Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Sinning.
Hi Tom, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Our Outreach Foodshelf began in the attic above the offices of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in the summer of 1983. We constructed shelves for canned goods and nonperishable items. In the basement of the church we added two additional refrigerators and freezers for dairy and meats. This worked fairly well for a few years until the demand and needs increased to the point that we had to put floor jacks in the offices below the attic to support the additional weight of the canned goods. By 1989 we were able to work with our tech school carpentry program and have them build a 20X24 building on our parking lot to make it easier and safer to handle the additional need and the amount of food going through the food shelf. Since that time we have had numerous remodels and additions to the facility and increased our floor space and capacity by nearly 15 fold. It was a labor of love for our small parish starting off with 4 or 5 members working as volunteers and when it got to the point of requiring more people and more resources it was spun it off into an independent 501C3 non-profit.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Many struggles along the way including logistics, Covid, and raising money for both food and facilities improvements. the determination to let go of it for the parish when it outgrew our ability to manage and staff it. We are blessed to have a community that has taken the project to heart to supporting and serving those who are in need in our community with donations, volunteers, business partnerships, and media support
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the time the Foodshelf was established I was employed in a secular sales job which meant some multi county travel for me, at the same time I was studying for the diaconate in the Episcopal Church. During this time I was able to help with the food shelf during weekends and evenings, as my wife and other members took the bulk of the daytime work. 1987 was a real transitional time for me, as I was ordained as a deacon, but also started a new job with another company which had my travel time increase significantly. It became more challenging for me with time constraints of both my job and my church ministry to be as involved in the Foodshelf, but we had been successful in developing a great group of volunteers to handle it. What I am most proud of is my first wife who dedicated so much time and effort in keeping the Foodshelf on track as a volunteer , board member and board chairman through many of the transitions. She died in 2016, as I was in the middle of studying for the priesthood in the church and was so grateful I was able to retire from my secular job 4 months before her death to be able to spend time with her. I’m proud of the Foodshelf and our mission and ministry and I’m proud to have been a small part of it. I have also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, both locally and on two international build teams. I was ordained a priest in 2018 and continue to serve our congregation, as well as volunteer 1-2 days a week at the food shelf.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
That we can make a positive difference in the lives of our communities and serve the least of these, as Christ commanded us, in ways that can positively impact their lives.
