Becky Peters, of Dowagiac, is a paraprofessional with Justus Gage Elementary who volunteers with ACTION Ministries, a coalition of local churches that provides support to those in need in the community. Peters currently serves on ACTION’s board of directors, as media liaison, and as the organizer of the program’s food pantry, located in the basement of its headquarters on Main Street.

How long have you volunteered with ACTION?

Since the beginning [in 2009], I believe.

How did you get involved?

I am a member of the First United Methodist Church. At the time, [Pastor] John Kasper was part of a ministerium, who would meet a couple times of year. We had some ideas of things to do. We started out doing a “trunk or treat” one year. The next year we asked a few more churches [to get involved], and the year after that we asked a few more. That is when John had the idea of talking with other pastors I had been talking to for the “trunk or treat,” and got together and made it something different than when it had been just pastors, ministers and priests. It just kind of evolved from there.

What was about the project that made you want to get involved?

It was because we had different denomination coming together and acting like one unit. It was like creating a totally different community. I loved learning about different denominations and what their beliefs, rituals and traditions were. That was fun for me to learn first-hand about other churches, and how and why they do certain things, and finding out that we have more in common than we don’t.

How did you get involved with the pantry?

It was probably a couple years after it had opened, around six years ago. We had some volunteer changes, and I volunteered to handle the Friday delivery. It kind of evolved from there.

What is it you find most rewarding about working in the pantry?

It is filling the need and seeing the people’s faith in other human beings change, just because we are giving them food. They are in need of it. Some of them don’t want to be in need of it, so when they receive from us, they receive it in love, and they know that. When you see their body language from “I don’t want to be here” to being grateful, that is what gives me satisfaction, knowing that we are filling that need.

We are doing what God has asked us to do, to feed the needy and love people who need to be loved. Sometimes they may come in for food, and other times they come in for food but need something else. Sometimes we can do that for them.

We can give them a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to, someone to pray with. Somebody once needed a baby crib, and someone else in the room had one they could use. We are creating a community of people who are helping each other, as well as just us helping people who walk through our doors.

Are others welcome to volunteer with the pantry?

Yeah. We would love to have many people as we can, teenagers on up. We would love to have as much help as we can get.

If someone wants to volunteer how can they do so?

They can call the ACTION number, at (269) 782-0000. Someone will call them back and let them what some possibilities are at what times and what we need from them. We can go from there.