It started with a simple desire to fill time during the pandemic. Though she lives in Marin County, Dee Dee Butori was drawn to the Redwood Empire Food Bank because of the outdoor volunteer opportunities that were offered when health and safety were top of mind. From her very first shift, she knew she’d found something special—a community united by compassion and a shared mission.
To this day, Dee Dee continues to volunteer each week with a warm smile and an open heart, especially through our Groceries to Go program, which provides fresh produce, bread, shelf-stable goods, and USDA commodities to anyone in need. Her favorite part? The opportunity to connect directly with food recipients. “It’s more than just handing out groceries,” she says. “It’s about dignity, kindness, and human connection.”
One moment stands out clearly in Dee Dee’s memory—a powerful reminder of why she keeps showing up.
It was a rainy day in May, two years ago. Dee Dee was overseeing a bin of assorted grocery recovery items at a drive-through distribution site. While the Redwood Empire Food Bank’s focus is always on providing healthy, nourishing groceries, our grocery recovery program occasionally yields unexpected donations—like the large sheet cake with “Happy Birthday” written in bright frosting that ended up in Dee Dee’s hands. Unsure who might want it, she kept nudging the cake to the back. As the line of cars slowly dwindled, a vehicle pulled up, and Dee Dee felt a sudden certainty: this was the family. Stepping forward, she approached the driver’s window and gently asked the woman behind the wheel, “Would you like a birthday cake?”
The woman’s eyes filled with tears. “How did you know it was my son’s birthday?” she asked. He was turning 13 that day. In that moment in the rain, the two women cried—strangers bonded by a perfect, serendipitous act of kindness. “I’ll never forget that moment,” Dee Dee says. “It’s why I do this.”
Volunteering has also broadened her perspective. Early on, she realized that her assumptions about what someone in need should look like didn’t always hold true. On a few occasions, she found herself surprised by appearances that didn’t match her expectations. But something she once overheard a fellow volunteer say to a recipient stuck with her: “Thank you for picking up for your people.” Through conversations with other volunteers and Food Bank staff, she came to understand a powerful truth—we never truly know what someone might be going through. She also learned about the Redwood Empire Food Bank’s proxy system, which allows a trusted individual—such as a family member, friend, neighbor, or caregiver—to pick up food on behalf of someone else in need. “That experience taught me not to judge,” she says. “People present how they want to be seen—but that doesn’t mean they aren’t in need.”
Dee Dee describes the Redwood Empire Food Bank community as warm and welcoming. “Josie and Omar are my favorite site coordinators,” she says. “I know I can always reach out to them. I’ve also connected with Allison [President & CEO] and Katie [Volunteer Communications Specialist]—it’s easy to feel part of the team.” And while she jokes that volunteering feels “selfish,” the impact is anything but. “I feel good about it. I feel I’m making a difference. And I feel I’m giving to others.”
Her message to anyone thinking about volunteering? “JOIN US!”
