Volunteer Spotlight
Tom Parslow
Celebrating Tom Parslow: Honoring 14 Years as our President
It’s difficult to know where to begin when we think about all the ways Tom has transformed our organization because the breadth and depth of knowledge that he brings is, quite frankly, immeasurable. After 14 years of leading us, Tom is retiring as our President.
Before he joined Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens, Tom was an agricultural teacher and agent for over two decades at Mauston High School, Waunakee Community High School, University of Wisconsin, and County Extension in Juneau County. He is extremely passionate about agriculture and educating individuals of all expertise levels.
March 2024
In terms of how he became involved with MAFPG, Tom says, “I had gotten to know Emmett Schulte through the University and at church. On a cold winter day, he called me and asked if I wanted to grow vegetables. That would be interesting, I thought. Let me follow you around. So, I followed him around for a year. He put a lot of miles on that old truck of his.” Tom laughed, “After that year, I took over as the Garden Leader of Lacy Garden around 2008.” By 2009, Tom had become president of MAFPG, and he mostly deeply enjoyed spending time with the volunteers.
Tom explains, “I didn’t know I was going to be as involved with the volunteers. I thought I had signed up to grow vegetables.” Tom chuckled, “My favorite part is the kids coming out. I love making it an educational experience, teaching them about how food is grown.”
In the beginning of the garden’s history, Emmett Schulte was paying for the expenses out of his own account. Tom found an attorney to write the bylaws. With the new bylaws, the gardens were able to open a separate bank account and send in forms for Corporation Articles to become a nonprofit organization. With Tom’s vision and perseverance, this became the official beginning for Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens. Not only was Tom instrumental in forming the non-profit, but he is also passionate about bringing others on board. So was the case with now Vice President of MAFPG Larry Binning. Tom exclaimed, “I met Larry Binning at a Retiree Meeting for the University. He showed some interest, and you don’t have to tell me twice!”
We are so truly grateful for the many years of service that Tom has put into MAFPG. We aren’t kidding when we say we wouldn’t be here without him. Tom’s passion is simply unmatched, and he brings a smile to everyone’s face with his impressive gardening knowledge and compelling anecdotes.
Thank you, Tom!
Tom Parslow teaching tractor safety.
Tom and Rose Ann Parslow
Phil Cox
An Integral Part of Madison Area Food Pantry Garden’s History
Meeting Ken Witte and Emmett Schulte
In the early 1990s, Ken Witte began collecting donations from the weekly Dane County Farmers Market on the Square donating these items to families with need. This was the origin of the organization that would later become Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens (MAFPG). MAFPG became official in 2000 when Ken recruited Emmett Schulte to be a garden leader on plots of land donated by landowners that could be used to grow vegetables for donation purposes.
July 2023
In 2001 Phil Cox and his wife Judy moved from their southeastern Michigan home to Dane County in Wisconsin to live closer to their daughter, son-in-law, and 1 yr. old granddaughter. Phil first met Emmett at 8 am on a July 2002 day at the Lacy Garden and volunteered to harvest. After one hour at Lacy the volunteers then drove to a garden on the Hershberger property to work for another hour before leaving to harvest at the Malmquist Garden. This was the beginning of many days of garden volunteering for Phil. Ken Witte continued to assist the MAFPG after he recruited Emmett Schulte by often purchasing items that could be used in the gardens or hauling produce to sites that could use or distribute the produce to persons in need.
Garden Leader Year (2009-2019)
After Emmett’s retirement in 2009, Phil became a garden leader at the Malmquist Garden for 2-3 years before moving to the Hershberger property and managing gardens on different sections of that property. This included garden areas east and south of the barn and garden acreage down the hill from the barn. The garden area east and south of the barn was eventually named the Schulte Garden and the garden down the hill from the barn was named the Witte Garden to honor and remember the two people who created the MAFPG.
The gardens Phil managed were productive due to an amazing group of volunteers. The busiest year was probably 2016 when the Witte Garden had 62 volunteer work sessions scheduled for at least an hour and a half. Twelve volunteers worked at least 44 days, and one of them worked 60 out of 62 work sessions. When Phil arrived at a garden at least 15-20 minutes before the announced “start time” it was not unusual for some of the “regulars” to already be working. There were also days when some stayed after the volunteer session ending time to harvest items that would probably spoil if harvesting was delayed.
