Meet Carol and Jack

When you think about Minnesota Nice, the Kufner’s come to mind. They are one of the sweetest couples you’ll ever meet. They are so kind and compassionate and very active in the community.

Carol was one of the first volunteers at Shepherd of Grace Senior Community when it opened in May 2007. She started out by helping with crafts and visiting occasionally with tenants. About three years ago, Jack also became a volunteer and they have been consistently taking the tenants on shopping outings every other week. Jack drives the Shepherd of Grace van and Carol drives their vehicle when more tenants want to shop. They go to stores in Monticello, especially Walmart as the tenants really like to shop there.

Over the years, they have gotten to know the tenants really well and they look forward to their bi-weekly trips. The bonus is that the Kufner’s get their shopping done too! Since they only live about eight miles away, they try to give a hand whenever they can.

Carol and Jack consider themselves “seasoned” volunteers. In addition to volunteering at Shepherd of Grace, over the past 15 years they have cooked the noon meal on Monday’s at the Salvation Army in St. Cloud, read to kids at the Big Lake, Becker and Clear Lake elementary schools, and now they also volunteer and are very active with the Becker Area Senior Center.

The Kufner’s certainly like to keep moving. They have been married for 57 wonderful years and have both been retired for the past 20 years. “Without volunteering Jack and I would have a lot of empty time on our hands. We have been blessed with fairly good health. I don’t know what we’d be doing if not volunteering,” said Carol.

We are proud to have Carol and Jack volunteer and be a part of the Shepherd of Grace family.