Magic City Alabama Power Service Organization lends helping hands to Community Food Bank of Central Alabama
With school in full swing, there is an uptick in the number of Alabama families seeking meals from food banks. The Magic City chapter of the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) and other chapters are stepping in to help meet those needs.
In efforts to quell food insecurity, 12 members of the Magic City chapter of the APSO recently volunteered at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama (CFBCA). With more than 6,000 members statewide, APSO’s charitable arm for Alabama Power and Southern Company employees is boosting communities throughout the Yellowhammer State.
As part of their mission to strengthen families and communities, Magic City APSO President Deirdre Thomas noted her members have lent helping hands to several food banks this year. While working at the CFBCA, her volunteer team donned their new red APSO T-shirts and high-quality, reusable gloves to safely tackle the project.
Tasks performed during members’ two-hour shift ran the gamut. Teams of Magic City volunteers unloaded pallets of food; sorted food; ensured items weren’t expired; placed food in hundreds of family meal boxes; and did cleanup chores, such as breaking down cardboard boxes for recycling and sweeping. Alabama Power Charitable Giving Specialist Patrick Reed chaired the project.
Debbie Bond, a specialist in the Environmental Affairs Lab Reporting and Quality group at Alabama Power, calls volunteering “invigorating.”
“We unloaded items into different food categories – cereals, canned vegetables, condiments, peanut butter and snacks,” said Bond, a Magic City APSO volunteer for more than seven years. “They were sorted into boxes for families.”
“It’s great they’re getting help from so many people and many grocery stores are donating to them.”
Helping and honoring the underserved
As a nonprofit, the food bank has limited staff and resources. The food bank depends heavily on its volunteers, who do a great deal of work, noted Bree Garrett, CFB volunteer coordinator since January 2025. Volunteers work two shifts daily, Monday through Friday. While a regular group of volunteers works daily, corporate and church groups also assist.
“We’re especially thankful for our volunteers this month, as well as every month,” said Garrett, while noting that September is Hunger Action Month. “It’s a way for us to try to promote the food bank and our mission to solve hunger in our community. The whole reason we’re here is we don’t believe anyone in our neighborhood should be hungry.”
CFB transports the food boxes to its various partner agencies, whose community food banks supply families with the food they need.
The CFB’s food comes from many sources, including the USDA, though the agency’s donation has lessened because of budget cuts. The food bank is working to expand its reclamation program, reclaiming “still-fresh” food from Publix, Walmart and other retailers. The list of suppliers is growing, Garrett said, while the staff writes grants and partners with many corporate donors, in addition to growing the food reclamation program.
From its Birmingham location, CFB feeds 12 central Alabama counties. The facility distributed more than 21 million meals in 2024 and that still did not meet the burgeoning need, Garrett said. To serve more Alabamians, the CFBCA has broken ground on a new facility in Bessemer, which will open in spring 2026.
Boosting lives and building community
Volunteering does more than allow Bond to make meaningful contributions to the places where she lives and works.
“It’s a really fun way to get to know other APSO members,” she pointed out. “The work is not difficult, and it gives you plenty of time to talk with and get to know the people you’re working with, as you’re completing the task you need to do to be helpful. It’s a good way to meet people from other departments, learn about what they do and enjoy each other’s company while also accomplishing something.”
Bond has twice helped CFBCA this year and said there may be another opportunity in a month or two.
“I love that there is always something to do, so we know we’re making a difference every minute we spend with the CFBCA,” Bond said. “I was truly impressed to learn about the vast reach of the food bank. I was also delighted to witness how well the CFBCA coordinates the efforts of organizations and individuals so we can give back to our community.”