Doing Good with Donna Petre and Least of These

Donna Petre grew up watching her mother look for ways to give back to the community. Opening her home for foster care and volunteering, she instilled these same ideals in her children. “My mom was a good mom,” Petre says. “She taught all of us, it’s not about us, it’s about helping others, and that’s my heart. I just grew up seeing so much joy in giving to others.” 

This passion, combined with her personal experiences of being on the opposite side, drove Petre to start volunteering at Least of These 26 years ago.

Least of These is the only full-service food pantry in Christian County. “I’ve been there,” she says. “My dad left my mom with five kids when I was 16, and there were times when we had a great need. What we do at Least of These, we don’t just give them food. We make relationships with them and then we are able to give them other resources.”

These other resources go beyond filling cupboards.  “When they come for food we can help them find a way to look for a job, get help with their rent and utilities,” Petre says. “We have resources we can share with them, but it starts with filling their tummies. When you can’t eat, you can’t think.”

In her 26 years at Least of These, Petre has done a wide variety of jobs, from stocking shelves and cleaning to gathering food for clients. Currently, she helps by answering phone calls from clients to change appointments, help them with the application process and direct them to other resources, but her favorite aspect has been helping people over the phone on their tough days. “It’s not a job, it’s a joy,” she says. “I talked with a gentleman a few weeks ago that was having it rough and feeling embarrassed that he had to ask for help, and I got to assure him that he is not alone. We’ve all been there and there’s nothing wrong with asking for help. Then I did get to pray with him, and his comment to me was, ‘You’ve given me a lot to think about.’ And that to me is just, it’s not me, you know, it’s God working in me and that’s what drives my heart to help others.”

When she first began her time as a volunteer, Petre never expected it to make such a big impact on her own life. “I thought I was just going to go out there and help people get groceries, but it’s the relationships you make and the people you get to help that’s just so joyful,” she says. “There’s just something about doing something for people and watching them walk away fulfilled because you took the time to talk to them and share with them and weren’t in such a hurry.” 

How You Can Help

Visit online to find out how to sign up to volunteer. If you’d rather donate, a list of current needs can be found online.