After more than 38 years at Spirit AeroSystems, Rusty Slusser is happily settling into retirement — but he’s far from slowing down. With plans to eventually find a part-time job, Rusty also volunteers with the Kansas Food Bank.
“I’ve always had a heart for [volunteering],” Rusty says.
Rusty shares that, when he was in high school, his family began receiving SNAP benefits, and that experience serves as inspiration for him to help the Kansas Food Bank today.
“It was just an eye-opener for me,” he says. “There [were] probably a lot of [kids] like me.”
One of the ways that Rusty helps at the Kansas Food Bank is by packaging healthy food through the Food Bank’s Food 4 Kids program that provides weekend nutrition for kids during the school year.
Through Rusty’s position on the school board in Cheney, he has the opportunity to hear about the impact of the Food Bank’s Food 4 Kids program.
“It’s really powerful to hear from families and [the food] is definitely making a difference.”
Rusty really appreciates that the Kansas Food Bank covers 85 counties and ensures nutritious food reaches everywhere.
“They do really good work,” he says of the Kansas Food Bank.
For neighbors thinking of lending a helping hand, Rusty encourages “Look at [your] own blessings and say, ‘Wow I do have something to give’ and go do it because it takes a community.”
Thank you, Rusty, and all our caring volunteers who partner with us, to help ensure every Kansan has access to nutritious food!