I am so happy to present to you Tim Burkholder, Second Helpings’ Volunteer of the Month for February 2024! I am so grateful for Tim’s dedication and tremendous efforts to recruit and speak on behalf of Second Helpings and the work we do. I am looking forward to other folks joining our amazing volunteer team based on your love for our mission.

Learn more about Tim in his own words below.

How did you become involved with Second Helpings?

I was impressed with the mission and organization of Second Helpings when Joyce and Bob Coalson gave the outreach group from Allisonville Christian Church a tour in 2013. When I retired in 2018 I started volunteering at Second Helpings.

What things have you done since you began volunteering with us?

My mother was a Home Economics teacher and I was an organic chemist. I have always enjoyed cooking and stirring mixtures in flasks of all sizes. I volunteer cooking on the tilt and I have also delivered meals to partner organizations.

What have you liked best about volunteering with us?

I enjoy my weekly volunteering sessions on the tilts cooking delicious and nutritious meals Monday mornings with a group of friends, Ron Pettigrew, Nelson Lentz, Alan Warshawsky, Dave Kahn, and Leslie Kahn.

What are you most proud of accomplishing through your volunteer work here?

I am proud to volunteer at an organization which is working to reduce hunger, food waste, and poverty in Central Indiana. I’m especially proud to be part of a very productive team that has prepared and delivered over 7.5 million meals to “neighbors in need” since 2018!

What do you do when you’re not volunteering with us?

I love spending time with my wife, Carolyn, our 4 children, Elizabeth, Robbie, Olivia, and Andrew and his 3 grandchildren, Teagan, Bennett and Samuel. During my retirement I also enjoy having more time for hobbies like riding bikes, RV camping, and sailing on Lake Michigan with family and friends. I recently started learning how to play pickleball.

Do you volunteer for any other organization?

I volunteered in 2018, 2019, and 2023 as a build volunteer team leader at Habitat for Humanity Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Projects in Mishawaka, Indiana; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

You might be surprised to know my and Carolyn’s border collie, Thaddeus, the super dog, was named after Thaddeus Stevens the congressman from Tim’s home state of Pennsylvania who worked with Abraham Lincoln to push Congress to pass a constitutional amendment abolishing slavery.