The Thunder Bay Food Bank would simply not exist without volunteers. With no paid staff, the food bank relies completely on an incredible team of dedicated volunteers to meet our mandate of providing temporary food relief to individuals and families of our community who are in need.
Within that team of volunteers are three generations of the same family, who have made volunteering for the food bank a family activity!
It all began with Jack McKinnon, who started volunteering for the food bank almost 10 years ago, along with his late wife Pat. They faithfully volunteered every Tuesday for many years, until Pat’s passing in 2021.
When TBFB resumed full operations after closing for the initial months of COVID, Jack returned to volunteer, switching to Friday mornings on check-out and bringing back his unfailing positive attitude and work ethic.
It was a year later when Jack’s daughter, Deannie Kadolph, decided to join her Dad as part of the TBFB team, after retiring from her nursing career. Deannie mostly works on the registration desk but has filled in for every Friday morning role – a very versatile volunteer!
In the summer of 2023, Kristy Kadolph – Deannie’s daughter and Jack’s grand-daughter, and a public school teacher – offered her services for the weeks when she’s off, becoming a mainstay at registration for the past two summers.
These “3 McKinnon Musketeers” arrive together with big smiles and lots of energy. We are so happy to have them as part of the TBFB volunteer team!
Written by Allison Hill
