Serving Community and Creating Hope for Tomorrow

When Covid 19 changed our world in March, Karen Teed's first thought was not for her own safety but for that of all the clients and volunteers at Operation Scugog Food Bank. After individually speaking to all of us, she swiftly and painstakingly put into place practices that enabled us to keep our doors open to the community with no break in service, all while enhancing safety protocols to alleviate any concerns we may have had. Our "new normal" runs like a well-oiled machine thanks to her varied leadership skills, and most importantly her empathy toward everyone involved at the foodbank be they clients or volunteers, genuine care and compassion for our thoughts and opinions and always a commitment to do better and be better as an organization to best suit our communities' needs.

Karen has been a driving force at the foodbank for many years quietly working her magic behind the scenes to see that no person or family goes without on her watch. She doesn't volunteer only one day a week, but 365, leading by example our large group of volunteers. A true team player she motivates us all with her "can do" attitude and always makes time for clients needing assistance no matter the day or time.

This year's Christmas Campaign looked much different than past years, and was met with great enthusiasm by the residents of Scugog. With an influx of generous donations of all kinds, Karen met the challenge, keeping us on task to be sure that everything went off without a hitch and everyone using our services had a very Merry Christmas! She is the first person our clients see each week, a friendly face and a caring ear, so important all through the year, but most especially during the Christmas season.

We feel Karen is a "Community Hero" to many and an inspiration to us all.

The Volunteers at Operation Scugog