Continuation of Service

Anne Lee finds purpose by giving back during retirement.

Whether pulling weeds in Jan’s Garden or sorting produce on the production floor at North Texas Food Bank, Anne Lee says she finds purpose in helping ensure others are nourished. And in the process, she adds, she’s being fed herself.

“I was telling my friend what I do here and what I get out of here and she said, ‘It sounds like you are feeding your soul,’ and I said, ‘That’s right,’” Anne says.

Anne began volunteering at North Texas Food Bank in December 2024 around the time she became partially retired. Now fully retired from her career as an accountant, she’s given nearly 200 hours and says she has no intention of stopping.

“At my job, I was always helping people,” she says. “I knew when I was fully retired, I needed something to fill my time, so I could still feel useful and help people.”

Anne says she supported NTFB financially while working full time and was excited to get involved in the mission because of how important it is. “If you’re hungry, nothing else matters,” she says.

Along with volunteering with groups as they sort, pack and box food for neighbors facing hunger, Anne has also become a regular in Jan’s Garden, NTFB’s on-site learning and production garden.

She says she enjoys gardening at home but because of restrictions from her homeowners’ association, she can only plant flowers. At NTFB, she’s learning all about how and when to grow different types of vegetables. And when they’re ready for harvest, she and the other volunteers get to send them to a nearby partner pantry for distribution to neighbors facing hunger.

“It’s just wonderful,” Anne says.