“Everyone can do five.
You can donate five hours a month, $5 a month, or 5 meals a month, everyone can do five.”
Mary Shelby, a former Interior Plantscaper turned dedicated volunteer at the United Food Bank, has cultivated gardens and sown seeds of unity and community engagement. With a degree in horticulture, she spent a decade designing and working on atriums in bank towers during the 1980s. After transitioning into the corporate world, she served as one of three captains for the Community Action Team of IES Communications, engaging the whole company in various philanthropic activities.
“Our CFO used to be a board member for United Food Bank and took the accounting department to volunteer there. Other people would hear about it and say, ‘We don’t do anything’. So we started this team, me and two members from HR. We wanted to keep it local, so occasionally doing national philanthropy, but mainly local businesses that we wanted to help.”
Through the ideas of employees and stories of organizations helping their communities, Mary and her Community Action Team built relationships with organizations like Valley of the Sun United Way, Hunger BackPack School Programs, and United Food Bank, where she helped implement a biannual online donation campaign. Her philanthropic spirit led IES Communications to name their new charity foundation after her, the Mary Shelby Unity for Community Foundation.
“The CFO, John Seli, has always been a champion of my work. I have this legacy, though I had nothing to do with it, I was just one of the many who participated in the community service events,” she humbly acknowledges. “I don’t know what their plans are, but it’s a good company, and it was very flattering.”
After 26 years at IES, Mary retired in 2021, but that didn’t stop her community involvement. Retirement brought Mary the freedom to dedicate more time to volunteering, and she chose to spend a significant part of her week at United Food Bank. Beyond her regular volunteer work, Mary also contributes to the garden, experimenting with different approaches to maximize its impact. “Three years ago, we built all the benches and put the food in. This week we’ll be planting herbs for the Spring, and we’re going to dry them out to give them to more food pantries. Last time we harvested and donated to Paz de Cristo, where John volunteers often.” The garden also serves as a hands-on platform for learning and community building. Mary’s horticultural background, coupled with a Master Gardener certificate, reflects her commitment to continuously improving and innovating the garden’s offerings.
Reflecting on her experiences, Mary emphasizes the positive impact volunteering has on people’s lives. “I think my favorite part is that people of all ages can come and do at least one thing, that’s the the essence of my foundation, unity for community. You’ll see teenagers come in who just don’t want to be here, but by the end, they’re dancing! That’s my favorite thing, watching people change. Because hopefully, they’re going to go out and pay it forward and continue with that.” She also reminisced about the changes she witnessed, from a warehouse setting with no offices to the establishment of a more organized and equipped facility.
One of the most impactful stories she’s heard about why people dedicate their resources to helping United Food Bank comes from the Summer of a Million Meals campaign. After asking a new donor what made them call, she learned that their spouse, who was a missionary, had recently passed, and she wanted to donate $5 a month in his memory. “I told her that’s what this is about, giving what you can to help who you can.” $5 can help provide about 25 meals to the community with United Food Bank.
While Mary enjoys spending her newfound free time helping her community, she also has some well-deserved travel plans. “I love hiking and the outdoors. I’ve already gone to my top bucket list destinations, Olympic Park, and Alaska. I’m also going to Utah to see all those national parks and Scotland next summer. I’m just going to rent a car and see all of Scotland. I was there about 6 years ago with a friend on a tour and I just fell in love with it. I knew I wanted to come back and see it on my own time, slow and easy.”
Mary’s impact on the United Food Bank and her role in fostering unity exemplifies the transformative power of volunteerism. She remains a testament to the transformative power of community service and the enduring impact it has on both volunteers and those they serve. Mary’s legacy will continue to inspire others to contribute to their communities, proving that every individual has the potential to make a meaningful difference.
For more information on how you can help support United Food Bank, check out https://www.unitedfoodbank.org/donate/.
Written by KC Raguay
