Randy, Kim, Larry, Patty, and Ruby have been serving with us since 2001 (that’s 23 years!) and it all started with a party. Back in 2001, Randy and Kim were celebrating Kim’s completion of chemo and had a lot of leftover food. They had heard of this place called Mohm’s Place that might take their leftovers (by the way, we still do!). They stopped by to donate the food and talked with our beloved cook, Sister Campbell, who promptly got them involved with volunteering. Randy and Kim had soon gathered the rest of their group and were volunteering regularly in our kitchen. Fast forward to 2023 when New Visions was establishing a mobile pantry partnership with Story Street Pantry and needed some consistent volunteers with daytime availability, and this group of rockstar volunteers stepped up once again. Today, this group continues serving in our kitchen and also supports several mobile pantry stops both at New Visions and around the community.
When asked why they choose to give their time and talent to serving at New Visions, Kim says, “Anyone going hungry just breaks my heart.” And instead of just being sad about it, this group is actively a part of the solution. “You hear about hunger in our community,” says Patty, “but once you’ve been there and seen it in person, you have a better understanding of why people are in these situations.” In fact, Larry recalls seeing an old pal from his National Guard squadron as well as a neighbor of theirs in the food lines at New Visions. “It really humanizes the issue of hunger,” he says. “You realize it’s not just “those people out there” who are hungry. It’s MY friend, it’s MY neighbor.” Randy has come to understand a phrase that we use a lot around here – “a dollar can only go to one place.” “You realize that people are having to choose,” says Randy, “do we pay our light bill or buy food this month... and I’m glad we could
be there to help with the food so that folks can keep paying their other bills.”
While this group isn’t slowing down anytime soon, they are hoping that they can begin to inspire the next generation of volunteers to step up and take their place someday. “We’ve all taken our own kids and grandkids with us to volunteer,” says Patty. “It’s been a part of our work to make sure they know that THIS is how you show love to people.” Showing love is something this group absolutely exudes as they serve, and we’re so grateful for their impact over the past 23 years on countless individuals experiencing hunger and homelessness right here in our city.
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