Volunteer Spotlight

On this page, we highlight some of the amazing volunteers who make everything we do here at Wesley Food Pantry possible.

This Month's Volunteer Profile:

Wellington Reira

Since the beginning of this school year Wellington Riera has been slowly chipping away at 40 hours of community service as a way to maintain his honors status with the U of I James Scholar program. The program requires honors students to fulfill annual or bi-annual activity requirements through honors class credit, tutoring, academic research, and public service.

Wellington is a Chicago native, a university junior majoring in Accounting, and a not-so-low-key soccer enthusiast.

After graduating from St. Patrick high school, Wellington was accepted as a recipient of the prestigious Evans Scholarship, a four year, merit- and need-based scholarship awarded to golf caddies of exceptional character. The scholarship helps to finance their education at Big Ten universities and, with nearly 120 student scholars, the U of I branch is the largest in the country. Communal living is said to allow for greater networking, as like-minded upper and lowerclassmen rub shoulders at the group house. Such was Wellington's case when, as a freshman, an older Accounting major with similar interests took him under his wing.

These days Wellington pays it forward by looking out for younger Evans Scholars when he can. One piece of advice he likes to offer to incoming freshmen is to stop chasing resume boosters-those opportunities that you think will make you look better on paper. Instead he suggests seriously pursuing things that you are passionate about and that drive you forward. "You're already an exemplary person," he says. "Develop yourself in your own way."

Wellington develops his skill set by maintaining several leadership positions on campus and volunteering around the community. Though he loves to stay involved, Wellington says that no other volunteer organization provides him with the same sense of accomplishment like the Wesley Food Pantry does-in part because of direct interaction between volunteers and food pantry clients.

"You can actually see the effect that you're having on so many different people," he says. "You're helping them get their groceries, you're seeing little kids, you know, getting such basic necessities that you know sometimes isn't available for them...Just the smiles on their faces, it's just really really nice to see."

Wellington is no novice when it comes to volunteering with the food pantry. One of the go-to guys during end-of-the-night cleanup, Wellington has become quite handy with a pallet jack since his first exposure last spring, (though he admits that elevator traffic and establishing pallet cleanup order remain two of the biggest operational challenges at the Evening pantry).

When he's not volunteering Wellington works as a Staff Supervisor at Gamma Phi Beta Sorority and as a Student Patrol Team Leader for the Public Safety Department. "I like to keep busy," he laughs, admitting that despite so many extra-curricular activities he's still set to graduate early this December!

Wellington will return to Chicago this summer where he'll intern with PwC and rediscover the old golf course.

Wellington, thank you for your volunteer service!

Past Spotlights

Kristen Dean-Grossman

Meet Kristen Dean-Grossmann, this month's Spotlight Volunteer!
Not originally from the C-U area, Kristen grew up in Memphis, Tennessee where she lived with her parents and two older brothers.

Poetry and literature were always two of Kristen's favorite childhood pasttimes. Kristen remembers creating small, ribbon-tied booklets comprised of handwritten 4-line poems and illustrations. Once for an elementary school Language Arts project she even compiled a larger anthology of illustrated poems divided by theme! Following in the footsteps of her grandmother, who was a librarian, and her mother, who too was an avid reader, Kristen went on to receive an English degree from the University of Missouri and a Masters in English from the University of Illinois.

It was during her time at the U of I that Kristen met her husband, Brent. "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses," he told her, reciting a famous Dorothy Parker poem. Call it fate or love at first recital, but the pair eventually married and welcomed two daughters: Gillian and Cecily.

Like many long-time food pantry volunteers, Kristen can't seem to recall when she first started volunteering. But it must've been about five years ago when Kristen and her youngest daughter Cecily set out to complete service hours together for Cecily's college applications. Kristen eventually settled into a role as Office Greeter, managing crowd control from the waiting area and identifying new and non-English-speaking clients.

One of the things that Kristen has had to adjust to over the years is learning how to deal with her own introversion. Let's face it, standing and greeting literally hundreds of new and familiar faces for the entirety of an evening distribution is no cake walk. But developing a rapport with the food pantry clients and other volunteers is what keeps Kristen coming back to the pantry each month. "It's a really important ministry," she adds. "I enjoy talking to the clients [and] it's always something interesting."

Kristen maintains that the Office Greeter position is actually "a really easy job." That it may be, but it's a job that Kristen has managed to handle with both charm and grace as she welcomes clients and volunteers with a friendly smile. And besides, there are no small jobs when it comes to serving our community and looking out for one another.

