mayor of the City of Calgary, they call me Mayor Terry of the Food Bank," he said.

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Deets started at the food bank as part of a program to develop job skills. But since he was so good at volunteering, he was asked to stay. He sees his most important job as greeting people, whether it isclients, volunteers or staff.

But Deet's favourite thing to do at the food bank is to help clients during the distribution of the hampers.

"I help them with the loading of the hampers onto tables," he says.

Relative newcomer has volunteered for 10 years

Mayor Terry of the Calgary Food Bank

9 years ago

Duration 1:15

Terry Deets is the unofficial mayor of the Calgary Food Bank. He talks about his years with the organization.

In volunteer years, Bob Corner is a youngster compared to Deets. He's been helping out at the food bank for the last 10 years.

Every Friday at 8:15 a.m.you can find him on the preliminary sorting line.

"You take the food off the wall, put it on the lift and put it on the belt, it goes down the belt and then people sort it into different containers depending on what kind of food it is." he said.

He's seen every type of food you could possibly imagine even"things you've never seen before in your life."

Corner says thesedays the food bank volunteers have to work harder.

"I think theyare under more pressure now than ever because of the slowdown in Calgary's economy, but they are trying to do a good job and they are doing it."

Both Deets and Corner like the sense of community they get at the food bank, whether from theclients who come for hampers,to the staff and other volunteers.

"We are kind of like a family at the foodbank." said Deets.

Calgary Food Bank volunteer Bob Corner

9 years ago

Duration 1:02

Bob Corner enjoys volunteering at the Food Bank, in part because of all the people he gets to meet.