Compassion in Louisville feeds a hunger
When John Hackett arrived in Louisville 30 years ago, the Kroger Co. executive decided the grocer and its employees needed to show more compassion for the community.
In the process, his heart grew for feeding the hungry.
The long-time Dare to Care board member, donor, volunteer and booster has used his considerable influence to line up millions of pounds in food donations. He convinced Kroger to install "Care Barrels" at each store to collect donated groceries.
He conceived the idea of starting a commercial kitchen to prepare meals that now go out to 1,000 youngsters at Kids Café feeding sites.
He and his wife Kay have also dug deep to support the nonprofit that distributed 15 million meals, along with 6 million pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables last year, to soup kitchens and community food banks.
"I feel like I have an obligation because I can," Hackett said.
The 69-year-old retiree is a shining light, a guy whose passion has strengthened and sustained Dare to Care in ways big and small, said Brian Riendeau, the food bank's executive director.
Giving, and the generosity of Louisvillians like Hackett, is on the minds of nonprofit leaders across the community now as more than 360 groups marshal forces for the second Give Local Louisville this Thursday.
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The effort is a 24-hour blitz where the community is asked to give online to their favorite efforts and causes. It's drawn well-known groups such as Dare to Care, the Kentucky Science Center, Kentucky Humane Society and Hand in Hand Ministries; as well as lower-profile players, Doctor and Lawyers for Kids and Best Buddies, for example.
Many are organizing events — drum circles, open houses and social media campaigns — to draw attention to the day because supporters liken it to a loaves-and-fishes buffet where the offerings multiply. The Community Foundation of Louisville, and other partners including LG&E and KU Energy, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kentucky and Sam Swope Auto Group, provide funds that are matched proportionately to what's raised by each organization.
Last year, the first Give Local raised $1.89 million for 166 nonprofits on the strength of 2,593 donations. The foundation and sponsors provided $128,300 in proportionate match and prize funds, foundation spokeswoman Cara Baribeau said.
This year, several organizations, including Dare to Care, have upped their fundraising goals after a successful first run. Dare to Care, on Fern Valley Road, met its goal of $3,500 last time, so the staff and board set a $10,000 target this round. They will urge friends to step up with blasts over email, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
"We increased our goal because we feel that the event itself has bigger momentum this year," spokeswoman Kate Chandler said.
When looking at $6.7 million in revenues raised last fiscal year, $10,000 plus a match is a comparatively "small number," Riendeau said, but Give Local also offers a fresh opportunity to tell the community "who we are and what we do every day, just raising awareness about hunger."
Riendeau echoed Metro United Way and other nonprofit leaders in praising the generosity of people in Louisville and surrounding counties for stepping up when a call goes out for donations. National groups that track philanthropic giving point to cities like Louisville as a place where giving levels outpace comparable measures of per capita income.
As in other areas, the data show that while the wealthy are giving less, working-class and middle-income families have increased their annual donations to churches and charities, despite wage stagnation and higher costs of living. Dare to Care officials say the support of everyday folks is crucial.
Some 22,000 people write a donation check annually, at an average of $65 each, Riendeau said, adding that "we have people who have been donating to us for 10, 12 years," often a couple of times a year.
In a rank of 199 U.S. food banks under the Feeding America network, the area's "penetration" numbers rank 37th, or the top 20 percent. That means that 16 people of every 1,000 donate directly to the organization.
Leaders at the food bank worried when the economic recession hit in 2008 that donations would dive because people lost jobs and many who didn't cashed smaller paychecks. The organization saw demand for emergency food assistance soar, Riendeau said.
But the organization's revenues — from individual, corporations, churches and others — rose in the last six year in dramatic fashion, from from $2.7 million at the end of fiscal 2009 to $6.7 million as fiscal 2015 ended in June. "The community rallied. It really makes you feel good," Riendeau said.
Joe Tolan, Metro United Way's CEO, said the organization ranks 42nd nationally when measured by the population in Louisville and six surrounding counties, and 28th when measured by funds raised annually. "That is a very positive differential and a testimony to the generosity of our community," he said.
The group saw a 2.5-percent increase last year with $26.7 million in donations. It distributes to many human service organizations that have struggled to keep pace with needs of lower income families, even as the economy has rebounded.
The agency's annual fall campaign comes after the Fund for the Arts in the spring and the WHAS Crusade for Children, which raise a combined $12 million to $14 million each year. Many people also donate directly to their churches and other organizations, Tolan said.
Hackett, the Kroger retiree, recalled his mother's example. From the bounty of their large family farm in central Ohio, his mom always grabbed a dozen fresh eggs to take to neighbors. When he moved to Louisville more than 30 years ago, he said he thought Kroger as a corporation and its employees could do more to connect with its neighbors.
He joined Dare to Care's board in 1984, and helped the nonprofit buy a second truck and line up grocery employees to volunteer time to assist the charity's employees in learning computer skills.
A decade ago, Hackett, who was named president of the division in 1990, conceived an idea to have Kroger stores end a practice of disposing of meat nearing its "sell by" date in favor of freezing the chicken, beef and other products in a bin for pick up twice weekly by Dare to Care. Now, about 800,000 pounds from the grocer are distributed to food banks and soup kitchens.
Riendeau described Hackett's energy and expertise as "absolutely pivotal."
Like other big donors, the executive director said, Hackett's "not doing it for any kind of recognition."
Reporter Grace Schneider can be reached at 502-582-4082, or by email, gschneider@courier-journal.com.
WANT TO GIVE?
On Thursday, the second annual Give Local Louisville will feature a 24-hour, online "Give Day" to support local nonprofit organizations. More than 360 are registered. Every dollar given to local nonprofits will generate a proportionate match and prize dollars from the Community Foundation of Louisville and supporting partners. Online credit card giving will be held at https://www.givelocallouisville.org/ from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Thursday.