Food Bank Volunteer Always Ready to Help
“I felt there was a need, and I had the time to help,” said retired truck driver, Louis Cofer.
Once a week, for the past five years, Cofer has volunteered at the America’s Second Harvest of Kentucky’s Heartland in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, a member of the America’s Second Harvest network.
Cofer’s volunteer responsibilities include a wide range of weekly tasks that include everything from sorting and repackaging donated product to loading and unloading trucks, to labeling canned food. In addition to Cofer’s weekly tasks, he employs a few other skills that differentiate him from other volunteers at the food bank.
Volunteering as a retired truck driver, Cofer continues to make use of his CDL license and driving experience to serve as the food bank’s relief driver. When Hurricane Katrina hit and Louisiana flooded, Louis drove to the devastated area on behalf of the food bank to deliver trucks of food to satellite locations helping feed those misplaced from their homes. As a result, America’s Second Harvest officially recognized him as a disaster relief volunteer.
“The more I’ve been involved, the more I have realized there are many people in need,” said Cofer.
Additionally, Louis volunteered his time to help with the America’s Second Harvest national study Hunger in America 2006, a comprehensive profile of the incidence and nature of hunger and food insecurity in the U.S. Louis helped the food bank conduct nearly 100 interviews with people receiving food assistance from their local food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.
On days that Cofer is not busy, he calls the food bank to see if his help is needed. Most people would look at a day off as a time to relax, but not Louis. He is always focused on helping others in any way possible.
“Louis is the epitome of what a volunteer is all about,” said Milissa French, Volunteer Program Coordinator at America’s Second Harvest of Kentucky’s Heartland. “He is humble, hard-working and believes he is here to help others.”
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