Have you been around for a Wiederhold Wednesday? If not, you’re missing out. Since 2016, Tony and his lovely team of Lilly volunteers have provided nearly 500 hours of service towards the mission of Second Helpings. Each month, they dedicate an entire Wednesday afternoon to prepping food in our Hunger Relief Kitchen.
Tony was introduced to Second Helpings by another Second Helpings Volunteer of the Month, Bob Waggoner. The two of them worked closely together at Lilly and Tony found Bob’s passion for our mission to be most inspiring. He began volunteering on an individual basis and has volunteered in the Hunger Relief Kitchen in nearly every single capacity. And when I say every capacity, I mean everything. He has chopped meats, diced veggies, roasted, tilted, panned, and assembled. What does he like the most, though? Washing dishes in the warm pan jacuzzi, of course.
In 2016, he began bringing a group of his Lilly coworkers. He explains, “Most of us optimize manufacturing processes in our day jobs, so we have a good time organizing ourselves and anyone else in the kitchen into a little machine to do whatever we’re asked to do while we tell stories and groan at each other’s puns. Working together at Second Helpings makes us more cohesive, as well. It’s great team building for our department.” Those little worker bees are also pretty excellent at coming to the rescue when food supplies get low. Tony has organized several 24-hour fund drives where he rallied his troops to raise money for pasta and rice which he then purchased and delivered to Second Helpings.
When asked what he likes best about volunteering at Second Helpings, he says, “I’m grateful that Second Helpings is here to give private citizens like me an opportunity to contribute to your mission. I can’t solve food waste, or world hunger, or even Pike Township hunger, but I can bring myself and a few friends and we can help Second Helpings do that. Both the job training and real, nutritious food that Second Helpings makes accessible to people make our community stronger in so many ways. Not only is the work fun, it is work that I feel good about doing.”
Oh, and did I mention that he is a yoga instructor? During the warm months, he holds a free yoga class at Newfields’ 100 Acres Art & Nature Park where he collects donations for Second Helpings. He also does some work for the Center for Interfaith Cooperation (Interfaith Coalition for Mental Health) and plans to serve on the CIC board in the coming year. In addition, he currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the Indiana University Marching Hundred Alumni Council where he helps raise money to support the IU Marching Hundred and he has organized the Lilly-sponsored water stations for the previous three 500 Festival Mini Marathons.
Sheesh, what more could one man possibly do?! Lots. Tony says, “I devote a lot of my attention to helping people find peace through yoga and mindfulness meditation. My wife and I enjoy cooking, baking, being in nature, and traveling around the world looking for animals. My day job involves designing and building pharmaceutical supply chains and ensuring that our manufacturing partners do things safely, efficiently, and don’t pollute the earth.”
I think it’s safe to call him Wonder Man Wiederhold. What a remarkable man, right? Tony, words cannot begin to express how grateful we are for your sincere passion and dedication towards spreading the mission of Second Helpings far and wide. You are one truly amazing volunteer and we love you!
Are you interested in joining Tony in the fight to feed your community?