Child's Play

Time, time, time.  There never seems to be enough of it.  Especially quality time with one's children. Food Runners has the perfect solution.  Doing food runs with your kids.  Here's what it's like.  The good, the fun and the benefits...

Ella and Julien
A mop of chestnut curls bobs about Ella's face.  A sprinkle of freckles dances across her nose.  Her eyes sparkle. Her gap tooth smile captivates.  Ella is eight years old.  Ella is a Food Runner. Two mornings a week, alongside her father Julien, Ella collects donated baked goods from La Boulange on 9th Avenue for delivery to the Haight Ashbury Food Program and Walden House.

"I am doing Food Runners because it feels very good that I am helping people and your heart grows a little bit bigger when you help people," states Ella with magnificent earnestness. "It is really exciting to do it and it is fun because you get to go to different stores and have different opinions about each store. Chef Al [La Boulange] is really sweet. I like him a lot. The people at La Boulange are really nice. It is really awesome."

"Doing our two runs a week has allowed Ella and I to truly build an incredible relationship," intones Julien. "Both of us are committed to our friends from La Boulange, Haight Ashbury Food Program and Walden House. Our relationship is no longer just Father/Daughter but peers who enjoy having responsibilities. Looking at Ella, building her own relationship with people such as Chef Al is truly special. Ella is growing fast and her core values based on happiness, empathy and true joy of sharing are making her extremely personable. I can't be thankful enough to Food Runners for the true purpose they have created for Ella and I."

Collecting donations at La Boulange

Danielle and Suzie

"Living in Marin county can set up some unrealistic expectations about life and social status," states Danielle.  "Joining Food Runners and doing a regular run with Suzie when she was a young teenager helped her see the wider community within the Bay Area. It showed her that you feel good when you help others and that what you do makes a difference. She even brought her boyfriend once so he could see what she was doing on Saturday mornings.  I know she was proud of our efforts although I never heard those exact words.  It was evident nonetheless. What I like best - sharing time with her, doing something I believe in so she can form her own values around giving and being part of a community."

Tom and Jeannie

"It's great that we get the time together each week to enjoy each other's company while we team up  to do something we both think is so worthwhile," says Tom of the Saturday morning run he does with his high school age daughter Jeannie.  "I think she would say it feels great to help others and that it has made her much more aware of how many needy people there are out there."

Jerry and Oliver

"I’ve done almost all my runs with my then 7 (now 8) year old son, Oliver," recounts volunteer Jerry. "From his perspective, getting to go behind the scenes at Whole Foods or a big hotel kitchen is fabulous.  And he thinks it’s great how the food we deliver makes people happy, even if his perception is it’s not always a lot.  He loves helping to bring in the food, especially to the enthusiastic crew at SF Quaker Meeting.  From a parent perspective, I’ve enjoyed the bonding time, and exposing him to situations he might not otherwise encounter."

Oliver getting the job done at Whole Foods

Scott and Jason

"My son Jason has been coming on runs with me for three years. He is now  seven and he is able to help me load and unload deliveries. Thank you for what you do and for letting us be a part of it."

Sarah and Her Kids
"I love doing food runs with my kids," states long time volunteer Sarah. "I always take them along.  It gets them off their screens and out of the house doing something worthwhile. The price is right too. When we finish a run, my little one always asks, "did I earn my angel wings, Mommy?" Thank you,  Food Runners, for providing such a wonderful opportunity for my kids to learn about giving back. A weekend without Food Runners is like a weekend  without fun."

Earning wings

Are you looking for quality ways to spend time with your kids but aren't sure what to do? Take them on a food run.  Then tell all you friends about Food Runners and how they can get invovled. There are three ways to help.  Donate time.  Donate food.  Donate money. Any way you slice it, donating to Food Runners is fast, it's easy and it's fun.  And most importantly,  it makes a difference.