Community Tadbitz: Meet Tara

The Community Lunch Box Program has many more aspects than you might expect. It’s a growing, multifaceted business that has taken leaps over the past six years. Last week I profiled Eric Parent, who is an employee in the bottle business part of CLB.

This week I sat down with Tara Rooks who is also a longtime CLB volunteer who first started working for the program in 2013.

Tara Baker, the program coordinator, approached her with the idea of volunteering. Hesitant at first, Tara Rooks now loves it. When I asked her what was the best thing to happen to her since she started working for the CLB, she said “People come up to me and tell me how good of a job I’m doing.” Her family and friends have told her they are happy and proud of the work she contributes to the CLB and helping children in need.

Tara Rooks ensures that the lunches are packed for the children on Wednesdays. She meticulously packs up to 25 lunches every week/ That’s a lot of work! A year ago she took on the responsibility of inventory: cataloguing all the product that CLB takes in as well as distribution. She does this with other CLB volunteers at Walmart.

Tara shared with me that she has Williams syndrome, which is a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by high noise sensitivity, cardiovascular problems and anxiety, among other symptoms. Far from letting these hold her back, Tara “Smiley” Rooks is a self-described nice and beautiful woman who loves to smile, loves country music and the Cops TV show on Spike TV. She can often be seen up at the Allan and Jean Millar Centre playing floor hockey. She has a killer wrist shot that reverberates off the floorboards. I’ve had the misfortune of attempting to play floor hockey with her and losing miserably.

Tara Rooks is a dedicated and compassionate volunteer with the Community Lunch Box Program which is very lucky to have her.