Volunteer Spotlight- Erin Keith

May 2026- Erin represents Keep Austin Fed at The Long Center’s summer concert series.

At Keep Austin Fed, volunteers have the opportunity to give back in the way that is best suited to their strengths, schedules, and interests.

For Erin Keith, food waste prevention has always been an area of interest. “One-third of our food is wasted,” explained Erin. “When food gets sent to the landfill, it produces methane, making a large contribution to global warming. If we can rescue a portion of that food, we’d make a huge difference not just in food insecurity but in climate change as well.”

Erin first discovered Keep Austin Fed while helping a local business establish a waste diversion program. Impressed by Keep Austin Fed’s commitment to preventing food waste, Erin signed up as a volunteer. “It was really exciting to find,” remembered Erin. “I love the mission, so I wanted to volunteer my time.”

In addition to rescuing surplus food, Erin has used her knowledge of food waste and enthusiasm for the organization to represent Keep Austin Fed at community events. Tabling provides Erin with the opportunity to educate others about the effects of food waste and connect with those around her.

“I was drawn to tabling to interact with people. It’s fun to talk about a really great cause… preventing both food waste and food insecurity,” said Erin. “It’s also fun to see people learn about us and others even wanting to volunteer.”

“Tabling is a low lift way to get involved,” she added. “You aren’t required to know the entire history of Keep Austin Fed… you can simply share your experience doing food rescues.”

After a year with Keep Austin Fed, Erin says she is most grateful for the convenience of finding rescues that fit her schedule as well as the chance to connect with other volunteers.

“I love that you can log on whenever you have availability and just see if there’s a rescue for the next day or the next week that you can slot into your schedule,” said Erin. “I’ve done the grocery store rescues that require multiple volunteers, and meeting other volunteers is fun. Everyone’s great people.”

Above all, Erin says being a volunteer and representing Keep Austin Fed at community events has helped her stay involved in food waste prevention efforts.

“There are always organizations, especially for causes you care about, that could use support in sharing and advancing their cause- not just operational support,” explained Erin. “So we can all pitch in to help spread that awareness!”