Helping your neighbor in need

More than 6,000 families were served last year by the food pantry at Our Lady of Grace Church in Minot.
 
All the work involved with tending to the needs of that many people is a labor of love for Minot couple Joyce and Roger Sand and the more than 90 volunteers who help. The Sands have been coordinators since 2003.
 
"You never know. Someday we may need the help, too," Joyce said. "I hope someone will be there for us."
 
The couple puts in countless hours tending to the operation of the food pantry that's open four days a week. They use the mornings to organize things and then clients come to get food in the afternoons. Their efforts are being honored by the Caritas Award sponsored by the Catholic Charities North Dakota. The annual award is given to those who exemplify the bringing of faith, hope and love to the least of God’s people. Caritas is the Latin term for charity.
 
90+ volunteers
 
"When they called to tell us about the award, I said we'd only accept it on behalf of our 90 or so volunteers," Joyce said. "Without them and the great community support we couldn't do it."
 
Volunteers unload trucks, stock shelves, bag and hand out the food, along with general tasks like answering the phone and sweeping and keeping the pantry clean and organized. Roger and Joyce shared that many of their volunteers have been there helping even before they took over as coordinators. The volunteers who have come and gone over the years have become like family.
 
In fact, members of the couple's natural family are also on the volunteer roster—their three grown sons and their families including two granddaughters. 
 
"We learn a lot from our volunteers and we share a lot," Joyce noted. "We're all in this together to serve the poor and spread the message of the Lord."
 
Most of the volunteers are just like the Sands—retired folks who see a need in their community and do their part. Two of what the Sands refer to as a couple of their "go-to" volunteers are an 85-year-old man and his 80-year-old wife. Roger joked that he has to stop them before they sometimes try to do too much. 
 
Community support
 
The scope of the pantry has changed over the years mostly due to the ups and downs of the economy. When Joyce first started as a volunteer and then the coordinator in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the pantry was serving about 300 families each month. Now, the number has been as high as 647, with 568 families showing up last month. 
 
Without the community support, the Sands know that there's no way the pantry could help this many families. Having lived and worked in Minot for so many years, the couple's connections come in handy. They drive all over town picking up food donations or shopping at local grocery stores.
 
"We know a lot of people and they watch out for us," Roger explained. "The manager of one of the local grocery stores tells us about good sales coming up so we get the best deals."
 
Local businesses are often holding food drives to also keep the pantry shelves full. And, when the food seems to be getting scarce occasionally, the Sands never let it worry them. 
 
"We constantly see God working in mysterious ways," Roger noted. 
 
Joyce agreed, "That's true. Just when the shelves are getting bare, a company will call with a big donation. Sometimes it's a company we haven't heard from in years."
 
The couple retired years ago and, despite Roger's mobility issues using a walker, they have no plans to slow down anytime soon. They say stepping up to help their community and their neighbor in need is just how they were raised. They're no heroes, just regular people pitching in to do their part. 
 
"It's really about the people. We're getting up there in age, but there's a need and you just keep going," Joyce said. She and Roger will be celebrating 56 years of marriage in May. They also remain active in their home parish of St. Therese, Church of the Little Flower in Minot.
 
The Sands will be honored at the Catholic Charities North Dakota Caritas award luncheon on Tuesday, May 16 at Spirit of Life Church in Mandan.