Clients Keep Buck Coming Back for More

Clients Keep Buck Coming Back for More

At first, Diane Buck was an “ordinary” volunteer for Our Daily Bread. “I started because a friend told me I should try volunteering there,” she said. “That was when the pantry was located downtown, and long before they started the client-choice model.” She moved from an “ordinary” volunteer to an “extraordinary” one when she and another volunteer, Jimmy Jordan, noticed that Commodity Day took up a large part of the program director’s time.

Commodity Day is a bimonthly program sponsored by Kansas’ Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP. Our Daily Bread participates in distributing USDA food to low-income families. The food stretches the pantry’s limited stores from food drives, but has strict guidelines. TEFAP-supplied food must be kept separate from regular donations and carefully tracked to ensure it only goes to families in severe need.

Buck and Jordan stepped up and agreed to take over the program. Since then, Jordan has retired from the pantry, but Buck still handles Commodity Day, joined now by her husband, Alan Buck, and David Carter. The three of them work quickly to keep up with demand – on Commodity Day the pantry serves more than 100 families – but still take time with each client.

“Sometimes, we’re just there for someone to talk to,” Diane Buck said.

Jason Searl, another volunteer at the pantry, said, “I’ve served with the Bucks for years. They serve with love and joy, and their smiles are contagious. The pantry wouldn’t have been able to function with the joy and compassion it has for these years if they hadn’t answered the call of stewardship.”

Diane Buck attributes her dedication to people in need to her parents.

“My mom volunteered a lot; she volunteered at Meals on Wheels and at the hospital in Pratt,” she said. “My dad didn’t volunteer but he would always pick people up and buy them groceries.”

Diane Buck has left a legacy of her own. She’s served more than 1,500 hours in the past 10 years, personally impacting some 20,000 families. “It’ll be hard to retire,” she said. “I keep coming back because of the clients.”

Diane and Alan Buck, volunteers at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry

Hunger doesn’t take a vacation

Hunger happens 365 days a year. Even when school is out for the summer and many people take a break from work, hunger remains. Hunger never takes a vacation.

To meet the needs of its client this summer, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry is in need of the following items: • Protein items such as canned tuna and chicken, and dried beans • Soups • Canned fruits • Breakfast items

Interested in donating food items or hosting a food drive this summer?

Contact us via email at giving@ CatholicCharitiesWichita.org