Kristen is also the president of the Wesley United Methodist Women, a group that hosts various spiritual growth and mission-related programs and raises money for causes related to the needs of women, children, and youth locally and around the world. When she's not at Wesley, Kristen enjoys dog-walking for the Champaign County Humane Society and bargain-shopping at local garage sales.

Kristen, thank you for your volunteer service!

Vitaliy Dushnov

Vitaliy Dushnov is a U of I junior majoring in Chemical Engineering. Originally from Ukraine, he moved to the states at the age of 13, where he eventually settled in Johnsburg, IL with his mother and stepfather.

For Vitaliy there's nothing better than hanging out with his friends in Johnsburg and passing the time fishing for bass in the Fox River. The biggest fish he's ever caught was about 19 inches long—though Vitaliy argues that it's the "art" of fishing that he finds most attractive. After all, there's something very soothing to be found in the quiet simplicity of the experience.

An only child eager to begin a new and exciting journey to adulthood, Vitaliy left home seeking a fresh start and a chance to prove himself in Chambana, thereby rendering his parents empty-nesters. It is a reality which Vitaliy says they must learn to cope with somehow or another! "I sometimes go back for the weekend," he adds matter-of-factly.

Once on campus, Vitaliy's main goals were to work hard and potentially link up with like-minded individuals, which he did when a friend suggested he join the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Founded in 1927, the UIUC chapter of the organization aims to promote dialogue surrounding the field of Chemical Engineering and to support the career development of its members. Vitaliy says that the group is comprised of about 30 mostly-undergraduate members who help each other in courses and form study groups, as well as enjoy teatime and picnic meetings!
Vitaliy started getting involved with the Wesley Evening Food Pantry last semester while fulfilling service hours for an honor's course. Helping people is his favorite part of volunteering. Vitaliy recalls his first pantry day, where he spent a total of about nine hours in the Wesley building–from orientation to last-minute prep to food distribution and cleanup. This year Vitaliy says he plans on earning upwards of 40 service hours with the pantry, so that he may showcase his love for volunteering on his upcoming applications to medical school.

Now having also completed his first day out at the Parkland pantry, Vitaliy is well on his way to becoming a pantry pro!

Kotlety–a delicious savory Ukrainian treat made by frying meat that has been ground into potatoes and onions—is Vitaliy's favorite food. When Vitaliy is not bass fishing or volunteering with the pantry, he probably likes to spend the rest of his free time daydreaming about eating it! Either that or, you know, studying or whatever.

Vitaliy, thank you for your volunteer service!

Ed Friedl

This is Ed Friedl, longtime food pantry volunteer and native Chicagoan (not to be confused with a native suburbanite). As a child, Ed lived with his parents and his younger sister. Ed's father was an officer with the Chicago Police Department. His mother worked as a grocery store clerk where she once disarmed a would-be bandit.

As for Ed, he's pretty much always enjoyed tinkering with things and learning about science, but it wasn't until moving to Florida to complete a four-year physics degree at the Florida Institute of Technology that Ed's passion for the sciences really began to take root. Though he would miss his hometown, there was definitely something to be said about four years sans snow. And while he admits that as a Physics major there wasn't always enough time in the day for frolicking on the beach, the milder climate felt like a small victory in and of itself. Ed built his career while working as an engineer for companies like Flex-N-Gate and iCyt (which would later become a part of Sony). Before settling down in the CU, he also lived in Charleston, Rochelle, and Plainfield, IL.

Ed is sort of a busy guy. In addition to babysitting his 6-year old grandson, Ed is also a member of the Wesley Church, Head of the Organ Committee, a Foundation Trustee, and a member of the Property Committee! "The building's always in need of something," he says. Ed says that scheduling conflicts are some of his biggest concerns when it comes to volunteering. Who said being retired was easy?! With everything Ed has on his plate, it's a wonder he has any time left over to dedicate to his favorite hobby—woodworking!

Ed enjoys woodworking so much that he's even created his own Etsy profile to sell some of his work. Wooden potty training chairs for kids are his favorite thing to craft. One chair might take Ed the entire day to complete, though when he has the time he says he likes to go into his garage and make them in small batches. "The profits I make on Etsy pay for my hobby," he admits.
Ed has been volunteering with the food pantry for at least five years and is now a regular volunteer at both the Evening Pantry and the Parkland Pantry. If there is one event that has shaped Ed's outlook on serving our neighbors in the community it would be the 1990 tornado that destroyed his family's home and possessions. "I never planned on being a recipient of social services," he says. For several weeks post-tornado Ed and his family relied a lot on the kindness of different people who helped to provide basic needs like food and clothing. When he thinks back on this period of his life, Ed is reminded of how much of a character-builder the entire experience was for him. According to Ed, people often boast about the benefits of volunteering and serving others, but often times, the act of asking for help can be stigmatized in our society, an aspect of community relationships that we seldom focus on. He thinks that humbling oneself to receive help from others can be just as powerful—a philosophy which has undoubtedly shaped the way Ed interacts with the food pantry.

