Volunteers of the Year from Glenview Community Church, Winnetka Presbyterian & Sukkat Shalom

by Rebecca Helberg, A Just Harvest Summer Intern

Editor’s Note: If you’d like to join us in celebrating these Volunteers of the Year at our 9th Annual Awards Banquet & Benefit, visit our home page for more information.

Chili Chef’s of Glenview Community Church

For more than 25 years, Glenview Community Church (GCC) has been cooking chili for A Just Harvest’s Community Kitchen.  Carolyn Keller, Barb Smith, Sue Hunt, and Dori Hirsch continue that tradition today.  Dori, a retired manufacturing representative, and Sue, a former nurse, have been cooking the chili for the last 15 years.  Carolyn, a retired nurse, has been cooking for 5 years, and Barb, who worked retail at Lord and Taylor, has been cooking for 6 years. Dori and Barb also occasionally help serve the chili at A Just Harvest’s Community Kitchen.  The women love the camaraderie of cooking together in the basement kitchen of GCC.

The chili, served over rice, is made up of meat, onions, corn, tomatoes, beans, and seasoning. The chili is very flavorful with a little bit of a spicy accent. The recipe has been modified over the years, but in general it is a healthy and hearty meal. Donations come from Whole Foods and Gordon Food Services. The women also receive help from church members who open industrial sized cans that contain the ingredients. It takes 25 pounds of meat to create the four pots of chili which serve 200 people!

Dori, Carolyn, Barb, and Sue are all active and proud of their church. Glenview Community Church is one of the largest United Church of Christ churches in the United States. They adore the music during the services and the ministers that lead the church. There are always a plethora of volunteers who offer their time to serve the meal at A Just Harvest.

The four chili cookers love that they are able to participate in a hands on outreach where they can help the community. It may be a big commitment, but all four women find it fun and enjoyable.  They also love the enthusiasm from the other volunteers and they are moved by the patrons’ gratitude each time they volunteer at the Community Kitchen.

Carm LoGalbo, Winnetka Presbyterian Church

Carmelo LoGalbo (pictured left with his grandson Ivan), a retired computer reseller, is an enthusiastic volunteer who has gone from volunteering once a month with Winnetka Presbyterian Church to twice a week on his own. Carm, as his friends call him, took his volunteering experience into his own hands because he knew he wanted to spend more time in the Community Kitchen.

Carm grew up on the West Side and has a strong connection to the people that A Just Harvest serves. He knows many of the patrons by name and prides himself on how close of a relationship he has with those working and eating at the kitchen. Carm has done everything from helping Rosario cook, to plating the food, to bussing tables and washing dishes. He has done every job that has been handed to him and enjoys the challenge. Carm even ran the front of house one day and assigned the volunteers their jobs acting on a moment’s notice. They served 194 patrons that day.

Carm fondly remembers volunteering with his young grandson and serving 177 fruit cocktail desserts to the patrons. Carm’s favorite part of the job is talking to the people he is working with, especially those that he is serving. Carm loves that A Just Harvest is non-discriminatory and serves anyone that comes to the door 365 days a year.

Carm has a daughter and three grandchildren and is the youth elder at Winnetka Presbyterian Church. He helps lead missions to Cuba, Tennessee, and Colorado along with teaching Sunday school at his church. He also helps his church fundraise by running both an annual softball and basketball game.  Carm’s wife works across the street from A Just Harvest at Good News Partners. It is easy to see how passionate and happy Carm is to be at A Just Harvest and we are so grateful for his big heart and his dedication.

Lynn Deton, Sukkat Shalom

Lynn Denton began her relationship with A Just Harvest over ten years ago when her daughters were in Girl Scouts volunteering at the Community Kitchen. Since then Lynn has continued to go with her daughters and serve the patrons of AJH through Sukkat Shalom Synagogue. It is a bonding experience for the family and Lynn enjoys it.

Lynn is a social worker at a Skokie elementary school and also lends her services to non-profits such as Camp Kesem and Curt’s Café.  Lynn values community health which is an important reason why she continues to work with A Just Harvest. Lynn also worked at the soup kitchen at Beth Emet Synagogue.

Lynn devotes her time to AJH because of the opportunity interact with both volunteers and patrons. She loves chatting with patrons and being involved in the community directly. She finds that the organization is well organized and devoted to an important cause.

Lynn has been attending Sukkat Shalom for 15 years and has regular involvement with the synagogue. She was born and raised in the south suburbs of Chicago. Lynn enjoys reading, playing tennis, playing piano, cooking and spending time with her family.