Andy Connor is on a quiet quest.
For about 30 years, this farmer has cultivated a few acres of his land, located a short drive outside Des Moines, to give away its bounty: eggs, meat, potatoes, squash, and vegetables.
Why?
“We all have something to do until God takes us home,” he said. “I feel my job is to feed people.”
Connor doesn’t like the spotlight.
But now, in the season of giving, he is sharing why he gives generously in the hope that others might also feel moved to helpFarmer people.
The spark for his passion to alleviate hunger is rooted in his faith.
“I fell head over heels in love with the good Lord through my Bible,” Connor said. “I read the Bible for 30 years. Everything in it, to me, is we should never have a hungry human being, and that’s what I strive for.”
He believes all of God’s children should be treated with respect.
“The first step is just realizing they’re people,” he said. “They’re not ‘the homeless’ or just ‘the hungry.’ They’re men, women and children. They need love and shelter. If I have more than I need, why not share?”
Connor grew up on a farm and farmed about 320 acres with his brother. He worked in the wholesale meat business and became an electrician.
“I used to see a lot of hungry people,” he recalled. “I couldn’t understand how someone like me – raising five kids and not having a lot of money – wasn’t hungry and those folks were. The good Lord put it on my heart: If you have extra, do something with it.”
And do something he has. He grows hundreds and sometimes even thousands of pounds of potatoes. He takes truckloads of apples and dozens upon dozens of eggs from his farm to area pantries.
“For a while, we were getting close to 50 dozen eggs every two weeks that I was taking to the shelters for him,” said his childhood friend, Al Sieren.
Connor’s food has been distributed to people like a single mom with two kids, a man working two jobs and trying to make ends meet, and a homeless person trying to get out of poverty, said Steve Havemann, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul in Des Moines, which operates two food pantries.
Connor’s generosity is inspiring, Havemann said.
“One of the beautiful things about Iowa is when someone like Andy steps up, other people follow,” he said. Connor and others at St. Patrick at Irish Settlement have provided food for some of the nearly 22,000 people who came to the pantries seeking a meal this year.
Connor keeps rooted in his faith as he gardens. He built a wooden cross that stands about 8 feet tall by what he calls his “labor of love garden.”
“He’s so generous with his resources,” Sieren said. “He feels blessed that God has given him a good life and he just wants to help other people. He’s really inspired me.”
Source: dmdiocese.org
Categories: Iowa, General