Read more stories of acts of kindness in the November/December 2025 feature.
Rick Kersting’s Wednesday morning bread deliveries are as reliable as the rising sun, and the loaves coming from the back of his green GMC Astro van help nourish entire neighborhoods.
A retiree from the grocery industry for about 12 years, Kersting uses his connections for good. Upon entering his post-work life, “I found out there was some foodstuff getting wasted. It’s hard to get it picked up. The warehouse isn’t always open,” he says.
Kersting made some inquiries — or as he says, “I jumped through the hoops and got people to sign off on it.” For the last few years, he’s taken bread, pastries, and sometimes chips that otherwise would be tossed to four food service sites, the largest of which is Saint Anthony Church on North First Avenue. Volunteers at the church, which is part of the All Saints Catholic Parish, serve a hot breakfast, coffee, juice, and Donut Bank leftovers to roughly 350 people in need each Wednesday morning. Kersting’s smaller deliveries earlier in the day go to the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana’s Caldwell Community Center, the Boys & Girls Club of Evansville, and United Caring Services.
Sometimes, Kersting’s bread is served as part of the meal at Saint Anthony, but usually, the bread and boxed pastries he brings are available for the parish’s guests to snatch up as they depart — a boost for the pantry at home. “It just helps ‘em through the week,” Kersting says.
Tom and Lois Schenk, who manage the meal ministry at Saint Anthony, praise Kertsing’s commitment and dependability. “The people kind of expect it now,” Tom says of Kersting’s weekly bounty. “If something happens and he can’t come, I say, ‘Where’s the bread man?’” He laughs, adding, “But Rick’s here all the time.”
Wednesday morning at Saint Anthony is not just about food service — the church’s Community Clothes Closet is open, and its GROWTH initiative (Guidance, Resources, Outreach, Working Together to Help You) is available for the community. The morning also serves as a social gathering with exchanges of smiles and encouraging words. Kersting is a part of that, too. He’s made the deliveries long enough to know familiar faces, and he says favor is returned in his direction.
“God has certainly blessed me and my family,” he explains. “I work hard, we all work hard, but (if) we have a little extra, we should spread it out a bit. All it really takes me is a little gas, a little time. And then, I get to know some of these people, and they’re making it. … It just shows you have nothing to complain about.”
