LUM Volunteer of the Month – Kirk Germond
LUM Volunteer of the Month – June 2024
Kirk Germond was recently selected as the LUM Volunteer of the Month for June 2024. A LUM volunteer since February 2022, he has worked Thursday mornings at the LUM Protein Food Pantry as well as served evening meals at the LUM Emergency Shelter and helped at the LUM Community Thanksgiving Feast and LUM Jubilee Christmas.
With experience gained from working during the Thursday hours at the food pantry and encouragement from fellow volunteers and staff, Kirk began managing the newly opened Monday hours at the LUM Protein Food Pantry earlier this month. His willingness to work during both the Thursday and Monday hours at the LUM Protein Food Pantry provides coordination and shared experience between the two volunteer teams.
Kirk has also participated in LUM professional development opportunities, such as a trip to Bloomington, Indiana to learn from nonprofit peers and a tour of the local food bank to better understand our collaborative efforts. He remarked “These opportunities helped me see how my volunteering fits into the local community and beyond.”
When reflecting on “what gives him the most pride in volunteering with LUM”, Kirk shared that
“Volunteering at LUM has given my heart and hands a chance to touch the lives of others, both those in front of me and those beside me.” He added that “If you’re looking for a way to help people, try out some of the different volunteer opportunities at LUM, you might find one or several that fit you well with plenty of growth potential.”
Kirk was recently encouraged by Frederick Buechner’s thoughts titled “Homelessness.”
“We lie in our beds in the dark. There is a picture of the children on the bureau. A patch of moonlight catches our clothes thrown over the back of a chair. We can hear the faint rumble of the furnace in the cellar. We are surrounded by the reassurance of the familiar. When the weather is bad, we have shelter. When things are bad in our lives, we have a place where we can retreat to lick our wounds while tens of thousands of people, many of them children, wander the dark streets in search of some corner to lie down in out of the wind.
Yet we are homeless even so in the sense of having homes but not being really at home in them. To be really at home is to be really at peace, and there can be no real peace for any of us until there is some measure of real peace for all of us. When we close our eyes to the deep needs of other people, whether they live on the streets or under our own roof—and when we close our eyes to our own deep need to reach out to them—we can never be fully at home anywhere.”
Originally published in Wishful Thinking and later in Beyond Words.
Born and raised in Western New York, Kirk has lived in Delphi, Indiana since 1990. He has eight children and two grandchildren, who live in Lafayette, IN; Indianapolis, IN; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; New Orleans, LA; Shelton, CT; and Lowell, IN. Kirk graduated from Hamburg Central High School and earned an associates degree from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Forest Technology and a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Building Construction and Contracting. He recently retired after 38 years with the State of Indiana Departments of Fire and Building Services, Administration, and Transportation. An Army veteran, Kirk presently works as a part-time pharmacy technician in West Lafayette. Kirk enjoys spending time with his family, his two cats, and taking long walks at Prophetstown State Park.
Join us in congratulating Kirk Germond was selected the LUM Volunteer of the Month for June 2024. His dedication to improving the lives of others in our community is truly commendable. Coupled with his strong work ethic, reliability, and quiet leadership, these qualities have rightfully earned Kirk the honor of LUM Volunteer of the Month.
If you are inspired by Kirk’s story and would like to volunteer with LUM, check out the LUM website or call or email the LUM volunteer coordinator, Terri Anderson (volunteer@LUMserve.org | 765-423-2691).
The LUM Protein Food Pantry is open Monday afternoons (1-4 p.m.) and Thursday mornings (10 a.m. – noon) at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 6th Street between North & Ferry Streets, Lafayette, IN.
The LUM Protein Food Pantry features proteins, produce & paper products (The Three Ps). Local families in need are able to select canned and frozen meats & fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, beans & legumes, peanut butter, paper products, and more.