We live in a society with plenty of people who crave fame. It’s almost as if there is a competition to do the most outlandish thing—regardless of the consequences or impact on others—just to have your name discussed in public.
In reality, most of the good deeds that impact eternity are done when very few people, if any, are watching. The best acts of service are done not to benefit the one doing the act, but the one receiving. And sometimes, even the recipient doesn’t know. For instance, most of the people you benefit when you participate in a FtH Packathon will never meet you or have a chance to say “Thank you.”
Feed the Hunger is fortunate to receive help from thousands of hard-working people who give their time and treasure to serve the needy by packing nutritious food. There are a few volunteers who help us in significant ways, going beyond the Packathon. One such helper who has become invaluable is Randy Hite. In fact, we often joke that he is a “volunteer” staff member.
I met Randy for the first time in January 2010. It was just after the powerful earthquake in Haiti. Randy’s church called FtH to offer their resources to help the desperate people of Haiti. They informed me that they were assigning two members of their church to head up their Haiti response. Randy was one of those members. Since then, he has been eager to help FtH wherever we have a need.
We traveled together to Haiti several times over the next two years. During that time, Randy began leading short-term mission trips there on behalf of FtH. He has also coordinated construction projects to rebuild from the earthquake and to improve schools with which we partner in Haiti. Once the push to help Haitians after the earthquake had quieted down, Randy immersed himself fully into FtH’s partnerships in eastern Kentucky. He has led the majority of our short-term trips to Kentucky and knows the ministry side of things there as well as any of our staff.
Beyond leading short-term trips for FtH, Randy helps us as a “weekend warrior” at Packathons when needed. He really knows how to handle himself in a hairnet! Randy has also helped with construction and remodeling at our warehouse. He has helped to make the building much more secure and has renovated bathrooms to help us meet code. Right now he is constructing a dedicated room in our warehouse where we will store our Packathon equipment and utensils.
From helping us lead trips to running Packathons to building construction, Randy has been a significant help. He has also become a good personal friend and brother along the way. He doesn’t do it for the fanfare and would probably frown at me if he knew I was writing this about him. But it’s good for us to honor those to whom honor is due. We, as a staff, are very thankful for Randy and are convinced that his heavenly account is abounding with rewards that only our loving Father can bestow on him in eternity!
Scott Hahn | Packathon Director