Editor's note: Arlington Charities has been serving an increased number of families since the coronavirus pandemic began. The nonprofit posted a tribute to two of its outstanding volunteers, and we've shared the blog below in its entirety. 

When I came in to work this morning, I noticed a long line of carts filled with bags of fruit and veggies already ready nearly an hour before our drive through pantry was set to open. Near the carts were two volunteers working as fast as hummingbirds and as efficiently as machines.

Joretta and Terry, our produce gals, like to get here at 7:30 a.m., well before most people come into work. They start out their day by going through pallets of produce and sorting each type into boxes. They then take inventory and get rid of any produce that has spoiled. This allows them to decide how much of each type of produce our clients will get for today.

After inventory, Joretta and Terry begin making bags of produce for our clients. They like to have two large cart fulls of fruit bags and four carts of veggies done before 8:45 a.m. For the entire rest of the day, they continue to make several hundred bags. Even after the drive through is done, these two volunteers will keep on sorting to make sure they get all of the leftover produce into a cooler so it doesn't spoil. Sometimes, they can still be sorting as late as 12:30 p.m.

We are very grateful to have such dedicated volunteers like Joretta and Terry. It is their hard work that enables us to continue "providing help and creating hope."