This month we’re featuring one of our longest serving volunteers, Betsy. Betsy has been a consistent presence at our Wednesday morning meal prep shifts since we started serving Senior Meals on this day nearly six years ago! That means that Betsy has been around far longer than most staff members, and she can virtually run the kitchen on her own.
When asked what draws her to HIP’s mission, Betsy mentioned its all-encompassing nature. “I love that HIP takes a holistic view of food insecurity and tries to hit everyone in the community,” she explained. She also admires HIP’s advocacy element, recognizing that “Food security is a thing that everyone should have as a baseline,” and that HIP exists because of our broken food system.
Before the pandemic, Betsy also served Senior Meals at the Lake City Community Center. She loves the program’s openness and accessibility. “Some of the people who come to eat the meal also serve the meal,” she explained. “There are very few barriers to accessing the meal….you don’t have to be a senior to eat there.”
One of Betsy’s favorite food items to come out of the HIP kitchen are Quaker Oats’ “Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies”. “I just made those yesterday,” she laughed. “They’re just primo oatmeal cookies, and HIP was the first time I ever made them.”
Betsy lives in Lake City with her family. She’s an avid biker and baker, and helps us take care of our food waste by bringing kitchen scraps home to her chickens. Betsy is the epitome of a HIPster, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
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