Volunteer Spotlight: The Youngs are Committed to Fighting Hunger

Estelita and Philip Young give back at NTFB and its partner agencies.

Whether they’ve spent the morning putting together Food 4 Kids bags or sorting produce for a partner agency, Estelita and Philip Young always stick around at the end of their volunteer shift to hear how many meals their team packed.

“It’s an incredible story that we tell people in our daily lives about the impact that you have,” says Estelita Young. “We talk about the amount of people who go to sleep at night hungry and tell them you can see the impact you have at every shift here.”

The Youngs began volunteering with North Texas Food Bank before they retired in March of 2022 and have been regulars on the production floor, during special events and in Jan’s Garden since. Now that they’re retired, they not only to volunteer at NTFB but also at their church and NTFB partner agencies Metrocrest Services and Catholic Charities.

At Metrocrest, Philip stocks shelves in the client choice-style pantry. Estelita uses her Spanish language skills in her interaction with clients to chat about everything from what hygiene items are available to take home that day to favorite recipes using the variety of food items available for the clients on any given day. They also help with seasonal events such as the holiday store, Thanksgiving distribution, summer program and more.

“Metrocrest gives us exposure not only into what’s going on here at NTFB, but it also gives us face-to-face interaction with the neighbors, which is amazing,” Philip says. Adds Esteilta, “We love that connection and we’re fortunate that we can do both.”

Along with volunteering, the couple often mobilizes their network to give if they notice a certain item, such as diapers, is running low at Metrocrest.

Now residents of The Colony, Philip and Estelita both attended Catholic schools as children and say the value of giving back was instilled in them early on. It’s something they’re working to pass on to the next generation, too. Their oldest granddaughter who is now 15, regularly volunteers with them at Metrocrest and is now volunteering at NTFB. Their three other younger granddaughters volunteer with them at other food distribution events in the DFW area.

While many retirees volunteer to help fill their time, the Youngs say retirement simply gave them the opportunity to do more of what they’ve always been passionate about.

“We’ve always wanted to do this and now we have the time to do it,” Estelita says.

Philip adds that once he learned more about the need—including that 1 in 5 North Texas children face hunger and that some lack access to groceries when they’re home from school—the more committed he became.

“No matter how much we hear about the impact at the end of our shift, it never gets old,” he says. “The impact is really important.”