Volunteer Appreciation Brunch & Awards 2024
RIFA hosted its annual Volunteer Appreciation Event, presented by Cadence Bank and Love & Truth Church, at Baker Bros. BBQ, Tuesday, April 23rd. The annual event is hosted to thank RIFA’s volunteers and recognize them for their dedication to the organization in the fight against hunger here in our community.
“This event gives RIFA staff an opportunity to say thank you and celebrate our volunteers and their hard work,” said Lisa Tillman, Executive Director of RIFA. “In 2023, our volunteers provided over 24,000 hours of work. We would not be able to provide physical and spiritual nourishment without their support. We are incredibly thankful for their dedication to our community and RIFA’s mission.”
In 2023, RIFA volunteers logged 24,324 hours of service to the organization. These service hours were through RIFA’s ministries including the Soup Kitchen, Snack Backpack, Senior Staples, Thrift Store, and many more.
This event was also made possible thanks to the support of Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical, and Hub City Blueprint.
A highlight of the event was recognizing some of the most dedicated volunteers of RIFA over the past year. The 2024 Volunteer Award Winners, recognized for their service in 2023, were announced at the event as follows:
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Ann Tafoya
- David Hallock Award (Volunteer of the Year) – Denise Dyer
- Rev. Don Daniels Servant’s Heart Award (Soup Kitchen Award) – Sarah Gibson
- Driving Force Award – RJ Field
- Team Impact Award – Tennessee College of Applied Technology
- Thrift Store Award – The Crew (Tammy Hurst, Sandra Magee, Hanne Mallard, Cindy Rubin, and Ann Tafoya)
- Special Projects Award – BlueCross BlueShield
- Senior Staples Award – Jim & Carol Wallace
- Board Member of the Year – Mandy White
- Warehouse Award – Rebecca Young
- Pickup Driver Award – Raul Dominguez
- Snack Backpack Award – Lauren “LOLO” Cobb
- RIFA Rockstars – Heather Button, Ashley Drown, and Jaida Ingram
Award winners not pictured:
- Special Projects Award – BlueCross BlueShield
- Board Member of the Year – Mandy White
- RIFA Rockstars – Heather Button and Ashley Drown
Thank you, again, to our incredible volunteers – we wouldn’t be able to fight hunger in our community without you!
Special thanks to our presenting sponsors, Cadence Bank and Love & Truth Church, for making this event possible.
Thank you to our partnering sponsor, Hiller , and our awards sponsor, Hub City Blueprint. Thank you to our in-kind sponsors, Two Sisters Bakery, Madison County Master Gardeners, and Lynwood Kroger. Thanks to Mayor Scott Conger and Mayor AJ Massey for joining us to celebrate our volunteers! To Drew and Baker Bros BBQ, thank you for being an incredible host!
To read more about our volunteer award winners, click here.
Over 24,000 service hours, RIFA holds volunteer appreciation event by WBBJ.
-RIFA-
Back to News