Besides woodworking, Ed also enjoys eating homemade pistachio ice cream and vacationing at Disney World where he likes to dine with his wife, daughter, and grandson at Cinderella's Palace.

Ed, thank you for your volunteer service!

Guyla Fehr

Imagine living on a fertile, mountainous expanse of land filled with plush green forests, small animals, trees, bushes, and breathtaking waterfalls…

What may sound like a daydream for many of us is simply the way that Gulya Fehr remembers her hometown. "I fall in love," she admits, bright-eyed and beaming over the natural landscape. A native of the Central Asian country Tajikistan, Gulya moved to the states for the first time in 1996 as a visiting scholar in the University of Illinois' Mortenson International Library Program.

While Gulya began her career with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and later a diploma in Library Sciences, the scholarship program really allowed her to gain more practical experience while travelling the world-an opportunity for which Gulya remains extremely grateful.

She adapted well to the American way of life too, being drawn almost immediately to the warmth and helpfulness of the people, the sophistication of the architecture, and of course the food, whose variety she says is a unique reflection on the diversity of its people. "American steak is my favorite," she says.

Gulya lived in the Goodwin-Green apartments and even attended a few events at Wesley's Etcetera International Coffeehouse. Gulya met her husband while working in the Slavic Library. Gulya says that when she first learned of the food pantry's mission to assist low-income families, it reminded her of the suffering that took place during the period of Civil War in Tajikistan. She recalls how dangerous and unsafe it was for families to leave their homes in search of food. The food pantry reminds her that "no matter where you live, people need help and they need nutritious foods."

Gulya has been volunteering with the food pantry for over a year now. The biggest challenge for Gulya is wishing that she could give more and do more. As a child, Gulya enjoyed reading with her mother, dancing, and singing in the choir. The second eldest sibling in a blended family, Gulya says that some of her favorite memories were being able to accompany her younger sisters to their gymnastic practices. They would later go on to represent Tajikistan at an important gymnastics event in Moscow.

Nowadays, when Gulya is not working or volunteering for the pantry, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, playing at the park, playing soccer, and swimming. She also enjoys her own personal "Gulya-Time"–a time Gulya sets aside for reading books and listening to classical composers like Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Bach, and Rachmaninoff. Gulya, thank you for your volunteer service!

Ebony Umoja

Within the University of Illinois Undergraduate Residence Hall network there exist a plethora of cultural groups and organizations that aim to foster a sense of community, cultural exchange, and dialogue amongst its residents. One such group is Ebony Umoja, a program of the Illinois Street Residence Hall (ISR), which operates under the larger umbrella entity that is the Central Black Student Union.

Like many of its sister organizations, Ebony Umoja (which means Black Unity), grew out of a historical response to both the 1965 Higher Education Act which sought to make university more accessible to previously underprivileged communities, and a nation-wide dialogue on race relations in America. Its mission was to support African American students on campus who, despite having gained acceptance to the university, often felt isolated and unwelcome due to inherent racial prejudices. Today the organization aims to promote "unity, awareness, and fun" for all interested members. The organization holds weekly meetings throughout the academic year to encourage open discussions centered on the topics of race, gender, religion and human rights.

They don't always take themselves so seriously though. Besides deep intellectual discussions, the gang enjoys many social gatherings like Game Nights, Karaoke, and Lip-Sync Battles.

Ebony Umoja decided to volunteer with the Wesley Food Pantries when plans fell through for their annual trip to the Central Illinois Food Bank in Springfield. They realized that you don't actually have to go far in order to give back to the community.

Pictured above (from left to right) are four of the organization's most active members at their first time volunteering with the Parkland food pantry:

Skylar is a general member who has been active for two years. Even though she doesn't live at ISR she says everybody loves having her around, which is why they continue to let her into the building. Watch out for Skylar, the others warn. "She thinks she's Beyoncé."
DaShawn serves as the primary liaison between Ebony Umoja and the Central Black Student Union. His birth name is DaShawn, but you may refer to him as Usher Raymond because his singing and dancing skills are legendary.
Every RSO needs an advisor, which is where Cleda comes in. She handles the organization's budget and helps to provide support for all of the organization's programs, meetings, and events. Cleda often wonders why there aren't many young people with her name.
Finally, Cashmere is the president of Ebony Umoja. She oversees all meetings and handles the agenda as well as the email inquiries. She is just happy she wore her Ebony Umoja t-shirt to volunteer and that her afro is looking cute.

