‘Improving the world’ — a cart at a time
Kiwanis Club of New Mexico volunteers turn out to support local food pantry
The sound of shuffling feet and the wheels of shopping carts fill the air. Volunteers are hard at work loading handful after handful of food and goods into each cart before they’re rolled out the door and into the hands of someone in need.
It’s Saturday morning at The Storehouse New Mexico, and the scene playing out is a common sight for anyone who visits or volunteers at one of the state’s largest food pantries.
In the middle of all this commotion are roughly 20 volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of Albuquerque. Founded in 1917, the club is one of the oldest in the country and continues to carry out its original mission of “improving the world, one child and one community at a time.”
On Saturday, that improvement came in the form of loading the shopping carts. Club members David Heiman and Bill DeWeese were tasked with filling the cart with its first item: a box full of goods.
Both men have been members of the club for more than 25 years and still cherish the opportunity to get out and help the community.
“We enjoy doing it,” DeWeese said. “It makes you feel good, you’re doing something that’s right.”
Heiman echoed DeWeese’s feelings and said the club’s original mission of helping the community is still at the core of the work they do.
“It means a lot to help out the community,” he said. “There’s a need out there for food, and it’s nice to be able to provide for them.”
After DeWeese and Heiman loaded their box into the cart, they passed it down the line to fellow club member Paulette Reed. She grabs milk and other dairy goods and places them in the cart. A club member for more than 30 years, Reed was the club’s first female president.
She saw the club as a good networking opportunity when she joined, but soon witnessed the importance of the work they were doing. On Saturday, with a smile on her face, she shared what it meant to be working alongside her club members: “I’m glad to see so many (Kiwanis members) turn out.”
After she was done adding her contribution to the cart, Reed pushed it farther down the volunteer line, where other community members placed their items inside. Eventually, the carts finally made their way to Mike Craws, who was standing by the door where those in need received them.
A Kiwanis Club of Albuquerque member for the past seven years, Craws said he joined the club as a way to get out of his wife’s hair. But much like Heiman, DeWeese and Reed, he soon found himself becoming invested in the club’s
mission. His wife has since died, and Craws said the club now gives him purpose and a way to connect with others.
“I have a good reason to get out and do something,” he said, “It’s important, (Kiwanis) does a lot of good work.”
The Kiwanis Club of Albuquerque tries to do one community service project per month, according to Heiman. Saturday’s effort has a special meaning to Jill Beets, who works as a marketing representative for The Storehouse New Mexico and is a Kiwanis Club member herself.
Joining the club after her father, who was also a member, could not participate in club events anymore, Beets served as club president twice in the 20 years she’s been a member.
“I’ve always had a heart for service, so it was kind of a no-brainer for me to join Kiwanis,” she said.
Working in nonprofits for the past 20 years, Beets has been affiliated with The Storehouse New Mexico for more than a decade. She said the nonprofit feeds roughly 55,000 people annually.
The Storehouse New Mexico not only provides those in need with food but also food for animals and diapers for babies.
“Storehouse is such an essential part of Albuquerque, and it’s so important to make sure that our local children and other vulnerable people in our community are fed,” Beets said.