Finding purpose after retirement

Every Tuesday, Malaga resident Rich Dinius drives to Leavenworth for a shift at the Community Cupboard.

When he arrives for his shift, Rich does a quick tour to see what’s new. The Community Cupboard stocks a wide assortment of items from meats and produce to dry goods, but Rich wants to note the novel, temporary abundances.

“It’s different, depending on the month,” he said. “There were six cases of cod fish fillets once, other times, boxes of apples, asparagus. Recently, there was no limit on strawberries.”

By understanding the current offerings, he can be the most effective volunteer, especially when he’s helping a shopper.

Nonprofit work is a nice change of pace for Rich, who said, “I spent my life in a world of profit and bottom line.” A year ago, Rich retired from a career in engineering and project management.

At the Community Cupboard, Rich says: “There’s a positive atmosphere. It’s a great group of people to work with. Clients are treated with respect.”

Rich performs a variety of tasks during his shift. One way he makes a big impact is shuttling the items ready to be sold from the collection area of the Community Cupboard to Das Thrift Haus. The volunteers working the collection window are always happy for Rich to open up the space.

Living south of Wenatchee, Rich provides another valuable service. When the thrift store is at capacity, Rich delivers the leftover donations to Goodwill on Wednesday mornings.

Rich says he wished he had retired sooner. He imagines other people are like himself, a bit afraid of the unknown. Volunteering is a great remedy for retirees because it can add some structure and purpose. Rich also has been enjoying more time to fish, hike, garden, and tinker with cars and wood projects in his shop.

Beyond the Community Cupboard, MEND brings other services to area residents including emergency financial assistance and a free medical clinic.

Rich said, “Some people can’t catch a break. They’re dealing with a lot of challenges. It’s clear that Upper Valley MEND is trusted to help.”

Sometimes when he’s volunteering, it can start to feel a bit crowded if half dozen people are all shopping at the same time.

“If I had a wish, it would be that the Community Cupboard had a bigger space. The number of visitors keeps going up.”

Join Rich by becoming a volunteer today.

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Upper Valley MEND takes action to preserve affordable workforce housing