Ebony Umoja, thank you for your volunteer service!

Lynda Luman

An Illinoisan to the core, Lynda grew up in Western Illinois on a farm outside of a small town called Fairview. Before settling down in the CU area, Lynda also had the pleasure of being able to call Bloomington-Normal, Macomb, and DeKalb home. For two years she attended Spoon River Junior College before transferring, earning a degree in Elementary Education from Western Illinois University, and marrying her high school sweetheart Don.

While her husband pursued his PhD., Lynda began a rewarding nine-year teaching career—five years of first grade, followed by one year of second grade and three years of third grade. Lynda taught in self-contained classrooms where one educator is responsible for developing the materials for a diverse set of subject matter—which Lynda didn't actually mind doing. As long as she could keep "helping [the children] and seeing them grow throughout the year." Eventually, though, Lynda and Don were able to have two children of their own: sons Bryan and Nathan, who Lynda says are a very special, important part of her life.

After teaching Lynda worked for eleven years as a librarian at the DeKalb Public Library, which allowed her to get back to a long-time childhood favorite: reading! Reading was always her favorite subject in school. As a young child she spent hours devouring pages of "just about anything." She would later be offered positions at the University of Illinois Main Stacks and the Education and Social Services Library, cleaning up records and serials—or to put it in laymen's terms—"technical stuff." For Lynda, it's all in the details. "Each journal has its own little quirks," she says. In fact, it's that very sharp attention to detail which pushed Lynda to help organize the food pantry number card system, a job that has taken her and other volunteers almost a year to complete! Luckily, Lynda isn't easily discouraged. "I like to see a project completed," she admits.

Nowadays you can also find Lynda staffing the registration table during evening food pantry distributions at Wesley. That's because when she retired from the library, Lynda vowed to use her retirement to help others. She also makes it a habit of volunteering at Eastern Illinois Food Bank food mobiles in neighboring counties. And though it may be a bit of a drive on Saturday mornings, Lynda argues that when it comes to serving others, "that's not a challenge."

Phi Gamma Nu

Phi Gamma Nu is a national, professional, co-ed Business Fraternity whose Beta Pi Chapter operates out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Composed of about 150 members, chapter president Joseph Allegretti refers to the organization as "a tight-knit family." In fact, he says, they're all pretty close friends and it's "impossible not to know everyone." Perhaps he owes his matter-of-fact confidence to the structure of the organization itself, which aims to foster a deep sense of warmth and camaraderie amongst its members.

Granted all prospective applicants must first undergo a rigorous three-cycle selection process in which both group and individualized interviews are held to determine the ideal candidates. This spring semester alone, the Executive Board has been able to whittle a whopping 375 applicants down to 29 Spring 2015 inductees.

Okay, so joining PGN is no cake walk, to say the least, but after all that hard work and dedication, the rest is virtually smooth sailing. That's right, it's home sweet home. Quite literally! New inductees benefit from the organization's Pledge Family System which pairs them with older members who act as their pledge parents. Younger members are required to reach out to older members for bonding time and in return, the older, more seasoned members show them the tricks of the trade—which includes (but is not limited to)endless Barcrawls and Barndances, Formals, a host of Game Nights and Movie Nights, and all-you-can-eat Sundaes on Sunday. If you haven't guessed it already, being social is written into the Phi Gamma Nu genetic code and represents one of the organization's three main pillars of Excellence.

With all that partying you're probably asking yourself when they even have time for school and, quite frankly, sleep! But as it turns out, these guys know a thing or two about striking the right balance. That's because while PGN members certainly know how to have a good time, they also recognize the importance of personal responsibility, as evidenced by the final two Pillars of Excellence: Professionalism and Philanthropy. In addition to member-oriented career development events, students are also highly active in the community. Assisting children with homework and playing kickball at the Don Moyer Boys Girls Club, caring for animals at a local animal shelter, working on homes with Habitat for Humanity, and volunteering at the Champaign Nursing Home are among several of their favorites. As for the pantry, we have none other than Philanthropy Chair Daniel Amram to thank. Amram and other committee members were in search of diverse service opportunities and stumbled upon the food pantry, believing it to be new and "different from other organizations." Lucky for PGN, we can't get enough of new volunteers! Phi Gamma Nu Members, including chapter president Joseph Allegretti, are pictured at their first time visiting the Wesley Food Pantry at Parkland College.

