COLUMBUS, Ohio — Day in and day out, thousands of volunteers help Feeding America food banks send food out of their doors.

• There are 13 Feeding America food banks across Ohio
• Amid coronavirus concerns, food banks are especially in need of volunteers
• An Ohio woman who was once in need is now giving back

"Volunteers like Lynda make this possible," said Malik Perks, public relations manager, Mid-Ohio Foodbank 

Mid-Ohio Foodbank volunteer Lynda Johnson is keeping her plate full. 

"I'm going on four years that I've been here consistently," said Johnson.

In that time, she's clocked in close to 3,000 hours. This is how she’s enjoying retirement.

"It is a lot of time, but it's time well spent,” Johnson said.

Her dedication is rooted in her childhood.

"My father actually passed 60 years ago this year of cancer. My mother was 28 years old with five kids. They were under the age of nine. We had moved to Columbus with no family here, and so my mother, having been married for 10 years, with basically staying home, we had to rely on some government assistance. So, I've been on that side where we needed help to get started until my mother could get on her feet," said Johnson.

So now she's paying it forward — and breaking stigmas along the way. 

"People coming in, it’s not always a permanent situation. It might just be a short stop on their journey and the thing is not to feel any type of shame or like you’re not worthy because you have to come in for help. Everyone needs help at some point in their lifetime, so I had a point in my life where we needed help and thankfully there were programs that helped us," said Johnson.

Now, that's part of her inspiration to give back. 

"It's just nice to see that someone who has been on the other side of it is willing to help people try to get out of the situation that they're in, and we just have thousands of volunteers who give as much time as they can, maybe not as much as Lynda, but the time that they're able to give also makes a big impact," said Perks.

Johnson sees that impact firsthand and has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

"When you give the best that you have, it means more than filling an empty belly, it feeds the soul. That's what it's done for me. It's fed my soul to be able to come in here and to be able to help people," Johnson said. 

If you’d like to volunteer, you’re invited to give as little or as much time as you have available.

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank is also taking extra safety measures amid coronavirus concerns, including having volunteers work in small groups to prepare meal boxes. 

Pantry doors are closed for the time being and volunteers are delivering those boxes to customers’ cars.