Editorial: GV Food Bank loses gracious, caring manager

The Green Valley Community Food Bank manager makes a major difference in the lives of Green Valley and Sahuarita residents.

Lisa Kemper, who resigned as manager last week to accept a job with a non-profit group advocating literacy in Tucson, was a special person whose contributions will be missed in our community. We wish the Tucson Community Food Bank, which operates the Green Valley food bank as a branch, had offered her more money, or maybe a regional director’s position of some kind, to keep her. Alas, it was not to be.

The 37-year-old Sahuarita resident was part therapist, social worker and business leader as she oversaw the Green Valley operation. She dealt with clients in desperate straits, people who needed basic necessities to survive. She did it with grace and dignity, even though the situations were often heart-breaking and unbelievable.

Kemper recalled one unemployed woman with children who came in, seeking assistance, The woman mentioned it was her daughter’s birthday. Kemper, whose personal touch helped her increase volunteer hours and contributions to the food bank significantly, found a birthday cake for the mother, whose tears said thank you in a special moment that money, or a higher salary, could not buy.

In the real world, money matters, so Kemper has moved to a job where she will earn a higher salary and make a difference in tackling literacy.

“I loved my job at the food bank and will miss it terribly,” said Kemper, who started work in Green Valley in December 2005. “I think we made a difference and am proud of the work our 150 volunteers and staff did.”

The food bank will find a replacement who will benefit from the ties and relationships Kemper established. The new manager will find it easier to talk to churches and other groups who make charitable donations.

The hard part will be the day-to-day problem hunger poses in Green Valley and Sahuarita. Every month, the food bank attracts more clients who need food and assistance. The problem is growing in Sahuarita, where some young families are having trouble with higher interest rates and lower pay increases. The hunger pains are being felt in Green Valley, where many senior citizens are on fixed incomes and have to choose between food, medication, utilities or gasoline.

The Green Valley Community Food Bank meets its budget, even when other food bank branches do not. Green Valley and Sahuarita residents and volunteers are generous with their time and money, making sure the food supply does not dwindle here. Even during peak months for demand, the shelves were stocked in Kemper’s two years on the job.

With the increase in donations, the Green Valley food bank was approved to buy another truck and install refrigeration to pick up food from area groceries. The new truck will be essential once the Fry’s Marketplace opens in Rancho Sahuarita. It’s also vital if Green Valley hopes to keep its fresh-milk program. With the skyrocketing cost of milk and the inability to keep it fresh, other food bank locations have been forced to give it up.

Hopefully, the new truck and manager will help the Green Valley Food Bank provide nutritious meals in the future. Fruits and vegetables are tough to keep fresh, even if they’re picked up immediately after donation.

“Hunger is a real issue here, and a growing issue,” Kemper said. “People need to continue to support the food bank with canned donations and money.”

With a keen eye for detail, Kemper added: “What the Green Valley Food Bank needs right now is canned corn and canned peas, and people would like to see more meat and cheese available.”

We imagine it will be hard for Kemper to forget about the food bank. She will no longer fall asleep at night wondering about cans of soup and vegetables. She might not worry as much as she did about the faces who came in regularly for help. She’ll probably forget about the goodwill her professionalism created.

We will not forget the difference she made in the lives or ordinary people, and we thank her for her service.

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