Rachel Hill

The other day, I stood at the gas pump watching the numbers climb higher and higher until my total landed just a few dollars short of $100. I remember feeling my chest tighten as I put the nozzle back, already mentally rearranging my month. Which errands could wait? Which route would save the most gas? What part of my budget would need to shrink just to make room for another tank? The truth is, it’s not just the gas prices. When fuel costs rise, everything rises with it — groceries, services, household essentials, and everyday necessities. Just when it feels like inflation couldn’t possibly climb any higher, it somehow does.

As I drove away, I found myself thinking about the families we serve. Many stand at those same gas pumps feeling the same stress and uncertainty, but for them, there is no extra room in the budget. Higher gas prices often mean taking money away from rent, prescriptions, utilities, or groceries just to make it through the week.

This spring, we have already seen an 15% increase in guests seeking food assistance; in April we served 700 more guests than normal. We anticipate rising inflation and changing SNAP regulations will continue to impact even more families in our community before our next fiscal year hits.

While our guests rely on the food bank during difficult seasons, we also rely on the compassion and generosity of individuals, businesses, volunteers, and community partners who faithfully help carry this work forward. Their kindness continues to bring hope to neighbors who need it most.

If you’ve ever visited Twin Lakes Food Bank on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning, there’s a good chance you’ve crossed paths with Krissy Ard. You might find her stocking meat and dairy, helping guests find what they need, or chatting with a senior who simply needs someone to listen. What you may not realize is that Krissy’s story with Twin Lakes Food Bank stretches back more than a decade—and has come full circle. Ten years ago, Krissy wasn’t looking for a volunteer opportunity. She was simply looking for a way to be part of her community.

After making a donation to the food bank, she learned there was a need for volunteers. So she did what many parents do—she brought her kids along. Together, Krissy and her sons spent their days serving neighbors, creating memories, and discovering the joy that comes from helping others. What started as volunteering eventually led to Krissy joining our staff. After a few years on staff Krissy was ready to retire but she wasn’t ready to leave. Instead, she put her volunteer badge back on and continued helping ensure families leave with nutritious food and a little extra encouragement.

For Krissy, some of the most meaningful moments happen in simple conversations. She loves seeing young families and reassuring parents who may be struggling. Sometimes it’s helping them find diapers or baby supplies. Sometimes it’s simply reminding them that everything is going to be okay. “It’s the little things,” she often says.

She has seen firsthand how something as simple as a package of diapers can bring relief and joy to a young parent. She loves serving seniors, too—listening to stories about their lives, hearing their wisdom, and helping them feel like they belong. In many ways, that’s what keeps Krissy coming back. The food matters. But the relationships matter too.

Over the past decade, she has built lasting friendships with fellow volunteers and staff members. She describes the people at Twin Lakes Food Bank as authentic, kind, and deeply caring. In fact, Krissy often mentions how amazing the volunteers are and how she wishes more people could experience that. 

Before coming to Twin Lakes Food Bank, she worked as a personal trainer, helping people become stronger and healthier. These days, she’s retired, but she still stays active. She enjoys working out, golfing, gardening, reading, traveling, and visiting her children throughout California. She loves cooking, wine tasting, and perfecting her espresso martinis. She’s also a devoted fan of reality television—especially Survivor.

And then there’s Tina. Tina is Krissy’s sourdough starter, and by all accounts, a very important member of the family. But for all the hobbies and adventures she enjoys, one thing remains constant. Every time she leaves the food bank, she carries home a renewed sense of gratitude. Serving others has changed the way she sees the world. Watching guests find support during difficult seasons reminds her how much the little things matter. A kind word. A listening ear. A package of diapers. A bag of groceries. Small acts of kindness can have a big impact.

Thanks to volunteers like Krissy, those moments happen every day at Twin Lakes Food Bank. Behind the meat counter, behind the scenes, and often without recognition, she helps create a place where people feel welcomed, cared for, and valued. And that’s exactly what makes her part of the heartbeat of our mission.

Every Thursday, our Pantry on Wheels (POW) team loads the refrigerated van with fresh produce, pantry staples, milk, meat, and protein drinks then drives out to a low-income senior citizen in the community. But what these POW volunteers deliver goes far beyond food. For Martha living in one of these communities, POW has been a lifeline.

