90-year-old credits volunteering for keeping her healthy, fit: ‘The heart feels good’

PLANT CITY, Fla. – A 90-year-old Hillsborough County woman is proving that age is just a number as she continues to volunteer and pack meals for thousands of community members each month.

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Hillsborough County food bank volunteer

What we know:

Inside the United Food Bank and Services warehouse in Plant City, volunteers spend their days packing thousands of meals to help local families facing food insecurity. 

President and CEO Mary Heysek said the organization simply could not fulfill its mission without the dedicated volunteers who choose to give their time.

Lifelong volunteer

Dig deeper:

Among those volunteers is Nancy Kohr, a 90-year-old woman who has spent several years working in the warehouse. 

But before being there, she worked 22 years with a hospital system as a volunteer.

Kohr credits her upbringing with instilling a desire to help others, noting that she has no plans to slow down because keeping active and supporting the community makes her feel good.

Love of volunteering

What they’re saying:

“I don’t slow down. I do it and get it done, and I go home,” Kohr said. “The heart feels good. My body may hurt, but I’m still okay.”

Volunteering is in her blood. It gives her a purpose and keeps her young and healthy. 

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“You get a little older and a little tired when you get home, but it goes away, and you’re ready to start another day,” she said. 

Heysek says doctors actually credited Kohr’s volunteer work for getting her back on her feet just a month after breaking a hip.

“When she’s here she’s bending and reaching,” she explained. “Her doctors said her muscles were very strong and she recovered that quickly.”

Community food assistance programs

By the numbers:

The food bank focuses its relief efforts on supporting working families, children and seniors throughout the area. 

Representatives report that the organization serves approximately 12,000 people every month.

A volunteer’s future

What’s next:

Kohr says she will continue serving those in need for as long as she possibly can. 

Community members interested in joining the effort can find a volunteer application here. 

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