At age 82, Fred Lamont is an admirable example of giving back to his community! In his career, Fred was an internal medicine physician. He and his wife, Kathy, adopted two sons from Russia. When Fred retired in 2000, the boys were 11 and 12 years old. Therefore, travelling extensively in retirement was not an option.
Literacy Tutor and Clinic Volunteer
Until two years ago, he volunteered at the NEW Community Clinic one morning a week. He started tutoring for Literacy Green Bay when he retired and still tutors there today. He was ready to start volunteering at St. Patrick’s Pantry when he fractured his ankle. That put his pantry volunteering on hold as he first had to let his ankle heal after surgery.
Securing a New Home for Hope Center Pantry
As a member of the Spirituality Group at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (SEAS) Parish, Fred worked with the group and Fr. Don Everts at the Quad Parishes to secure a new site for the pantry. With the help of fundraising, they were able to purchase a credit union building on Green Bay’s west side. Fr. Don assembled a team to remodel the building to accommodate the pantry and Love Life West. This building is now called the Hope Center Pantry. The new building was a huge improvement over the old location since it has no stairs and much more room.
Rewarding Experiences as a Pantry Volunteer
Fred began volunteering at the pantry at the current site. He is scheduled to work at the pantry on Mondays once or twice a month. However, with back issues, Fred isn’t able to do heavy lifting. He sorts donations and fills client orders. He also brings the food donations from SEAS Parish over to the pantry a couple times a month and usually stays to help sort the donations. His volunteer experience at the pantry has been great and very rewarding.
Fred’s Philosophy of Volunteering
As a pantry volunteer, Fred has come to realize that volunteers are needed more and more. His volunteering philosophy is as follows:
- What needs to be done?
- What can I do physically to serve others as Jesus did?
Once a volunteer answers these questions, then they should pick two or three charities to volunteer for and get to work. Fred encourages others to volunteer at the Hope Center Pantry (formerly St. Patrick’s Pantry).
“It is a nice place to work, and the needs there are growing,” he said.
Are you ready to join Fred and the other volunteers who are feeding the hungry of Green Bay, Wisconsin? Contact us today to learn about the volunteer opportunities available at Hope Center Pantry.
