CAMBRIDGE, Ill. — Barbara Montgomery has lived in the tight-knit community of Cambridge, Illinois for years. The community is a place where residents consistently help each other out.
"He squishes everything in, he has volunteers from different churches. It has turned out to be almost a full-time job, and so because he works so hard," Montgomery said.
She is talking about Larry Lavin, who runs the local food pantry. He does even more than just trying to supply food for those in need as he also works with local schools to help get coats for the children.
"There's a lot of children in need, there really are, everywhere, not just Cambridge. That way he will have that money for the coats," Montgomery said.
Last year Montgomery helped Lavin out with getting coats for the students and wanted to do the same this year. That's why she nominated Lavin for the Pay It Forward award, sponsored by Ascentra Credit Union.
When Lavin retired, he decided to volunteer his time to run the food pantry.
"The last few months we have had about 25 families, we serve just the Cambridge community, so 25 families right from here in Cambridge," Lavin said.
The pantry is open once a month to serve people in need with the help of many volunteers and area churches. The money will also go to help buy coats for students this season.
"We do a few other things besides foods. The last several years I've been having a coats for kids drive, where I buy several dozen coats and distribute them to the kids at the grade school," Lavin said.
In such a close community, he hopes that going hungry is never a problem for his neighbors.
"It certainly is a need, I've mentioned before, one of my goals is to eliminate hunger here in Cambridge, not just reduce it, but I'd like to eliminate it," Lavin said.
The pantry is only open to those who reside in the Cambridge community. If you are interested in learning about the hours of the pantry or getting in contact to donate to the pantry, you can visit their website here.
Do you know someone who goes above and beyond for his or her community? News 8 and Ascentra Credit Union would like to help you Pay it Forward to them. Click here to nominate someone you know.
See previous Pay It Forward award winners:
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel