Volunteer Spotlight: John Lewis Finds Purpose in Giving Back to His Mountain Community

When John Lewis talks about life in our mountain communities, his face lights up. He and his wife moved to Shadow Mountain in 1999, and within weeks they found themselves asking the same question many residents know well, “Why didn’t we do this 20 years sooner?” They had just finished raising their kids, were ready to downsize, and wanted to finally live out a lifelong dream of settling in the mountains. As John says, it was the best decision they ever made.

Now retired—he wrapped up his career at the end of 2019—John has embraced what he calls the true joy of this stage of life: giving back as much as possible. That philosophy has guided both his wife, Maryanne, and him, for years. She had done some accounting work with MRC long ago and always planned to volunteer once she retired. When the time came, she “volun-told” John to join her—and he’s been here ever since.

He also volunteers extensively at Staunton State Park, where he serves on the board of the Friends of Staunton and supports educational programs for kids. In the summer, he splits his time between Staunton and MRC; in the winter, when the park slows down, he’s with us even more. “Variety is the spice of life,” he says with a laugh. “And this place is really right for the community.”

At MRC, John began as a driver, hauling food bank orders and drawing on his grocery industry background. A back injury led him to help at the front desk for now, but his admiration for the food rescue network hasn’t changed: “People don’t realize how much food gets thrown away,” he says. “And we can help solve that.”

The generosity here still takes his breath away. Last fall, when critical funding fell through, neighbors filled the gap without hesitation, day after day. So many donations arrived that his wife would come home in tears. “It speaks volumes about who lives up here,” he says. “They just do it quietly, anonymously, because it’s the right thing to do.”

Mountain living, to John, feels like camping year-round: people wave, stop to talk, and know their neighbors. “When you’re camping, people act differently—more open, more friendly. That’s what life is like up here,” he says. “We don’t ever want to go back to the city.”

Volunteering keeps him active and grounded. “It makes you feel like you’re doing something productive,” he says. “And we are.” He appreciates how volunteers are treated at MRC, “If you want volunteers, you have to treat them right—and they do.”

He and Marianne have built close friendships through MRC and Staunton—community many people search for but never find. Looking back, John is still a little stunned, “We never thought we’d be in the middle of something this good,” he says. “I just wish the rest of the world could be like this.”