Volunteer Profile: Ken Archibald

By Published On: December 6th, 2016

by Caden Crowston, Willamette University Intern

ken-archibaldVolunteers are an integral part of the Food Share, each of them donating time and services that help to alleviate hunger in our community. Ken Archibald is one of those volunteers. Ken, a retired Civil Engineer, remains active in his community by volunteering at the Food Share warehouse and delivering meals for Meals on Wheels.

Ken has been volunteering once a month at the Food Share since 2007 as a member of the Galley Clipper group, a group of about 17 volunteers from the Westminster Presbyterian Church with the belief that “No one in our community should be hungry.” Nine years of volunteer commitment is not an easy thing to do! Ken says that joining the Galley Clipper group and volunteering with friends has allowed him to stay consistent with his volunteering. “It’s almost like a habit now” he says with a chuckle, “It’s something that you put on your calendar and look forward to.”

In addition to doing good for the community, Ken also describes his volunteer work
as a good time. “It can be hard work, but it’s a lot of fun” he says. “We challenge ourselves to finish as fast as we can, it almost becomes a game.” One of Ken’s favorite things about volunteering at the Food Share is being able to work with the other volunteers and staff.

Although Ken enjoys himself while volunteering, he also recognizes the importance of his work. He enjoys the good feeling that he gets from knowing that his work will directly impact his community. “It’s rare when you volunteer that the things you do are going to be used right away.” he says. “I like knowing that what I package at the Food Share is going out to people in the community.”

Ken’s consistent involvement with the Food Share and in his community makes real change. “The commitment and dedication that Ken and the Westminster Church group has shown to the Food Share allows us to do the work that needs to be done to feed our community” says Allen Pfeiffer, the Volunteer Coordinator at the Food Share.

Last year, Food Share volunteers as a whole, contributed enough hours to equal an additional 30 full time staff members. Ken is just one example of why volunteers play such a big role in building and improving our community by feeding families in need of nutritious food.