This Volunteer Is Feeding Those In Need

Jeffersonville High School graduate Suzanne Eckert spent 30 years serving flights around the country as a flight attendant for Eastern, Kiwi and UPS Airlines. She retired in 1999, and she and her husband John Eckert, a Methodist pastor, returned to Indiana from Georgia in 2005.

Suzanne has always had a passion for volunteering. As a longtime volunteer with the Center for Lay Ministries (CLM) Food Pantry in Jeffersonville, she’s seen firsthand the effects of hunger.

Why did you begin volunteering with the CLM Food Pantry?

My parents were part of the downtown church groups who got together and started CLM in 1970. They served on the board and were active in establishing the food pantry to help those who were struggling. When I moved back to Jeffersonville in 2009, I started volunteering with them. Helping others and giving back to my community is something my Christian faith tells me I need to do. Volunteering with CLM is one way I can do that.

What do you do as a volunteer at CLM?

Our clients receive a standard box of nonperishable foods like peanut butter, tuna, and pasta. We also offer fresh foods like meat, vegetables, fruit, milk and eggs. Clients can make selections from these items, which I help box up and take out to their cars.

What has volunteering done for you?

Volunteering gives you a sense of purpose. I know people depend on me. With the economy today there are so many in need, so many who don’t have enough food to eat. If you want to be happy in your life, you have to get outside yourself and give back to others.

What advice would you give others interested in volunteering?

You only go through life once, and if you want to be happy, you have to give back. As we retire, we don’t need to be just sitting around. You need to get out and be with other people and help others in whatever way you can. You can volunteer when you want and as much as you want. It’s up to you. You’re not committed to a specific schedule unless that’s what you want. There are so many things out there for people to do. You just need to get out and try something. It’s always good to try something new.

By Kym Voorhees Raque | Photo by Erika Doll

P.S. What’s Her Life Look Like Now? Art + Learning + Travel + Volunteering