By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
ELLIS — Leonard Schoenberger has a heart for the needy of his hometown.
He was honored Sunday for his 18 years of service to the Ellis Food Pantry.
Schoenberger, 81, was born and raised in Ellis. He was a police officer in Ellis for a time, but spent much of his professional career in the trucking industry in south-central Kansas.
When he retired in 2000, he returned to Ellis. In 2002, he said he saw a need to help the hungry in his home community and helped found the Ellis Food Boxes Program.
"When I moved back, I saw the families were very deserving and needing help," he said. "The longer I worked in it, the longer I saw, the more I saw that it was something that was very important.
"A lot of them didn't realize — some of them in Ellis didn't realize — the need was there. When people call you and tell you that all they have left in their cupboard is a can of corn and don't know where to go for help ... The food bank has served a lot of people."
The group was preparing food boxes at the gym at the St. Mary's Catholic School gym. Initially, organizers picked five families to help.
The food assistance program slowly grew and moved from location to location during Schoenberger's leadership. The pantry was located at his house at one point, in the basement of the Ellis Railroad Museum and now the non-perishable goods are kept in a storage unit behind the Ellis Casey's convenience store.
The food pantry program came under the umbrella of Community of Ellis Foundation in 2011. Today, the pantry is open once a month with special food boxes assembled during the holidays.
"The whole community of Ellis was very [involved]," Schoenberger said. "Organizations, the students and schools, the churches have all donated the food. It's been a blessing to be a part of something that has been so fantastic. You start and you see it coming to this point."
Schoenberger estimated thousands of people have helped over the years by the food pantry.
Just the pantry's holiday program serves 130 to 15o families per year. The program also has helped transients on referral. The pantry does not ask for proof of income, only that those served have a need for food.
"It's been a great challenge, but a great feeling," he said. "
Schoenberger wanted to make sure to credit the many volunteers who make the pantry possible. About 10 volunteers are needed every time the pantry is open.
"It doesn't just take one organization," he said. "It takes a whole community to make things happen. That is where we are at today. That's a good thing. It's the greatest thing that could happen in a community."
Althea Groff, Millie Winderscheidt and Rita Younger have been named the new co-directors of the food bank.
"We are hoping to do as good a job as Leonard did," Groff said," and to keep things going in the best way that we can."
However, the women acknowledged they would have big shoes to fill.
"He has a very caring heart for all the people who we have served," Groff said.
Pauleen Edmonds, Community Foundation of Ellis president, was on hand at a reception Sunday during which Schoenberger was presented a plaque for his service.
"As we started to plan for this day, we thought we wanted to come up with one word such as thankful, gratitude, dedication, blessed — a word that would describe Leonard," Edmonds said. "We could not come up with just one word because all of those words describe Leonard."
The pantry appreciates the continued food and monetary support. Contact one of the co-directors about your donation or leave a message at 785-726-2660.