Food Pantry Director's 'Darkest Days' Inspired Volunteerism

Sixteen years ago, Kathie Johnson faced her "darkest days."

Her husband died unexpectedly and she was left to raise two children while facing severe financial hardship. She turned to others for help and decided then that she would pay it forward when she got back on her feet.

Now she's the family services manager for , running a food pantry and offering others the support she desperately relied on years ago.

"I depended on the generosity of others for a very long time," she said. "That's when I really started to volunteer. It's the best medicine you can give yourself when you’re feeling depressed."

Johnson, now 56, said her husband died after heart problems went undetected. She was left without much money to raise 17-year-old Brent and 14-year-old Kim. The township's food pantry didn't open until 1998, so for a few years "things were very dark."

"I concentrated everything I had on keeping the house and getting my son to school. That’s when I really had to come to grips that I couldn’t pay the bills. I was fortunate to have great help from friends and family."

The help she received inspired Johnson to find new ways she could volunteer. She's a member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, and through that actually started a drive for the food pantry when she heard it had to turn people away because of a lack of food. She's also volunteered at her church, in local schools and is now a big part of ShareFest and the Safe Communities Coalition.

Her volunteer experience is part of what helped her land the job as family services manager in 2008, township supervisor Bill McCollum said. Since Johnson has taken that job, which she originally offered to do without pay, McCollum has been impressed.

"Every month there are more and more individuals coming to the food pantry, and she's been able to expand it both in size and by making contacts with various service organizations and volunteer groups," he said.

When Johnson started in 2008, just when the economy was taking a turn for the worse, she remembers getting only 15 to 20 families in every week. In June 2011, .

As the economy got worse and more people started coming, Johnson's role became vital. Many people were laid off and trying to navigate a new world of unemployment benefits and food assistance—an experience all too familiar for Johnson.

But her own challenges in life can serve as an inspiration to many, and a benefit for those in need of help. She's been there before and can help them wade through the muck. Johnson remembers dealing with bureaucrats and feeling like a number, a feeling she never wants township residents to have.

"I never had the opportunity to go to college to be a social worker, but this is the next best thing," Johnson said. "I try to be as understanding as possible because I was in that lifeboat before. They get insulted, belittled.

"They come in here beat up."

Johnson's kindness and willingness to listen led some pantry users to pay it forward like Johnson has, promising to give back when they can. She said she gets a lot of donations from people who used to take food.

Last year, she got a card with a $100 check for the food pantry. It read, "Thank you. We had the holidays because of you."

Want to help the food pantry? Call the township at 815-485-6431.