Connie Stahl, director of Whitney’s Our Daily Bread Food Bank, has won the AmeriCorps RSVP 2024 Volunteer of the Year Award to be presented at the McLennan Community College Conference Center in Waco Saturday, June 29, from noon to 3 p.m.
Stahl will be presented this honor by Congressman Pete Sessions and State Representative Doc Anderson during the annual RSVP Volunteer Recognition Event.
Approximately 200 volunteers, site managers and community representatives from the area will be in attendance.
“Connie is a small woman with a huge heart for helping others,” RSVP announced. “She truly makes a difference in the Lake Whitney area.”
The first memorandum of understanding with RSVP was signed in March 2004. Stahl and her husband, Robert, have been volunteering with RSVP at the food bank since that time.
Our Daily Bread Food Bank reports over 2,200 household members served each quarter. Stahl began volunteering at the food bank when she stopped one day after spotting the original Lake Whitney Our Daily Bread sign. She asked how she could help and learned the site did not have bread. Two days later, Stahl had arranged for a steady bread supply of 100 loaves a week, and she began actively working at the pantry.
Under the umbrella of the Lake Whitey Ministerial Alliance, Stahl quickly determined that they needed more space to serve the growing population of people and families that need food.
She and her team worked diligently to raise the needed funds to build the new food bank. Stahl has devoted herself to the organization three days a week ever since.
RSVP Program Director Susan Copeland said, “Connie is more than a wonderful volunteer; she is a true leader. She has vision, heart and a willingness to work hard for her community. She is truly remarkable.”
Stahl is humble, taking no direct credit for the success of the food bank. She talks openly about how much fun it is to work with the other volunteers and to problem solve with her team.
Stahl is responsible for ordering all food and training volunteers. She determines an adequate amount of food for each family and maintains much of the food bank’s records along with fundraising.
When asked why she continues this impactful work, she said that it’s fun, and people should always volunteer to help others.
With a smile and outreaching arms, Stahl asked, “Where else would I be?” Others asked, where would the thousands of clients be without Connie Stahl?
The Heart of Texas RSVP will also be celebrating 30 years under the federal management of AmeriCorps. The program has been sponsored and housed by McLennan Community College for almost 35 years in Waco and serves the six-county Heart of Texas area.
Stahl was selected for this award from hundreds of volunteers throughout the region.
The Lakelander 