Hundreds of families received ready to eat meals at a Feeding San Diego food distribution event in Spring Valley. But for one volunteer, this was personal.
Augie Varela did everything on Monday with a smile. As a volunteer for Feeding San Diego, he put together bags of apples for people who showed up. This event was open to everyone, but they tried to reach out to people impacted by the floods.
By looking at Varela, you’d never guess he was also a victim of the flooding.
”We had flooding in the backyard — about four inches sliding up to the glass window," he says. "I have two golden retrievers, and there's no place for them to do their business every day, or in their case every two hours.”
Valera's carpet still needs to be replaced, and his backyard is filled with holes. However, those concerns didn’t stop him from lending a helping hand.
“People need help. I'm very passionate about helping people who can’t help themselves," he says.
As lines of cars drove through and people made their way through the line, Varela says it reminds him about the importance of being kind. A message he hopes to share with others each time he volunteers.
“We need to be on an ongoing basis helping people, not through a disaster, not 911 or flooded houses. We need to be more compassionate to people on a daily basis," Varela says.
The next flood response emergency food distribution will be on Saturday at Southwestern College from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. It is open to anyone in need.
