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Retired professor Don Landon sums up the importance of volunteering as “a way of not only expressing your gratitude for the opportunities that the community gave you as you grew up and worked, but it’s also a way to continue to fulfill your sense of worth in life.”

Landon has donated his time at Ozarks Food Harvest for two years. He’s part of the Wednesday morning group who have formed friendships that carry on outside of the Volunteer Center. They get together for a monthly meal.

Landon said, “There’s a very close fellowship between all of us … the people here have invited me to play golf with them and there’s just continuing connections with people.”

Before retiring, Landon was a sociology professor at Missouri State for 35 years. “I loved teaching, it was among the happiest years of my life,” he said.

Landon often thinks about how the food going through the sorting line will soon end up on the plates of those in need. “I’ve been aware that there is hunger in the country, but I’ve never been as deeply aware of how critical the hunger issue is particularly in our area,” he said.

Landon enjoys spending his retirement volunteering in a different type of setting than he worked in during his professional life. “I’ve discovered that it’s important to have something to do every day of your life. It gives you a reason to get up in the morning,” Landon said.

“When you get older, your sense of significance in the world tends to decline because there is so much that you can’t do any longer. Volunteering is a remarkable opportunity for me.”