Jerry Baker has been a member of our volunteer family for over a year, and he has made quite an impact on the mission of Second Helpings. With nearly 200 hours of service under his belt, he has become our go to guy for everything from Meal Delivery to maintenance.
Jerry was referred to Second Helpings by his wife Cindy who is also a member of our volunteer family. He began by volunteering as a Driver Companion and Food Rescue Ride-Along but quickly decided he wanted to become a Driver so that he could be that on-call person for whenever we are in a pinch. Anytime we have a last minute opening it’s Jerry to the rescue! You can typically find him delivering meals at least once a week.
During his career days, he was a metal worker. He still enjoys working in his metal craft shop completing customer requests and spending time on projects he didn’t have time to do when he worked full-time. Guess who benefits from many of those projects? You guessed it: Second Helpings! Jerry has miraculously repaired our damaged cooking pots, as well as straightened the corners of our meal pans . Also, have you noticed the sparkling new metal corner protectors where the walls were damaged due to hazardous cart driving? He made those, too! As if all of those things weren’t enough, he also repaired the damaged fence rail next to the hub ramp in preparation for that new dock freezer we will be installing soon.
When asked what he enjoys most about his volunteer experience, Jerry says, “The thing I like best about Second Helpings is the people. Both the folks in the various agencies we deliver to and everyone on the World Headquarters. To a person, everyone is cheerful about being involved and doing their job. They are a pleasure to be around.” He goes on to say that he is “just very proud to have been part of the organization for a year.”
Second Helpings is Jerry’s main volunteer gig but he has many other hobbies, too. In addition to metal-working, he also drove various kinds of race cars for quite some time. His favorites were Sprints, Midgets, Sports and Formula Cars which he all describes as “big fun.” He is also an avid beekeeper! And you know what? Those bees are volunteers, too! Remember those tasty chicken and waffles with honey butter that the Culinary Job Training students made for the Volunteer Masquerade Party? Well, the honey came from Jerry’s bees! Chef Kathy has also enjoyed using it in some of her Hunger Relief recipes, too. She often says, “We only want positive vibes going into our meals,” and we can definitely count on Jerry and his bees to provide tons of positive energy into every recipe involving their delicious honey.
Jerry, what in the world would we do without you? There aren’t enough words to express our gratitude for everything you do to ensure that the mission of Second Helpings continues to grow strong. Your kind spirit and witty humor are always a bright spot in our day and we enjoy knowing that lots of “positive vibes” are transmitted to the agencies you deliver to each week. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication!