Thanking a retiring super volunteer for her time and dedication to the community

After years of lending her time and kind-hearted spirit to organizations in the community, Kathy Rowe is stepping into retirement. A commonly seen friendly face at Tennille’s Hope Soup Kitchen and the Whitecourt Food Bank, Rowe is praised by her fellow volunteers as being the best part of their day. Lori Coffey, food bank director, said she credits Rowe for her position and for helping her become the person she is today.

“She has been at the food bank for over twenty years, longer than me! She rolled with me through so many changes from when we were in a basement with three shelves. It was the smallest food bank ever, basically a closet, so we went from the closet to where we are now,” chuckled Coffey. “She rolled with every change and is the easiest person to work with. She is the sweetest person ever.”

Coffey said that Rowe’s retirement leaves her sad for what she will miss but happy for the time that Rowe will now have to do whatever she wants. “She has the sweetest English accent that hasn’t faded at all, and she gives you her grandmotherly advice in that voice, and it’s just the best. Even down to the perfume she wears, which I can always smell before seeing her.”

At 83 years young, Rowe has played a significant role in Coffey’s life as they worked side by side. “She doesn’t look 83 at all. She’s honestly such an incredible person. I’m so sad to be losing her. Everything will be different now because it was always her and I. I get it, though. It’s a lot. She said this is a young man’s game, and I totally get that.”

Rowe’s last day at the food bank was on Monday, April 11, but only because Coffey insisted she stay for two more days to have a proper party. “She pulled me aside and randomly told me she was leaving and that that day was her last. I said, no way, you can’t do that,” laughed Coffey. “I made her promise to come for two more days so that we could celebrate her retirement properly, which she did.”

The food bank today would not be the same if it weren’t for Rowe, said Coffey. “When I started, the place was unorganized, and I’m an organized person. So, I came in, and I kind of took over by organizing and cleaning up the shelves. Kathy came in one day and saw that and asked who did the work, and I said that I had. She said it was much better and liked that things were rotated and neat and clean. The lady leaving the director’s position then approached me and asked if I wanted the job, and I had said no. I said that I would continue to work at the food bank but didn’t want that role specifically. Kathy pulled me aside and told me that I should take the job, that it would be perfect for me,” reminisced Coffey.

“I didn’t think the job was right for me, but Kathy was certain that it was. She could see me better than I could at that time. Over the next few months, the lady leaving ended up training me without saying that’s what she was doing,” laughed Coffey. “I thought it was weird that I was doing extra things, but I went along with it and took it all in. She tricked me and trained me, ha-ha!”

Coffey said when they finally put the call out for resumes to take over the director’s role, she had already been doing the job for six months, three as a trainee and three on her own. “I did not put in my resume. When she realized I hadn’t, Kathy pulled me aside and said that this was the job for me and that I needed to take it. So, I applied very quickly, and the rest is history. I wouldn’t have even walked into the interview room had it not been for Kathy. Obviously, she was right. It was the job for me. I’ve been here 17 years, and it’s because of her. She pushed me into a path of where I was meant to be. I’m grateful to her for having that impact on me.”

Through Coffey’s life changes, Kathy was her constant, giving advice and support at work and off the clock. “I’m going to have to bug her and call her up just to chat because I’ve really taken for granted that she’s always just been there, and I just expect to continue seeing her and listening to her stories.”

Coffey said that she loves Rowe’s wit and her blunt nature. “We are making April 11 Kathy Day at the food bank forever. She’s a spectacular human being.” One thing about Rowe that will always stick out for Coffey is one of her talents on the outside. “She’s a clog dancer. Here’s this awesome little dancer, and you would never, ever know that she was in her eighties. She’s so different from anybody else. She is an amazing woman, and I am very grateful to have had her all this time at the food bank.”

Coffey said she cherishes all the things that Rowe taught her. “She didn’t put up with anything. Kathy has a wit that nobody else has, and I’m going to miss that. She also brings a calming attitude. When things are going haywire, she’s chill, and she provides that soothing vibe that we all look to her for. We all go to Kathy.”

Last week was National Volunteer Week, a time to publicly thank volunteers for their gift of time and self to the community. Coffey, and the food bank staff, thank Rowe for her dedication and congratulate her on her retirement. Happy clogging, Kathy!