Province man active food bank volunteer

If you happen to see a large, maroon GMC van crammed with grocery bags where a backseat normally would be leaving Bashas’ or Fry’s in Maricopa, or even the Chandler Costco, chances are it’s on its way to the F.O.R.(Food Opportunity Resources) Maricopa food bank and Lloyd Clark is behind the wheel.

Clark, 83, lives in Province with his wife Lee Anne and has been a volunteer at the food bank since 2007.

Clark said he removed the back seat from his van to create more space for his food pickups at grocery stores. And during the holidays, when some local residents will make large donations to the food bank, Clark will drive to their homes to collect the food.

“Christmas and Thanksgiving are a busy time because people call with donations,” he said.

As a retired house painting contractor who moved to Maricopa from Arlington Heights, Ill., in 2006, Clark said he had a lot of free time on his hands, and when F.O.R. Maricopa Executive Director Wendy Webb made a presentation at his church, Community of Hope, he decided to get involved a little at a time.

Clark said one of the first things he did at the food bank was help redo the floor in the mobile home it occupied on Gunsmoke Road. A handyman, Clark built several pieces of furniture in his house, including an entertainment center and a china cabinet.

“I think the first action I did was when they said they needed somebody to help with the flooring. They had to take the carpet out and replace it with tile for health reasons,” he said.

“(Mayor) Tony Smith was laying the tile, so I got more involved from there.”

From helping out here and there, Clark is now one of the most active volunteers, Webb said.

“He is an amazing volunteer,” she said. “He has been here right from the beginning and we adore him. He is a wonderful artist and he donated some of his pieces for some of our events.”