Meet Gaining Ground Volunteer Trevor Delaney
Each year, more than 3,000 people volunteer with Gaining Ground. Without their generosity, we’d be like a perennial without water and sunshine—unable to grow and fulfill our mission to reduce food insecurity, especially as it continues to rise.
Trevor Delaney has been working with Gaining Ground since before he could drive. Trevor, now a college student at Holy Cross, logs miles upon miles, making home deliveries for Gaining Ground’s Food for Families program in Carlisle. He has stepped up and taken on more work countless times, sometimes spending hours delivering to those in need. Locals gain more than food from Trevor—they gain connection and conversation. As Trevor shares, the feeling is mutual.
How did you learn about Gaining Ground, and what was it like when you started?
I started volunteering for Gaining Ground about four years ago after hearing about the farm from a family friend and seeing a poster. I started picking up bags of produce and delivering them to local families. I actually started before I got my driver’s license. I would go with my mom and get driving hours. Now, I do it entirely independently.
Before Gaining Ground, what was your connection with food security?
I’ve always been passionate about food equity, health, and the environment. Sustainable farming is something I’m interested in learning more about. Gaining Ground has been a great way to get involved.
Volunteers do a LOT on the farm! What projects or tasks do you like the most?
Delivering to people’s houses. The moment that I get to see their reaction to receiving food face-to-face is what I find most gratifying. Even if it’s a brief interaction, seeing that smile makes the whole thing worth it.
Do you have a memory you can share of a delivery?
I built up a relationship with this one large family of refugees from Afghanistan. I don’t speak Arabic, so there was a major language barrier. What I quickly learned from the experience is that kindness and gratitude are things that can transcend barriers. Even when we couldn’t articulate and understand each other in the same common language, I could easily comprehend their gratitude through gestures, emotions and the smiles on their faces.
What else have you learned from Gaining Ground?
Providing sustainable food for people is not just about the food. It’s about what they will do with the food and the memories they’re trying to create as a family, preparing the food together and eating a meal together. I never really anticipated that before I started with Gaining Ground, but there’s so much meaning behind sharing a good meal together and having access to healthy, sustainable food. That’s what Gaining Ground offers.
We’re lucky to have you on board and glad that you’ve learned so much from Gaining Ground. How would you persuade others to join a volunteer session?
First and foremost, it’s a great cause. It’s giving back to the local community, and it’s gratifying. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship between you and the person you’re delivering to and helping. People often think about food insecurity and access to food, but they don’t think about providing people with healthy, sustainable foods that are good for their health and the environment. There aren’t a lot of nonprofit organizations like Gaining Ground around that work on combating food insecurity in this way.