On a Thursday afternoon in May, a group comprised of members, staff and volunteers from the Sunnyslope Senior Center got together at the Desert Mission Food Bank to spend an hour or two helping to sort donated food into appropriate areas.

Preparing to sort food at the Desert Mission Food Bank are Sunnyslope Senior Center VIP participants, from left: back row Linda Chase, Todd Smoliski, Chris Bey-Holguin, Diane Dunn, Cecil Stockdale, Ken Dunn, and Mickey Cummins; and front row-kneeling, from left: food service volunteer Marlaina Morey, and Daniel Valladee, Senior Programs supervisor at the center (photo by Teri Carnicelli).

Their efforts are part of the city’s Volunteerism Initiative Program, or VIP, which earlier this year launched at the Sunnyslope Senior Center. VIP members meet on the fourth Thursday of every month at the center, located at 802 E. Vogel Ave.

“The purpose of the program is to get a group together once a month to plan and implement community service projects outside of our center,” explains Daniel Valladee, Senior Programs supervisor at the center. “We had a general orientation/informational session of the program in April.”

The program is structured into four phases: planning, implementing, reflecting, and celebrating. VIP members planned their first community project for the Desert Mission Food Bank, as well as created a list of other potential places to implement projects, such as Phoenix Children’s Hospital, local nursing homes, and the Arizona Humane Society. The details of the future projects will be solidified in the coming months.

All senior community members are encouraged to participate in the VIP projects; city of Phoenix Senior Center membership is required. For additional information, contact Sunnyslope Senior Center staff at 602-262-7572, or stop in to the next meeting on Thursday, June 23.