Monday, May 21, 2012
Unsung Hero: John & Sheila Phillips
MARION -- John and Sheila Phillips have spent the past 28 years supporting the Marion Ministerial Alliance food pantry on a volunteer basis.
Sheila was first drawn to the task back in 1984, after a car accident nearly took her life and left her legally blind. She and John began volunteering at the pantry, keeping records, running food drives, and recruiting other volunteers. "Sheila's a great organizer and a great people person, and then John's our resident handyman too, and his fingerprints will be long felt at our facility there in the improvements he made just on our physical building," says Ministerial Alliance Director J.R. Russell. J.R. estimates the couple has handled some 800,000 boxes of food over the years. The nation's recent economic crisis made their help even more critical, as many more families were looking for assistance. "Seemed like it's almost quadrupled since this happened, and the nice thing about it is, we've always had enough food to give people what they need," says John. Due to health concerns, Sheila decided it was time to step down as coordinator. But in a special lunch at Mackie's Pizza in Marion, the couple received some recognition for their 28 years of service. "When folks step up and make that kind of a long-term commitment, it plants that seed in other people's minds- that maybe that's something I could do," J.R. says. It's John and Sheila's pride in the Ministerial Alliance pantry that will hopefully inspire others to follow in their footsteps. "I think we have the best food pantry around!" says Sheila. |
Marion Regional
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