Meet a neighbor who’s happy to be giving back
Tom worked as a butcher for 25 years and after retiring in 2023 signed up to be a recipient at the Grace Presbyterian Church food pantry in Kittanning. Not long after, he started volunteering.
“I signed up for the food pantry when I retired. It helped us out a little bit and I knew the people, and the one girl recruited me to come down,” Tom explains. “She said, ‘We need you man.’ So I just volunteered.”
Given his career as a butcher, it’s not surprising they put him in charge of handling the meat that comes in, among other things. He’s able to talk with neighbors as they come through and give tips on how to cook the items he’s distributing.
The food pantry at Grace Presbyterian Church allows neighbors to walk through and pick out what they want and need, which Tom says everyone really likes. And he enjoys being a part of it all.
“It gives me something to do, plus I’m helping, which feels good,” he says. “People really appreciate it.”
Just talking to Tom, you can see the happiness volunteering brings him. And his advice to others is to volunteer as well. “I would volunteer … It’s good to help people out, to do stuff to help and see the smiles on their faces,” he says.
Friends like you help make these connections possible, building a stronger community and getting us one step closer to a future where everyone is food secure.
We hope you’ll consider joining volunteers like Tom in supporting our local pantries. Your time and talents can help neighbors throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.