Bags of bread and bagels and croissants? Check!
Boxes of cookies and cakes and donuts? Check!
Showing up like clockwork to sort on a Monday? CHECK!
Not sure how we would have managed these long months of COVID without volunteer Chris Kirk, who has faithfully shown up weekly – many times solo – to sort bread and desserts in the Hub, carefully matching up our donated goods to pass along to our partner agencies.
Chris first came to Second Helpings back in March 2017, looking for a way to volunteer after retirement. An internet search lead her to our website, and the rest is delicious history!
She started out as a Monday Bread Sorter, and also helped as a Pan Wrapper in the Hunger Relief Kitchen on Wednesdays. When COVID restrictions limited the number of days that volunteers could be in the building, Chris stuck with Mondays. Chris says she’s proud that she was able to continue to serve when volunteers became scarce, because Second Helpings is providing a much needed service to the public. She continues to spread our mission to others, saying, “I tell everyone I talk to about Second Helpings! It’s a great place to volunteer – everyone is so nice, friendly and dedicated to their work.”
When she is not sorting through all of those delicious treats and breads, Chris stays active on a bicycle built for two with her husband. They’ve taken many long distance bicycling vacations on their tandem, with adventures across North America, the Canadian Rockies, Mexico, Germany, Austria and New Zealand. Together they also volunteer for CIBA (Central Indiana Bicycling Association), including Pedal and Park at the Indiana State Fair, the Hilly Hundred ride in Bloomington, and the Midwest Tandem Rally. She’s also quite a daredevil, having tandem bungee jumped with her husband at New Zealand’s tallest jump site.
Thank you so much for your 843 hours of service to Second Helpings, Chris – we are so thankful for you!