Tom Krim is a man who wears many hats. Husband. Father. Grandfather. Veteran. Banker. But even with all those roles, Tom still adds one more hat to his repertoire: Volunteer.

Volunteering has been a life-long mission for Tom. In college, he was an active member of the Appalachian Project volunteering across the country and state. For his last two years of college, Tom and a group of volunteers worked on 103rd and 3rd, in the heart of East Harlem.

“I have a soft spot for East Harlem from my college experience,” said Tom. “After that, I went on to raise a family and have a career, so the amount of volunteer work I did for a good long stretch of time was kind of limited.”

Being out of the ‘volunteer-force’ for those years didn’t stop Tom from jumping right back in once the time was right. About 10 years ago, he started assisting families with tax returns around the city, and two years ago, upon his retirement, chose to commit a large share of his time giving back.

“I said, ‘I really need to do more’” said Tom. “[My wife and I] made the decision to spend our time giving back…and that’s really what this world needs today.”

And that’s just what he’s done. For the past two years, Tom has been an ever-present face in the LSA Food Pantry.

“It’s a family – the LSA family,” said Tom. “You see the same people on a regular basis…there’s a certain bond with the people you see each week, and there’s a certain continuity that I think the clients appreciate.”

It’s more than just the clients who are grateful to Tom. The whole LSA family is grateful for his dedication and commitment to the agency. Thank you, Tom!

Without our volunteers, LSA wouldn’t be able to do the good work that the community needs.  As Tom also notes, many of our Food Pantry volunteers also give time in other areas – such as the afterschool program, as well.  If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact Trish Gough at tgough@lsafhs.org.