Top volunteer keeps food bank running like a well-oiled machine

Published 12:21 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008

By Brenda Sexton

The Courier-Herald

There's some debate about whether the Plateau Outreach Ministries (POM) food bank could run without its manager Denise Trivelas.

"Before I ever got here I'd heard about this dynamo that runs the food bank like a well-oiled machine," POM Executive Director Mari Roll told the crowd gathered for the annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon where Trivelas was named Volunteer of the Year.

"The food bank would not close down whether I was here or not," Trivelas said on a recent Wednesday morning during the mid-morning rush at the Cole Street office in Enumclaw.

Trivelas, who has managed the food bank for the past four years, said the food bank runs on the generosity of donors and an army of volunteers like herself. Her job focuses on coordinating the donors and controlling the paperwork. She's confident it would run without her. In fact, she said, it cruises along when she is off on her other volunteer passion - bringing eye care to those in need in Mexico and South America three times a year.

"I have great volunteers. We really are like a family," Trivelas said.

From gathering donations from local churches and outside organizations like Northwest Harvest to distributing to those who need it, Trivelas and her volunteers make the connections for approximately 100 families a week.

"I'm amazed at the abundance of people's increasing generosity," Trivelas said.

For example, when she started she remembers the food bank hardly ever had coffee and eggs on its shelves. Now a Sumner coffee company and egg producer make regular donations.

"The people that come (to the food bank) don't just come for food," Trivelas said. "It's like they come because we're friends."

The POM board of directors honored all its volunteers from the food bank, Pennies From Heaven Thrift Shop and Samaritan Project at the luncheon May 10 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Board President Kathy Hettick called Enumclaw Plateau Outreach Ministries, "an example of a community taking care of its own."

"We all have to work together because we're all connected," said Enumclaw Police Chief Jim Zoll who was the afternoon's featured speaker.

Brenda Sexton can be reached at bsexton@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald.