Volunteer Dick Scherrer knows what it is like to be down to your last penny. He is not unfamiliar with poverty.
 

“We were always trying to make ends meet. You don’t know where the Lord’s going to lead you, but you have that faith,” Scherrer added. “When we moved here, we weren’t well off, living paycheck to paycheck. The job I took, I opened a plant in Shively. It lasted two or three years, then they decided to close it. So, I went from job to job for a year or two here, a year or two there. So, you don’t know what you’re going to have.”
 

It was a challenging season for Scherrer and his wife of 53 years, Maria Imelda, who had four children at the time. Those experiences have given him empathy for those in need.
 

Scherrer’s story has shaped his service.
 

“When you see families struggling, not having Christmas for their kids, all that financial pressure does is split up the family or make it tougher,” said Scherrer, who is 81 years old. “So, anything you can do to build up the family makes a difference.”
 

Scherrer wants to give people the feeling of relief when that burden is lifted.
 

“I want to be Christlike to somebody else, because I have been helped,” Scherrer added. “Since then, the Lord has worked with me throughout that time … just learning compassion.”
 

In 1995, Scherrer started serving with St. Agnes Conference, where he distrib­uted Christmas baskets and responded to requests for emergency assistance.
 

“The more that you get involved, the more you grow,” he said. “Every time I look at my closet and I see six coats in there, one for 50 degrees, one for 40, one for 30, I’m like, ‘I don’t need that.’ I think of those in need.”
 

For nearly 15 years, Scherrer has also been integral to the annual Santa Shop. He also sorts in-kind donations at the Food Pantry once a month.
 

“We can’t help everybody, but with the conferences and Archdiocese of Louis­ville—together as a community—we have a big impact on food and housing.”
 

If you would like to get involved, visit www.svdplou.org/volunteer.