-
Meet Bret Miyashiro: Our Volunteer Engagement Manager
Meet Bret Miyashiro, Volunteer Engagement Manager at Second Harvest. Read More -
Meet John Sackreiter: Director of Information and Technology at Second Harvest
Meet John Sackreiter, Second Harvest’s Director of Information and Technology, who joined the organization over a year ago. Read More -
Meet Rachel Parris: Director of Sourcing at Second Harvest
Meet Rachel Parris, our Director of Sourcing at Second Harvest! Here she shares her insights on food sourcing, nutrition and collaboration. Read More -
Farm-Fresh Recipe: Cauliflower Soup
Check out this Cauliflower Soup recipe from Knife Pleat's Chef Tony Esnault! This dish is easy to prepare and full of flavor, and is perfect for cozy nights or casual winter meals. Read More -
Meet Jane Van Dyke: Our Director of Human Resources is Retiring
Meet Jane Van Dyke, our Director of Human Resources who is retiring from Second Harvest after 16 years. Read more about her journey! Read More -
Meet Crystal Tosello: Director of Annual Campaign at Second Harvest
Meet Crystal Tosello, Director of Annual Campaign at Second Harvest. With over a decade of nonprofit experience, she builds partnerships that help provide nutritious food for families across Orange County. Read More -
Caramelized Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe
Warm up your kitchen and your heart this season with our Caramelized Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe — simple, nourishing and made with local fall produce. Read More -
Meet Ellie Dinh: Director of Programs and Services at Second Harvest
Meet Ellie Dinh, Director of Programs and Services at Second Harvest. Learn about her journey, leadership style and passion for feeding OC! Read More -
Strawberry Semifreddo Recipe from Knife Pleat!
Michelin-star chef Tony Esnault of Knife Pleat was recently featured on Good Day LA cooking a delicious winter soup at Harvest Solutions Farm. Read More
Meet Bret Miyashiro: Our Volunteer Engagement Manager
Meet Bret Miyashiro: Our Volunteer Engagement Manager
What’s your role at Second Harvest, and how long have you been with SHFB?
My name is Bret Miyashiro, and I’m the Volunteer Engagement Manager at Second Harvest. I’ve been with Second Harvest for almost a year and a half.
Before starting at Second Harvest, I worked in the pet hospitality industry and focused on places like pet boarding facilities, pet hotels and doggy day camps. I also spent time in corporate HR with Toshiba. What’s been really rewarding about joining Second Harvest is that I get to draw on pieces of all those experiences in this role.
What’s something people might not know about your job or about Second Harvest?
Something people might not realize is just the sheer volume of volunteers we work with.
Second Harvest activates more volunteers than any other nonprofit in Orange County, which is incredibly exciting. On any given day, we see hundreds of volunteers come through our doors. But when you step back and look at the full numbers afterward, it’s really eye-opening to see just how large that community of volunteers is.
It’s a powerful reminder of how many people are willing to come together to support their neighbors.
What’s something you’ve learned through your work as a Volunteer Manager or at Second Harvest that has surprised you?
One thing that surprised me was how far our Partner Network really reaches.
When I talk about my work outside of the office, people often tell me they’ve seen Second Harvest somewhere – maybe at a food distribution taking place at a church, a community center or another place where they volunteer.
Even people who haven’t volunteered directly with us often recognize the name.
That’s when it really hit me how vast our network is and how many people across the county are impacted by the work we do.
What does “feeding OC” mean to you?
Orange County is the only home I’ve ever known. I was born and raised here.
For me, feeding Orange County feels a lot like feeding family. It’s about taking care of the community that raised me and making sure our neighbors have the support they need.
What do you like most about working at Second Harvest? Is there a favorite memory that you’d like to share?
What I like most is being able to feel good about the work that I’ve done at the end of the day.
When I’m driving home, even if it’s been a stressful or chaotic day, I can think about everything we were working on and know that it was all ultimately for someone else’s good. We’re enabling others to serve the community and help people.
That really carries me through a lot.
What does a healthy community look like to you?
To me, a healthy community is one that’s connected through compassion and tied together through service.
When people care about each other and are willing to serve one another, that’s really the underlying factor that creates a strong community.
What does your role as Volunteer Manager look like on a typical day?
Volunteers play a role in many aspects of the work we do at Second Harvest. While many people know that volunteer help with food sorting, they also help with cleaning and organizing throughout the facility, as well as special projects within our offices.
A big part of my role involves collaborating with different departments to identify where volunteers can provide the most support. That means a lot of cross-team communication, meetings and problem-solving to figure out where volunteers can make the greatest impact.
We also coordinate volunteers for events. For example, we might activate close to 200 volunteers for a large expo at the Anaheim Convention Center, or work with other departments for events like our Walk to Feed OC.
One thing I really enjoy about my role is that I get to be involved in so many different parts of the Food Bank.
What’s one moment with a volunteer that really stayed with you?
Not long after I started, I met a volunteer named Daniil. He had come to the United States from Russia to escape the war and quickly began volunteering with us on a regular basis, sometimes even four days a week.
He was incredibly kind and deeply appreciative of the opportunity to volunteer. He often described it not just as volunteering, but as an opportunity to work and contribute.
Hearing his story and seeing how grateful he was to be part of the community really stayed with me. It meant a lot to know that Second Harvest could provide a place where he felt welcomed, connected and impactful.
What qualities make for a good volunteer?
