Kirk Williams and Second Helpings Director of Food Rescue Jon Meinert share a smile on the dock after a recent morning of food rescue.
We all know that Food Rescue can be a pretty intense volunteer gig, so when someone commits an entire day each week to gathering hundreds of pounds of donated food, we think it’s time that person received some recognition. Since 2014, Kirk Williams has dedicated nearly 950 hours of his time to rescuing food every Wednesday from our many food donors. Not only that, he tolerates the witty banter from Food Rescue staff that comes along with the territory.
Kirk was introduced to Second Helpings in the early 2000s as part of the United Way Day of Caring. He was so impressed during his shift that he brought his entire team of AT&T coworkers to volunteer a year later. Once he retired in 2014, he decided to dedicate his time to giving back to the community, and what better place to start than by joining the Second Helpings volunteer family! In addition to volunteering with Food Rescue, Kirk also helps with Meal Delivery, special events such as Souper Bowls, and has even made the occasional appearance in the Hunger Relief Kitchen.
When asked what he enjoys most about volunteering with us he says, “Well, working with Max Utter is the top highlight, of course! Every person I’ve interacted with has been top-notch and the staff clearly values the contribution of volunteers.”
In addition to volunteering at Second Helpings, Kirk also volunteers as a food pick-up driver for the Sharing Place food pantry. He created a partnership between the two organizations and now Second Helpings has become a significant contributor to the pantry through our redirection process. In return, when the pantry experiences a surplus, they can supply Second Helpings with some extra food. Pretty cool, huh?!
Think you’ve spotted Kirk somewhere else? Well, if you’re a fan of the Indianapolis Indians then you’ve probably seen him serving as an usher during home games at Victory Field. He’s quite the avid sports fan, but he also sings in the Indianapolis Maennerchor men’s chorus as well as the choir at Cornerstone Lutheran Church. And just in case his weekly dose of Food Rescue doesn’t provide him with enough physical exertion, he walks an additional 35-40 miles each week!
We think you’re pretty top-notch yourself, Kirk! Words cannot express how grateful we are for everything you do to help carry out our mission. You’re truly one of a kind and our Food Rescue crew would have a hard time rescuing that 2.5 million pounds of food without you.
Are you interested in joining the fight to #FeedIndy like Kirk? Check out our volunteer page to learn more about how you can take action.