Due to unreliable transportation, Martha constantly struggles to get to the grocery store. Not only that, living on Social Security income with rising medical costs made things even harder. “My health insurance has increased drastically, and it’s been hard to cover daily prescriptions,” Martha shared. “At the end of the month, I’d have to choose between medication and food.”

Now, Martha’s monthly Pantry on Wheels delivery brings both joy and peace of mind, easing the burden of having to choose between food and her medication. She appreciates the assortment of options, especially the meat and milk that have become too expensive to buy regularly. “The program helps keep food in my cupboard and food in my fridge,” she said.

For many families facing food insecurity, birthdays can feel impossible to celebrate when every dollar is needed for groceries, rent, gas, or medical expenses. That is why our team created birthday kits — special bags filled with cake mix, frosting, candles, decorations, and party supplies designed to help parents create joyful moments for their children during difficult seasons. More than just supplies, these kits reflect that every child deserves to be celebrated and loved on their special day.

This summer, those birthday kits will include something new: a book of their very own.

That addition is thanks to Viduni, a 15-year-old with a big heart and an inspiring vision. Inside her parents’ garage, shelves are lined with carefully sorted children’s books organized by age and reading level. What began as a passion project on her 13th birthday has grown into “Folsom Book Bank USA,” a mission dedicated to helping children build home libraries and discover a lifelong love of reading.

Viduni personally collects, sorts, and checks every donated book before finding it a new home. So far, she has donated more than 1,200 books to schools, after-school programs, and communities as far as Sri Lanka.

Now, her generosity will help bring even more joy to children visiting the food bank — sparking their imagination, wonder, and hope through reading.

Some people leave an imprint on a place so deeply that it becomes impossible to imagine it without them. That’s Alice Ross.

As we stepped into 2026 and made plans to celebrate 40 years of serving our community, we realized there is one person who has faithfully walked alongside this ministry for half of that journey. Longer than any of our staff, volunteers, or even board members, Alice has been a steady, compassionate presence through seasons of growth, challenge, and change.

Twenty years ago, after retiring from her career as a preschool teacher, Alice began volunteering at the food pantry founded by her church, Trinity Episcopal. What started as a simple desire to serve quickly became a lasting ministry of presence, kindness, and love. Back then, when the food bank still operated a clothing closet, Alice faithfully served there every week. When Trinity took over the clothing ministry so Twin Lakes Food Bank could focus fully on food services, Alice decided to serve both ministries—bringing her servant’s heart to Meet & Dairy, where she continues to serve today.

Every week, Alice shows up with the same gentle spirit and welcoming smile. From the moment guests meet her, there’s a sense of ease she brings with her. She has a remarkable way of helping people feel comfortable, cared for, and known. It’s not uncommon to see her grab a toy for a child, accompanying their parents, or pause to ask a guest about something they shared weeks earlier. Alice remembers people. She follows up. She listens intentionally.

In doing so, she makes guests feel seen in a way that stays with them. For many of our guests, Alice feels less like a volunteer and more like an old friend. Watching her interact with people warms our hearts because her care is never rushed or performative. It’s genuine. Quiet. Consistent. The kind of kindness that leaves a lasting impact long after a grocery visit ends.

And her service doesn’t stop at the food bank doors.

Alice continues to volunteer at Trinity each week, and even at home, her hands are still serving others. While watching TV in the evenings, she prepares meal kits for our unhoused guests—quietly spending her free time caring for people most will never even meet.

Outside of volunteering, Alice enjoys traveling, reading good books, and spending time with friends—many of whom she first met while serving at the food bank. In fact, Alice has even recruited several of our beloved volunteers over the years, inviting others into the same meaningful service she has faithfully carried for decades. Alice embodies what it means to serve with humility and consistency. She doesn’t seek attention. She simply shows up, week after week, year after year, allowing God to work through her in ordinary but deeply powerful ways.

This year, at our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, we had the honor of celebrating Alice with an award recognizing her 20 years of service—a small token of gratitude for the countless ways she has blessed our guests, our volunteers, our staff, and this ministry as a whole. But the truth is, there is no award large enough to fully capture the impact Alice has had on this place. For twenty years, she has been a quiet pillar of what makes Twin Lakes Food Bank so special.

A steady presence.
A compassionate heart.
A reflection of God’s hands and love in action.

It’s because of volunteers like Alice, thousands of guests over the years have not only received food, but have also experienced kindness, dignity, and the reminder that they are deeply cared for.