Michael and Peggy stop for a photo between their morning and afternoon shifts. They spend every Wednesday delivering meals to partner agencies across central Indiana together.
It is with great pleasure I introduce to you Second Helpings’ July Volunteers of the Month, Michael and Peggy Lee! Michael and Peggy heave been serving here as Meal Delivery Volunteers since 2014. Collectively they have logged in 3,300+ hours, driving double shifts on Wednesday. What an amazing team they are! Thank you Michael and Peggy for all you do to make sure our communities are fed.
“It’s an absolute pleasure having Mike and Peggy on our transportation team!” Jon Meinert, our Director of Food Rescue & Transportation said. “They are very reliable and always light-hearted, joking with everyone, but at the same time assisting other volunteers and staff to ensure things are done properly. We’re all very thankful you chose and continue to serve our community through Second Helpings. Mike can also grow one heck of a pumpkin! Ask him about them.”
Learn more about Michael and Peggy, in their own words, below:
How did you become involved in Second Helpings?
The Lee family became involved with Second Helping after our retirement from the financial industry. We wanted to give back to the community with some of our now-free time. The internet brought us to our positions here by completing a search on volunteer opportunities in the greater Indianapolis area in 2014. The description of duties and a visit to the site seemed like a fit so the rest is history!
What types of things have you done since you began volunteering with us?
Mike signed up as a meal delivery driver with Peggy as a driver companion, so it’s a team effort.
What have you liked best about volunteering with us?
The fellow volunteers are a great group to bond with developing friendships and sharing interests. But the bests overall experience is seeing the Second Helpings action plan working firsthand at the agencies that we deliver food supplies to. The appreciation from both the agencies and the people that are being served.
What are you most proud of accomplishing through your volunteer work here?
The dedication of commitment, what originally started as maybe a one-shift-a-month commitment quickly turned into a two-shift weekly commitment since December 2014 with a few extra assignments thrown in. We had no idea that it would pull at us to commit and stay with it over all these years.
What do you do when you’re not volunteering with us?
We have various hobbies and activities: traveling both in the USA and overseas, gardening (40 ft by 40 ft garden) means canning and fresh produce, model railroading, Peggy’s a dedicated novel reader, and time with grandchildren.
Do you volunteer for any other organization?
No dedicated volunteer work outside Second Helpings, just spur of the moment assistance when we can.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
Grow or attempt to grow giant pumpkins and Peggy put up close to 80 quarts of green beans in 2020 (that’s a lot of picking, snapping, and eating)!