Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland celebrated the volunteers who make the organization’s mission possible with their annual volunteer luncheon Friday, held at the Central Kentucky Community Foundation in Elizabethtown.
“This is one of my favorite days of the year,” said FAKH Executive Director Charles Dennis. “At Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland, we have a saying that ‘Food is all we do, and community is all we are,” and when I look out at this crowd, I see community, and I see different groups, and I see those that come periodically, that come weekly, and to me, that’s what community means.”
According to the organization, volunteers in 2025 packed 96,438 Commodity Supplemental Food Program boxes in support of area seniors and 117,074 Backpack Program bags to ensure students have meals on the weekends. Nearly 13,500 volunteer hours were logged at the organization’s volunteer center in Elizabethtown in 2025.
The luncheon included the presentation of the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring individuals and entities that have shown exceptional dedication to support FAKH’s mission. This year’s honorees are Parkway Baptist Church, Bani Purcell, and Tony and Gayle Shafer.
“My favorite part is the camaraderie of the other volunteers,” said Gayle Shafer. “We are a family, and if we miss a day, we have to check in. Otherwise, we get texts to say ‘Where you at? Everybody okay?’ It is a loving group and we just enjoy the volunteers and the employees.”
Learn more about Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland’s mission and opportunities to get involved at www.feedingamericaky.org.
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