This page is a look at the "behind the scenes" volunteers that make KM Care & Share possible.

What year is it? How long have we been doing this? As they say time flies when you're having fun and enjoy what you're doing! I believe we've been involved in K-M Care and Share since Day One. It goes back to when the Chamber of Commerce did Care and Share and the Lion's Club were doing Santa Anonymous. A great day happened when the two became one!  We got involved for 3 reasons. First because it was a Chamber-Sponsored Event, secondly because we sold & handled food, and thirdly because we knew there was a need for assistance for families having a tougher time, especially during the Holidays.

In the early years we would load up all the food and make multiple trips to the C.O. Brown Building. After a few years, we needed more room, so we moved to the old Peoples' Natural Gas Building, next to Dibble's. Again,we hauled everything over there. In 1999, we added 12,000 square feet to our store, which made enough room to run Care and Share out of the backroom. This cut my time and work in more than half.

Distribution Day is always a "feel good day"! Not only do the families receive their Holiday packages, it also begins my countdown to the final days before Christmas, which Scrooges like myself (in the Retail Business) love to see come!

The years have come and gone quickly and the details of K-M Care and Share history are a little foggy. Some really good people have been involved in the organization, some living and some who have passed away. There are fond memories of Joyce Hammond, Delores Meyer, Karl Shurson, Jo and Dick Palmer, and Ernie VanDerHyde. I have enjoyed working beside the Lions Club members and the Care and Share Board members all these years. The current Care and Share Board still has 4 or 5 of the original members on it, like myself.  I probably should never have mentioned names, because no doubt I forgot some really good people who contributed lots of time and effort, but it's never been about doing this to be recognized for any of us! This is a good thing we are doing and each year more good people step up, get involved, and keep it going.

I'll keep doing it as long as I can, because that's the way my Mom and Dad raised me!  - Mike Langan, Erdman's County Market/KM Care & Share Board of Directors.

How did you come to get involved in the community and eventually KM Care & Share?

First of all,  if someone told me 20 years ago that I would be living in a small town and living the “quiet life” I would have laughed in their face.  I was, after all, a “big city” girl (Rochester).   Things like randomly waving to people on the street seemed odd and getting directions that involved statements like “its right next to where doc jones used to live” sometimes had me running in circles.  Eventually I settled in (and bought a map).   As we started a family I saw the real benefit of “small town living” and the values and traditions that come along with that.  The people of this community have a real sense of duty to help others whenever they can and I wanted to become a bigger part of that.  I began that journey through our business by joining  the Kasson Chamber of Commerce .  Through my relationships there I learned of all the programs they were supporting (KM Care and Share being one of them).

At the time, my good friend Pat Dibble was the Auction Chair.  When Pat confided in me that she was ready to retire from that job I was eager to take on the task and give back to my new found home.

What is the biggest obstacle KM Care & Share faces?

I would have to say that the biggest obstacle we (KM Care & Share) have is getting people to realize that we aren’t  “just” a Christmas time charity.  Sure, we provide holiday meals and gifts for children who would otherwise go without – but its so much more than that.  We often provide various assistance for people who don’t qualify for other programs – from emergency assistance, natural disaster, handicapped assistance, fuel/heating assistance, school supplies for students…the list goes on. 

One way we have tried to get the word out is through our website (www.kmcareandshare.com).  Launched last year, it has put a face to our organization.  The website contains answers to our donors most frequent questions and  has proven to be a valuable resource for us.  This year we have even added the auction items to the site for viewing.

The other challenge is funding.  As Auction Chairs, Charlie (Sinnwell) and I are always looking for ways to improve and increase revenue.  As the needs of the community increase, so do the costs.  These are uncertain times for many of our neighbors which is why KM Care & Share is such an important life line for our community.

How would you sum up your past five years with KM Care & Share?

I will admit, the past five years have been a wild ride but I’ve had a great time, raised a good deal of money, made some great friends along the way and even managed to have 2 more kids in the middle of it all.  You would think that I would be tired after all that –but it’s the generosity of our community that keeps me going.  We may be a small town but we have BIG HEARTS.  I think the best summary though, would come from a conversation I had just the other day – he said to me “We have all the same needs as larger cities but a much smaller pool to meet those needs, which is why organizations like KM Care & Share are so important.” – I can’t argue with that.
Lisa Peterson, Peterson Appraisal Services/KM Care & Share Auction Chair

Care & Share - A United Effort
  My involvement with Care & Share goes back to my membership in the K-M Lions when they took over Santa Anonymous in 1981.  The Lions, the K-M High School FHA, and the K-M AFS Chapter all worked together to raise money to buy gifts for the children of needy families.  Later the Kasson Chamber of Commerce began the Care & Share project to provide food baskets for deserving families at Christmas.  It wasn't long before it was apparent that it would be beneficial for both groups to combine in a joint effort.  From the very beginning, the unique thing about the combined effort was the great support provided by so many different community groups.  Churches, civic groups, 4-H clubs, school groups, the American Legion, businesses, and many individuals united to provide the funds, resources and workers to successfully carry out each year's project.  One of the things that has kept me involved over the many years is the unselfishness of the volunteers involved.  The Care & Share program is run 100% by volunteers that represent various elements of the community.  They all donate their time, their talents, and resources without expecting any recognition or rewards.

Some people have been involved from the very beginning and others have come and gone over the years.  But new people have always stepped up to keep the program going.  Despite Care & Share's informal structure, it has evolved over the years to include more groups and meet the needs of local people at times other than Christmas.  While Care & Share still provides food and gifts to families at Christmas, it also has helped when fires have hit local families, it has contributed to the recover from flood damage, and through SEMCAC, provides help to K-M area families in a variety of ways throughout the year.

The time leading up to Christmas is the busiest time for Care & Share and the time of greatest rewards for those who are involved. The rewards come at the auction when you see the generosity of the K-M community in both the donations and the willingness to spend money for the support of Care & Share.  The second reward comes when gifts and food are distributed to the area families in December.  Over the years the K-M Lions have helped with this distribution and are able to see the many smiles (and many times the tears of joy) of those who are benefiting from the united community effort that is called Care & Share.  It is rewarding to see an effort that is run without any government intervention, by local volunteers, supported by the whole community to help their neighbors who are in need.  It represents all the good things about living in these two small towns that care.  - Ron Albright, Care & Share Secretary