There’s no stopping the volunteer power couple: Adrian and Lynda Herrin. Rain, shine, sleet and hours of driving do not deter them from doing what they love: serving their community.
After meeting in a literature class at Texas State many years ago, Adrian, 74, and Lynda, 68, have been married for almost 46 years. Once they retired, they decided to go back to Lynda’s roots in Hutto, Texas. From then on, it was non-stop helping their community.
In 2004, they joined the Lutheran Church’s food pantry in Hutto, Texas, where they were given a small closet space to store food. With the community donations they were given, they helped about six families in need a week with a sack that contained about six food items. However, this wasn’t enough, even in the small town of Hutto.
“We saw more people,” Lynda said. “We saw a need for it and we kept growing and growing.”
As the need grew, community donations were no longer enough. Three years ago, the food pantry became a Capital Area Food Bank Partner Agency, and they’re now able to serve fresh produce at the pantry. From six families a week, to 20, to 40, the pantry has grown over the years and now serves 70-100 families every week.
Through their association with the Food Bank, they learned about the Food Bank’s mobile pantry services and realized how much need there was for volunteers. At times they have been the only two volunteers at a mobile food pantry site, and this just drives them to do more.
“Everybody is so thankful...and they appreciate us coming to more than one pantry when we see them,” Lynda said.
They volunteer at about eight to 10 mobile food pantry sites a month, and they even know clients by name now. From Bartlett to Johnson City to Lexington, Texas, the couple has been to 14 different sites since they began volunteering three years ago. It may take them a couple of hours to reach a pantry site, but “it’s OK” they said.
Though they love meeting new people, getting exercise and the experience, there are times when the weather has been rough outside, but that’s no excuse to stop.
“The need is still there,” Lynda said. “You’re hungry in the winter time, and you’re hungry in the summer time.”
Thinking back to their experiences they can’t help but laugh at what they have been through.
“In Taylor, one Friday when we were there, it started raining,” Adrian said. “By the time we got home, our clothes were stuck to us. It rained so hard, but you just keep on going because people are there.”
As they observe the Santa Barbara mobile pantry site from a distance, the endearment they feel for the people they’re helping can be seen in their eyes. They know the cost of living has gone up and many families have been affected negatively.
“Look at these people, they need the food, there’s no one here that doesn’t need it,” Lynda said. [There’s misconceptions that] they’re lazy, they have nothing else to do, they’re trying to beat the system, I look at these people and I talk to them and that is simply not the case.” she said.
Even though they have some aches and pains, they know that what they’re doing is greatly appreciated by the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas and the families in need that continuously tell them how grateful they are for the help they receive.
“When we leave a pantry, we’re tired, but it’s a good tired, it’s a good feeling tired that you’ve served and you’ve done something good,” she said. “As long as God says we can do it, we’re going to be doing it.”
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