Phi Gamma Nu, thank you for your volunteer service!

Clyde Snyder

Do you know Clyde? If you've spent any time at the Evening Food Pantry, we're willing to bet you recognize his face (or at the very least his signature neon orange suspenders!). "When you're around a long time, people know you," he says.

Described by close friends as hard-working and reliable, Clyde Snyder is a retired United Methodist pastor who also preaches at Allerton on Sunday mornings. Besides that, we also know him as one of two Setup Coordinators, chairperson of the food pantry's executive board, one of two main Cleanup Coordinators, and the general Go-to Guy on pantry night.

"Clyde, all the students are gone." Those are the words that reportedly set in motion a chain of events that eventually led to Clyde's involvement with the Wesley Evening Food Pantry. The vast majority of pantry volunteers are University students and anyone who has volunteered over the summer or even over Winter Break can attest to the challenges we face when more than half of our volunteers pack up and go home for the holidays. When asked how he came into the role as Setup and Cleanup Coordinator, Clyde says that somehow someone thought it was a good idea. He admits that not having enough volunteers can be difficult to manage and could mean a long night for those working on cleanup, but he keeps coming because he loves joking around with volunteers and interacting with clients. "I know that I can help hungry people find food," he says.

And then there's the whole sandwich thing. If you're lucky enough to be volunteering inside of Clyde's domain—the west side of the building, that is—then you've probably experienced the Turkey Ham Subway Sandwich phenomenon. That's right. Every Third Thursday night, the shopping lines aren't open for business untilafterClyde has finished his Subway sandwich. Yet he insists that it's not comparable to the type of rituals athletes perform before big games or after scoring touchdowns. For Clyde it's actually much simpler than that: It's about health and wellness. If Clyde were to eat his lunch at noon like he normally does, then on pantry night he would have to wait until well after 9:30 in order to eat dinner. And that's enough to make anyone a little bit cranky. Luckily for Clyde and his Subway sandwich, we prefer seeing Clyde as his normal, chipper self.

When Clyde is not at the pantry he enjoys planting flowers, doing yard work at his home in Mahomet, and traveling in his camper with his lovely wife Nancy. Their last big trip was to the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Clyde and Nancy have two kids and four grandchildren.

Clyde, thank you for your volunteer service!

Natalie Uhl

No stranger to Small Town, USA, Natalie is the youngest of five siblings from Sioux City, Iowa. When asked about her hometown she admits that population-wise, Sioux City is not unlike Champaign. However it's the distinct presence of the university that gives Champaign-Urbana its unique flair—at least part of the reason for which Natalie decided to stick around after earning a PhD in Anthropology. And it was not easy. Natalie maintains that her life as a graduate student and young professional was radically different from her undergraduate years spent at Iowa State. Whereas before there had been time for parties and social gatherings, graduate work had proved to be quite isolating as social time gave way to more intensive reading, research, and time-management. "You're very focused on yourself and your work," Natalie argues.

Natalie got involved with the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO), an organization whose aim is to support and protect the labor rights of graduate workers. In fact, it is through the GEO that Natalie started volunteering with the food pantry in January of 2010. She says that now she can see how the GEO's ideals are closely aligned with one of the pantry's fundamental principles: to provide emergency food items to families during the evening hours so that clients do not feel the pressure of having to leave work early or take a lengthy lunch break in order to get the food that they need.

Though Natalie's initial approach at the Evening Pantry had been to take on various volunteer positions in order to obtain a bird's eye perspective of how everything operates, we now recognize her as Setup Coordinator Supreme. Natalie arrives at the pantry on Wednesday night after the food has been delivered and taken off of the truck. She arranges the hallway signs so that volunteers know where food items belong and delegates tasks to volunteers like seeing to it that shopping carts are brought up from The Dungeon and making sure that bread and bakery items are properly sorted. Volunteer turnover is one of the most challenging aspects of her role as Setup Coordinator, Natalie admits. A lot of the people who volunteer for setup have not actually seen the pantry in motion, which makes it difficult to conceptualize. And yet Natalie still enjoys helping out because according to her, "it's just fun."

When Natalie isn't at the pantry she's probably teaching classes at Parkland or spending time with her boyfriend Robbie.

Natalie, thank you for your volunteer service!