A positive attitude and a willing spirit.
We have a lot of different projects and activities, so no matter someone’s ability level, comfort level or experience, there’s always something they can do and contribute toward.
How do volunteers directly impact the people we serve? Can you share a bit about how much we rely on volunteers?
Volunteers are absolutely essential to the work we do.
To put this into perspective, the Food Bank logged 66,771 volunteer hours in fiscal year 2024-2025. Given that a full-time employee works about 2,080 hours annually, this level of volunteer support is equivalent to the work of roughly 32 full-time staff members.
Considering our organization has just over 100 staff members, volunteer support is incredibly impactful. Simply put, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish everything we do without them.
Among the 100+ nonprofits in the December issue of Orange County Business Journal’s list of top OC nonprofits, Second Harvest had the highest number of annual volunteers. How do you keep volunteers engaged in our mission and wanting to come back?
I’m a big believer that fun leads to trust, and trust leads to deeper relationships.
We want volunteering at Second Harvest to feel welcoming, positive and rewarding. We start by making sure volunteers feel prepared for their projects, providing quick training so they feel confident in what they’re doing.
We also create a fun atmosphere — playing music, having our coordinators interact with volunteers and encouraging conversations with the people around them. Those connections help create a positive environment where people enjoy being there.
When volunteers leave feeling good about their experience and the impact they make, they often want to come back and bring friends, family or coworkers with them.
What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about volunteering for the first time?
My advice is simple, stop thinking about it and just sign up.
Volunteering is a great way to feel good about how you’re spending your time and give back to your community. I’ve had volunteers tell me they came because they were feeling stressed or overwhelmed and wanted to do something positive.
It’s also a great place to meet new people who care about giving back in the same way.
What would you say to a person or group interested in volunteering but possibly hesitant?
It’s worth it, and it’s very easy to get started.
There are many different ways to get involved with our mission. It’s also a great opportunity for team building with coworkers, friends or family.
At the end of the day, it’s a great way to spend a few hours doing something meaningful for the community.
Jill Wilson decided to volunteer with Second Harvest in 2008 when she was in between jobs and looking for a way to apply her talents that could benefit the community. She arrived one day at Second Harvest’s former distribution center in Orange, ready to serve, and felt immediately connected to the mission.
Like Jill and Ian, other friends of the food bank may be looking for ways to connect meaningfully with Second Harvest to help those experiencing hunger in Orange County for years to come. One simple way to make a significant impact, while achieving peace of mind, is by creating a will or revocable living trust with our partner, FreeWill.
March is National Nutrition Month, an annual awareness campaign that encourages us to learn about nutrition, develop healthy eating habits and discover the fun of being physically active. At Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, we strive to provide everyone in Orange County with the nutrition they need to grow and excel in life.
Last spring, here at Second Harvest we completely revamped our focus to proactively purchase fresh nutrition for those in need, ensuring a steady pipeline of protein, dairy, eggs, fruits and vegetables to our approximately 300 partner and program sites. As a next step, we recently unveiled our new, 6,200-square-foot cold storage facility and two additional cold docks that establish a “cold chain” at our distribution center in Irvine. This gives us a total of 14,550 square feet of cold storage, which greatly enhances our ability to source and distribute more nutritious food.
Second Harvest continues to fight increasing food insecurity through our Pop-Up Drive Thru food distributions with the help of many amazing volunteers and it is no surprise that many of them are mothers. Jacqueline is one such volunteer and I wanted to learn more of her story.
here to volunteer representing other mothers…to give back to the community, to be a role model to my children. As a mother, as a woman, as a friend, as a wife…you have so many hats you have to put on and one of them is giving. When I go home my daughter asks me, “Mom what did you do today?” And I say, “I got to give back to people, people that really don’t have as much as we do.” Hopefully she sees me doing this and then as she gets older, she’ll want to give back just the same way.”
Pantry. Their style traditionally has always been very welcoming and focused on building relationships with those they serve. They would put out coffee and pastries and spend time talking with the families who would come early just to socialize.
One of Nancy’s key volunteers, Mary Kaye, also shared insights. Mary Kaye is an emergency room doctor who has been spending much of her spare time serving at the Saint Timothy pantry. She began volunteering pre-COVID by taking blood pressures on pantry days and translating for Spanish-speaking clients.. All the changes have her missing conversations and connecting with the families they serve.
can take your blood pressure soon,” and encouraging them.”
Whatever the situation that keeps students on campus and struggling to feed themselves, the Fresh Basic Needs Hub at UCI remains open to serve them, supported by food from Second Harvest. Student hunger is a serious challenge, made even worse by the pandemic, but Fresh, as it’s called, has the mission to provide for the basic needs of UCI students, allowing them to focus on academics.
Last week did not feel hopeful. Seeing the injustice of the past few days makes me cringe. It causes me to grieve when I see people treated unfairly or worse. But I’m choosing to move forward with hope. How can I have hope this week? Because I know Andrea and I see how she treats people who sometimes feel trapped. The team at Fresh, and all the other college pantries in Orange County serve as a lifeline for their students, providing for basic needs and offering a dignified experience for everyone who comes to them for help. Their service is a beacon of hope in the darkness.
redirected those emotions toward survival and humility. While it was a very difficult decision, Stephen and Kristina decided that in order to make it through this crisis, they would need to receive assistance the first time in their lives. This is what it means to be newly vulnerable.