Longtime Wellington Food Bank organizers retiring

August 5, 2009

By Brenda Rader Mross
The Wellington

 

Back in the 19th century when French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr penned, “The more things change, the more they remain the same,” it’s unlikely he knew how true those words would be for generations to come, nor how often they’d be quoted.

Phyllis Nase and Paula Cardona are committed to the concept of continuity in the midst of conversion as they gradually retire from the Wellington Food Bank, effective “this year, before the snow flies,” as Cardona put it.

 

The women announced their pending retirement plans at the local pantry’s first-ever volunteer recognition luncheon July 23. As a consequence, new leadership with a strong community commitment is needed.

 

Despite their long years of service — 21 for Nase, 19 for Cardona — both expect bimonthly distributions at Wellington Community Church, under the sponsorship of Zion Evangelical Church, to carry on as usual with or without them.

 

“It’s not about us; this is important to everybody,” said Nase, one of the founders, along with the late Barb Whitman. “It takes many hands, but somebody needs to be in charge.”

 

Make that 23 pairs of hands that have volunteered on a regular basis for a collective 124 years and six months, according to Cardona’s count using a new computerized recordkeeping system.

 

Nase summarized the level of volunteerism: “There have been too many faces, too many people, too many hours to count. We have 12 to 15 dependable people per session who know what to do and do it. They even call if they’re not coming.”

 

Both ladies intend to be available to ease the new leader or leaders through the transition.

 

“I don’t want anyone to be afraid (to take over), but somebody’s got to be responsible for the overall picture,” Nase said about filling her unpaid post. “People think things have got to be a certain way, but that’s not the way it is. I’ve had to adapt a lot along the way.”

 

Kristin Bieri from the Food Bank for Larimer County, of which the local pantry is a member, agreed that operations are “not a one-man show.”

 

“I do think there are enough people involved that a local church or a combination of volunteers and organizations can take over,” the agency relations manager commented. “Wellington will continue to provide for its own.”

 

Essentially, the “job” requires about two and one-half hours every other Monday ordering food at the food bank in Fort Collins. A typical Tuesday distribution starts at about 9:30 a.m. in anticipation of the 1 to 2:30 p.m. designated pickup time, with another hour or so spent cleaning up and bookkeeping.

 

“We used to box the boxes,” Cardona recalled, which prompted Nase to remember a few times in the early years when, “I did it by myself.”

 

Bieri had nothing but good things to say about the efforts of the two outgoing long-term volunteers.

 

“A small community pantry requires a huge amount of community involvement,” she said. “To have two people who are committed to the community and really aware of its needs is really unique.”

 

Bieri complimented the soon-to-be retirees for their willingness to grow and change the program as needed.

 

“Where others wouldn’t have been able to keep up,” Bieri said, referencing Wellington’s continuing growth, “they’ve been committed to running the program and to raising funds.”

 

It takes a ton of help to disperse tons of food, the amount of which is escalating at what Nase termed a staggering rate.

 

Cardona had the statistics to prove it: between 2001 and 2008, total annual distribution in Wellington went from 26,162 pounds of food to 61,875 pounds. The amount of protein/meat supplied locally increased tenfold in the last seven years from 911 pounds to 9,200 pounds, while produce numbers jumped from nearly 7,000 pounds to 18,500 pounds.
And with the current economic downturn, that upward trend is bound to continue.

 

In fact, Cardona said, due to the number of needy families, the organization decided to “step it up” this summer. Last year, 30 households were served once a month; this year, it’s a double-double increase, with 60 households receiving allocations twice in June, July and August.

 

“I think so many people don’t have a clue,” said Nase.

 

Two centuries ago Alphonse Karr also wrote about the benefits of being proactive: “Happiness is composed of misfortunes avoided.”

 

Longtime employees at Eyestone Elementary School, Nase and Cardona have had an insider’s view of what hard-luck hunger looks like in a child’s eyes.

 

As Eyestone’s office clerk, Cardona’s is a familiar face. In turn, she has made it her business to know the face of every student and who needs assistance.

 

“We see the need,” she said matter-of-factly. “So many families, so many kids at school, go hungry. We wanted to feed the children.”
“It’s personal,” Nase added. “It is going to be really difficult for me (to no longer be involved).”

 

When Nase left her paraprofessional post at the school in May, the 73-year-old decided to retire completely and be done with the drive from Nunn to Wellington.

 

Cardona, 55, called the food bank’s efforts “the Christian thing to do,” and thanked Pastor Dan Gardinier at Wellington Community Church for his and the congregation’s unfailing support.

 

But both women have other things life is calling them to do.

 

Nase and her husband, Lowell, who also volunteers at the food bank, have a house awaiting landscape, and there are a lot of mysteries waiting to be read.

 

“I am well-known at all Weld County libraries,” Nase said.

 

Cardona’s grandchildren are immersed in sports in Galeton, and she would like to get involved with Special Olympics.

 

Fellow volunteer Janice Glenn, media specialist at Eyestone, said her friends’ plans to retire from the Wellington Food Bank surprised them all.

 

“It won’t be the same, that’s for sure,” she said.

 

And yet, while names and faces change, the community’s commitment to viewing problems as opportunities remains.

 

“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns,” Karr wrote. “I am thankful that thorns have roses.”