“One year there were 195 days when I drove to a garden, attended a meeting to recruit volunteers or met with some others to develop a garden work schedule, delivered harvested produce, purchased a needed garden item, or attended some other garden-related event,” said Phil. Some Hershberger volunteers also harvested produce in gardens in Dane or adjacent counties not directly affiliated with MAFPG, A few were also responsible for much of the initial planting at the Forward Garden.
Phil’s Trucks
Phil purchased three pickup trucks for garden usage. “The first truck was relatively cheap and soon became disabled. It was sold to a junkyard,” Phil said. “The second truck had a long bed that could hold four 4 ft by 4 ft crates. Unfortunately, it was totaled while hauling cabbage when a car directly in front of the truck suddenly stopped. The third truck was donated to the MAFPG in the last part of 2019 after I hauled 2,350 pounds of produce that was harvested north of Dane County and delivered to some Dane County locations.”
“The third truck also had very low mileage and a heavy-duty suspension system and was in very good condition for a truck 20 years old,” Phil continued. “At the end of the 2019 garden season I drove this truck from an adjacent county north of Dane County loaded with 2,350 pounds of produce back to Dane County with relative ease.” The third truck is still in use today to distribute produce.
Recognition
Phil was recognized for his dedication to MAFPG by being awarded the 2019 Outstanding Volunteer Award from the United Way of Dane County. We are indebted to him for his commitment to MAFPG of more than 20 years and his desire to get fresh vegetables to individuals in need.
Rev. Msgr. James Uppena
In July of 2019, volunteers from the Emmett Schulte Garden nominated Rev. Msgr. James Uppena for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, recognizing his commitment to the garden for the past six years. The Jefferson Award exists on both national and local levels, honoring “individuals who build better communities and contribute to better a future for those around them,” according to their website. Uppena said he was surprised when Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) Grants and Volunteer Coordinator Laura Green and the rest of the garden team presented him with the nomination. Despite his surprise, Uppena is an ideal candidate for the award.
January 2020
A retired priest from the Diocese of Madison, he remains active and engaged in his community. In addition to continuing to fill in for masses at parishes in the area, he volunteers as a co-leader during bi-weekly work sessions at the Emmett Schulte Garden. He arrives a half-hour to an hour early for each session to open things up, walking through to see what needs to be done so volunteers can begin work as soon as they arrive.
Green described Uppena’s critical role at the garden. “Father Jim is a prime example of someone living out their faith to serve people in need, which is something that requires a lot of effort and a lot of heart. Managing a food pantry garden is hard work; it takes a lot of time and effort plus you need to know what you're doing. Father Jim puts in the work, gives his time, and provides the knowledge we need to help our garden grow. In addition to all this, he leads other volunteers in a respectful and humble way,” she said.
Not one to remain idle in retirement, Uppena is committed to staying moving. He takes the stairs whenever possible and appreciates being outdoors. “[Gardening] gets me outside; it’s active,” he said. Uppena grew up on farm in Grant County, Wisconsin. His family raised primarily dairy cows, as well as some hogs and beef cattle. He added that his mother always had chickens on the farm as well. His knowledge of farm equipment operation has been a valuable resource to the Emmett Schulte Garden. Uppena was ordained in 1968. He chose his path early in life. “Ever since I was a little kid, [becoming ordained] was something I felt called to,” he said. The call to serve is still strong and draws Uppena to volunteering in the garden. “You have to give of yourself for the good of other people,” he said.
After a 55-year career, half of which he spent as a religious educator, Uppena returned to his farming roots by becoming an avid Food Pantry Gardens volunteer during the summer of 2014. After retiring from his last assignment at St. Mary’s Parish in Milton in July of 2013, Uppena came to Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Madison for six years. Queen of Peace oversees the CMC, which has two locations: one on Beld Street in Madison and one in Fitchburg. The CMC provides community resources, including a food pantry, to those in need.
The Emmett Schulte Garden supplies fresh produce to the CMC food pantry. The garden, a one-acre plot located on Midtown Road in Verona, has donated roughly 8,000 pounds of food so far this year. The garden “provides good, healthy, nutritious food for people who don’t have it readily available,” Uppena said.
Volunteering is a fulfilling experience for Uppena because he recognizes and appreciates the commitment of his fellow volunteers. “I’m just amazed, always, at the generosity of people,” he said.
The recognition of generosity is mutual; Green expressed her appreciation for Uppena, saying, “[He] is irreplaceable as a volunteer; there is no one quite like him who has the knowledge of working a farm or large garden (and running the tractor too!), the dedication to growing food for people in need, and the kindness and know-how to lead others in doing the same. We are truly thankful he is a part of our leadership team.”