Dare to Care mission started because of starvation death of 9-year-old boy – Insider Louisville

When a 9-year old boy died of hunger in West Louisville on Thanksgiving Eve in 1969, it was a wake-up call for a community. Little Bobby Ellis became the catalyst for the creation of a hunger relief organization that eventually evolved into what we now know as Dare to Care.

“At the time of his death, Bobby didn’t weigh much more than 20 pounds, said Stan Siegwald, Dare to Care’s Director of Strategic Initiatives. “It was an unimaginable tragedy to happen in modern America.  The poignancy was magnified because it happened around Thanksgiving. Everyone woke up ready to stuff themselves and they read a headline that a child died in their city because he didn’t have enough to eat,” he said.

The stark sadness of Bobby’s death became a clarion call for the Louisville community, which responded with demonstrations and a rallying cry of “dare to care.” The interfaith group was led by Jack Jones, pastor of St. John’s Catholic parish. According to Siegwald, the priest began using his basement as a storage spot for community food drives, and used his own pickup truck to gather food. By his example, Jones recruited, inspired and motivated volunteers to distribute food into community shelters and churches with food pantries.

“That small act of opening his basement and using his pickup truck inspired others to join him and that created Dare to Care Food Bank,” said Siegwald.

Jackie Keating, Dare to Care’s Chief Development Officer, said what is important is not only to remember the community initiative and compassion that resulted from Bobby’s death, but to renew the community’s commitment to continue his legacy. “One in six individuals in our community still don’t have enough food to live a healthy life,” she said.

Siegwald said that what is amazing about the Dare to Care origin story is the resulting legacy of Bobby. “From Father Jack using his pickup truck delivering to maybe a dozen different groups, to now a fleet of over a dozen vehicles that harvest food and distribute to over 250 other nonprofits, serving more than 135,000 people a year,” said Siegwald.

Despite the growth and success of Dare to Care as an organization involved in hundreds of efforts every year to feed the community, Siegwald said there is always much more to be done. “What many in our community may not understand is the scale of the problem that still exists in Greater Louisville. We have 181,000 people in our community that are food insecure and not getting the food they need to have a healthy successful life,” he said.

The good news, said Jackie Keating, “is that you can go on our website and find a multitude of ways to help: from hosting a small fund drive at your business, to a jeans day to collect funds, to organizations making large investments in our mission to help move us forward and allow us to innovate as an organization,” she said.

More than 30,000 volunteer hours a year help drive a key component of Dare to Care’s food distribution operation by sorting and packaging non-perishables into food boxes or backpacks for children to take home from school on Friday, said Keating.

Ben Kresse knows well the diversity of volunteer opportunities available for individuals who want to participate in Dare to Care’s mission. Kresse has been an active Dare to Care volunteer with church groups since the 1990s. Since 2005, as a theology teacher and director of the service program at St. X High School, his students have sorted cans, participated in the walk, and volunteered at the Kids Café sites at schools or shelters where the organization provides meals to those in need. What he and his students have done represent just a fraction of the multiple ways to help Dare to Care in their mission.

“It’s a wonderful teaching tool, said Kresse. “We know the students who volunteer with Dare to Care will walk away from their experience enlightened and with a sense of inner purpose on why we’re here on earth – to serve each other, especially those in need.”

Kresse also appreciates both the efficiency and enthusiastic vision he sees in the dedicated Dare to Care staff. “They make the most of every single dollar they receive and waste nothing,” he said. “The people there know what they do is serious. They have seen a lot of suffering and struggle, but at the same time in their common purpose and passion, they can be happy and joyful in what they do. Whenever I think about Dare to Care, it puts a smile on my face.”

Dare to Care is inviting the community to remember the legacy of Bobby Ellis and the creation of Dare to Care at their annual vigil on Sunday, November 19 at 5 p.m. at the Louisville Urban League, 1535 West Broadway.