Loaves & Fishes is fortunate to have an amazing group of dedicated volunteer leaders who expend a great deal of time and effort in their work here and throughout the community. Several of them were recently honored by local service organizations for their community spirit. We applaud them for their awards and know you will enjoy reading their stories.
Nancy & Wally Malinowski Erv Kendzora Book of Golden Deeds, Exchange Club of Naperville
Nancy and Wally Malinowski were recognized for their outstanding contributions to Loaves & Fishes and Ribfest. An occasional volunteer at Loaves & Fishes since before retiring from Ameritech in 1995, Nancy has served on the Board of Directors (twice as President), as a founding member of the Volunteer Advisory Council, and as a distribution and pantry captain. She has assisted countless clients through the years, and all know and love her. Nancy's passion for the pantry inevitably carried over to her home life. Her husband, Wally, brought Ameritech work groups to Loaves & Fishes several times Nancy & Wally Malinowski each year to perform a plethora of cleaning and maintenance tasks. After Wally's retirement, he began spending much of his free time at Loaves & Fishes, also becoming a pantry captain and joining Nancy in leadership roles throughout the operation. Among his many jobs here, Wally has become our go-to maintenance person because he knows every inch and every mechanism at Loaves & Fishes. From fixing wheels on carts to maintaining systems, Wally continues to do it all. Nancy and Wally received Loaves & Fishes' highest volunteer honor, the Fireball award, in 2010. Nancy has been coordinating the Loaves & Fishes participation for Ribfest for many years and assembles one of the festival's largest volunteer contingents. And she doesn't just schedule the volunteers; she and Wally spend their holiday weekend volunteering with friends.
Bob Elazan CARE Award, Exchange Club of Naperville
Bob Elazan traded his career as a professional chef for a career as a full-time volunteer in 2008. He volunteers at least 30 hours each week at Loaves & Fishes, and also unselfishly shares his time and talents with the Naperville Jaycees, Grace United Methodist Church, Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise, and many more. You can find Chef Bob at the Jaycees Lobster Day and Last Fling, the Exchange Club's Ribfest, any Loaves & Fishes event, and on and on. He also works parties for Belgio's Catering and all his clients request him every time. Bob is the first individual male to receive this honor. Bob is also a past Fireball winner, earning top honors in 2009. Bob Elazan
Brian Bolliger Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary Club of Naperville
Brian Bolliger has been a member of the Loaves & Fishes Board of Directors since 2006, serving as Board Chair the past two years. Brian has served in every office and as a member during his tenure. He has devoted countless hours of his time and talents to providing leadership to Loaves & Fishes in a period of great growth. Under his chairmanship, Loaves & Fishes constructed and programmed our facility to meet major increases in service demands. Additionally, Brian is active at his place of worship, Our Saviour's Lutheran Church.
Bill & Karen Garlough Humanitarians of the Year, Hesed House
Bill & Karen Garlough, owners of My Chef Catering for 23 years, have been actively contributing to the community while building their award-winning business. They received the first Humanitarians of the Year award given by Hesed House. My Chef has received many accolades, including U.S. Chamber and Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year in 2007. But Bill & Karen are known for as much for their generosity and community spirit as they are for the excellence of their business. Both have donated their time and expertise on nonprofit boards. Bill is Secretary-elect of the Loaves & Fishes board, and has held numerous offices, including President, of the Rotary Club of Naperville board, while Karen most recently served on the Naperville CARES board. They are the co-creators of some of the premier community fundraisers, including Rotary's Soup's On, which benefits DuPage PADS, Hesed House, and Loaves & Fishes, and Naperville CARES' Cuisine for a Cause, and have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. Loaves & Fishes congratulates our fabulous volunteers for their well-deserved honors!
Brian Bolliger (pictured with Charles McLimans)
Bill & Karen Garlough