The following is this week’s I AM, YOU ARE, WE ARE honorees by Erin Gregory
“Evil is small and loud, but good is large and quiet.”
Carol and Mike Olson are very quiet about all the kindness they share and the generosity they extend. However, their story doesn’t start today, it started 40 years ago when Mike’s job as an anesthesiologist brought their family to Danville. Carol was a teacher before they moved, and in Danville she worked in the probation office and for Iroquois Federal before retiring when her youngest was in first grade, becoming a very active volunteer in the school district.
Carol says, “Mike’s job brought us here, but the people we met and the church family we made kept us here.” The Olson’s express that it is nice that Danville is big enough to feel important but small enough to have a state and county park within 10 miles of each other. Along with the amazing parks and outdoor exploration activities, their church family has played a large role in the Olson’s choosing Danville long-term.
Saint James United Methodist Church is their home church, and they have been attending since they first moved to the Danville area. The church has given them many opportunities to be of service, but specifically, they have been running the food pantry at Saint James UMC since February of 2008. They noticed that almost every other church in the area had a food pantry due to the recession, so they decided with the help of the church that they needed to open their doors and feed the people. Originally, it was every Wednesday from 5-7 PM so they could feed low-income/low-earning families after work, but people would start lining up at 7 AM. During the pandemic, they switched over to a drive-thru food pantry, and this has made it easier for people with mobility issues and for the volunteers to handle the distribution. The drive runs from 2-5 PM now, and they consistently have 15-30 volunteers on site.
On average, the food drive feeds 375 families and 1200 individuals each time. Since all their volunteers are retired, Mike and Carold both agree that younger volunteers would be helpful. “I want us to partner with an organization that will bring in a younger crowd and will work hard”, Carol said. (If you would like to help, call 217-442-1504.) One of the greatest reasons they can continue this service to the community is because of the volunteers that give their time. Mike says, “Without our amazing community and volunteers, we would not be able to do this.”
To Carol and Mike Olson, we say thank you! Their leadership and quiet goodness are making a large impact in the lives of so many Danville people.
If you have someone you would like to share,
visit https://forms.gle/deCPiQ1cxn1pDLhZ9
or contact Ashton Greer, City of Danville agreer@cityofdanville.org or
Nicole Van Hyfte, Vermilion Advantage nvanhyfte@vermilionadvantage.com.
