Diana Gerken has always had a desire to be of help to others. Gerken grew up in a family of six children in Salem. Four of her siblings still reside in Salem, along with her dad, Harry Dutton. They are all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Gerken’s mother, Deloris Dutton, passed away two years ago. She was a nurse by profession and was dedicated to her faith. She taught her children by her example of service.

When Gerken noticed an ad from Feeding America Southwest Virginia expressing a need for peanut butter, she decided to do something. She “called a committee meeting” of her three children and some of her nieces and nephews. She then told her committee of the need for peanut butter. After discussing this, the group decided it would be a great project to take on.

Gerken was told by a Feeding America Southwest Virginia representative, that “peanut butter was one of the most important foods of the Food Bank. It can be used for multiple meals, and it provides good nutrition.”

The group of 10 to 12-year-olds wrote letters to people in the community asking them to participate by putting peanut butter by their mailbox on a designated day. They continued their project by going around to different neighborhoods, and they reached out to their local school. Lee-Hi Lanes of Salem also helped with a donation of peanut butter.

Unbeknownst to Gerken, her family’s church had been contacted by Feeding America Southwest Virginia. When she heard the request for peanut butter at church, she knew that there was an opportunity to partner with the local organization. Gerken, her husband Jim and their committee took boxes to seven congregations of the LDS Church to collect peanut butter. The committee then reached out to Unity of the Roanoke Valley who were also very helpful.

When it was time to deliver the peanut butter, Gerken’s family helpers ranged from two-years-old to 80 plus. The committee’s original goal was 1,000 jars of peanut butter. When all of the jars were counted, there was a total of 1,190 jars.

When a group delivered the jars to Feeding America Southwest Virginia, a representative told Gerken “they had just given out their last jar of peanut butter that morning.”

It all started with a desire to help others and a great committee.

-Submitted by Jennifer Brown