Volunteer Spotlight- Sophie Kellner
January 2026- Sophie fills her car with donations from Fresh Plus during a weekly food rescue.
Work, school, and family obligations can make it difficult to pursue hobbies or relax during the week. For some members of Keep Austin Fed, volunteering provides a convenient outlet.
Two times a week, Sophie pauses her usual routine to pick up donations from three different Fresh Plus locations. For her, the mid-day food rescues provide a quick reset in the middle of a busy work week.
January 2026- Sophie poses outside of Fresh Plus.
“It’s really easy to live for the weekend,” said Sophie. “[My food rescues] take the same amount of time as a normal lunch break. And it’s a pick-me-up during the week. Being able to make people’s lives better in the middle of the day makes it easier to go back to your work challenges.”
In addition to the change of pace volunteering provides, Sophie also enjoys the tangible effect of rescuing food. “It’s nice to be able to see a big impact,” said Sophie. “Getting your car full is awesome.”
Sophie joined Keep Austin Fed as a volunteer in early 2024. Since then, she has completed more than 140 food rescues. Sophie was drawn to Keep Austin Fed because of two long-standing interests. “I’m really passionate about reducing food waste and also feeding anyone who’s hungry,” said Sophie. “So it’s just kind of the perfect blend of the two.”
Sophie’s time as a volunteer has also been influenced by her family. In early 2015, her cousin, Barbara Bronstein, founded Second Servings in Houston. Second Servings is a food rescue nonprofit that aims to build a healthier community by providing access to nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste. Inspired by her cousin, Sophie began to volunteer in high school. When she moved to Austin for work, she looked for an organization similar to Second Servings and found Keep Austin Fed.
For Sophie, giving back to the community through Keep Austin Fed is a response to the world around her. “I think for me and a lot of my peers, it’s really easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world that you can’t control,” said Sophie. “But volunteering in your own town is a way you can directly make an impact and make the world a little better, even if it’s just in your own community.”
Sophie encourages anyone thinking about volunteering with Keep Austin Fed to sign up and just give the experience a chance. “Keep Austin Fed takes a very short amount of time, and it’s just one session. So it’s always worth at the very least signing up.” She also hopes that others can find the same sense of satisfaction she has gotten from rescuing food. “Giving back is important for the community but also for yourself. I’ve found so much value in doing it for myself,” said Sophie. “Food is such a baseline. If you want to give people a chance at success, the first thing they need is to be nourished.”