FORT MYERS, Fla. — Every morning at Community Cooperative, the kitchen is in full swing cooking and serving meals, and this time of year, they see new volunteers.
Suzzane Caron wanted to spend her holiday lending an extra hand in the kitchen.
"You could be riding high, and you never know when something is gonna happen to you, so you got to put yourself in other people's shoes cause you might be there someday," she said.
Ben Wespiser and his family volunteer at Community Cooperative every year. He said it's a fun tradition his whole family started after Hurricane Ian.
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"Everyone just enjoys doing it. My aunt found this place one year, and we came and now we just continue to keep doing it," Wespiser said.
Community Cooperative CEO Stephanie Ink Edwards said they appreciate all the help since more people may need a hot meal during the holidays.
"Especially during this time of year, when someone thought they were going to be able to make ends meet and make Christmas happen, and if they can't, they know they can come to us, and we will be there to help them," she said.
This time a year, they typically see an uptick in volunteers, according to Edwards. However, she said they need volunteers all year round to make their work possible.
"We always have more volunteers that are wanting to come and give back especially during Thanksgiving, Christmas time. I always remind people, though we do this work every single day not just during the holiday season," Edwards said.
