Food bank gets answer to prayer with truck donation

The Southeast Missouri Food Bank’s prayers were answered recently, albeit in a somewhat unexpected way. First Presbyterian Church, through one its members, donated a refrigerator truck to the organization, which does important work with mobile food pantries.

During a mission committee meeting at the church, then-SEMO Food Bank executive director Karen Green talked about the need for a refrigerated truck that would cost about $150,000. The church would not be able to pay the full amount, but one member, Dr. Jana Tuck, said her husband, Willie Bahn, had one not in use and would be willing to donate it.

“Willie had been using the truck in a former business of his,” church treasurer Charlie Wiles told the Southeast Missourian, “but it was just sitting on his farm. We went out and looked at it, and things developed from there. I like to say I was at a meeting where Willie Bahn’s wife gave his truck away.”

The truck is 15 years old and has approximately 180,000 miles on its odometer. With about $15,000 in mechanical work completed, the truck is now in use.

“I have many projects I’ve thought about using it for, but my wife realized I would probably not get to many of them and thought this was a good thing to do,” Bahn told business editor Jay Wolz, adding with a laugh, “It was kind of out of my hands at that point.”

Hats off to Bahn, Tuck and First Presbyterian Church for their generosity and active engagement with the community, showing God’s love in a tangible way to the food bank and, ultimately, all those who benefit from its services. May God bless your efforts.