Elmer Duckinfield, who ran the Chester County Gleaning Program, which eventually became the Chester County Food Bank, has died.

“Our sun seems a bit less bright today … as we mourn the passing of one of our early and distinguished pioneers,” writes Ed Williams for the Food Bank. “Elmer Duckinfield lost his brave and quiet battle with cancer.

“Our hearts are broken; however, our spirits remain touched (and, dare we say, our lives changed) by a man who was the definition of compassion, enthusiasm, and humility with his warm smile, soft-spoken voice, and contagious way of inspiring us to become better citizens.

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“Twenty years ago, Elmer envisioned a need to ‘glean’ local farms of excess produce while it was still on the vine or on the ground, and then to distribute fresh food to those in the local communities who needed it most.

“He selflessly compiled lists of available volunteers in the area, and coordinated volunteer drives to take advantage of gathering the produce surplus.”

According to Phoebe Kitson-Davis, Director of Agency and Community Partnerships for the Food Bank, said that Duckinfield “truly believed no one should ever go hungry. We vow to carry on his legacy.”

As a tribute to Elmer Duckinfield, the Chester County Food Bank encourages donations as a means for his influential spirit and charitable philosophy to live on.

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