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Robert Allen says his volunteer work is a hobby.
His wife, Alva Jane, says it’s a calling.
Allen said he can’t stand to see an unfulfilled need, and not try to help. It’s not in his makeup. That’s why he was chosen as the Neosho Exchange Club’s Book of Golden Deeds recipient this year. A banquet in his honor will be held on Oct. 29.
Allen worked professionally as an educator for 34 years, including a 28-year stint as principal at South Elementary in Neosho.
During that time, he also got in on the ground floor of what was to become the Newton County Food Basket Brigade. One day while driving to work, Allen was listening to a local radio station, KBTN, when announcer Dave Winegardner related how the Economic Security Corporation lost part of its funding and couldn’t offer food baskets for the needy that holiday season. Winegardner added he and his wife decided to form a local canned food drive to help fill the gap.
An idea was born.
“I thought it would be good for South School students to bring cans of food which would be delivered to be a part of the baskets,” he said. “I talked with my immediate supervisor and the idea took off from there. Within a few years, all of the elementary schools were taking part. Now, most schools in the county are involved in some way.”
Allen related throughout the remainder of his education career, he organized contests between classes to see which could bring in the most canned foods for the food basket brigade, and told his students they could raid their home pantries and bring in “all of the canned spinach they wanted.”
He didn’t slow down in retirement. In 1997, he took a leadership role with the organization. Bill Masters, a minister in Neosho’s Ministerial Alliance, served as chairman that year and asked Allen to be part of the steering committee, specifically, to recruit volunteers. It’s a capacity he continues to work in to the present day.
In 1998, First Christian Church pastor Clem Graham asked Allen to co-chair the basket brigade with him. Later, Allen worked with the Rev. Tom Thorne of First Congregational Church and Bill Crowe, the city’s former parks and recreation director. He co-chaired the annual drive with the Rev. Craig Kirby-Grove as well, the last year a minister served as co-chair.
Robert Allen says his volunteer work is a hobby.
His wife, Alva Jane, says it’s a calling.
Allen said he can’t stand to see an unfulfilled need, and not try to help. It’s not in his makeup. That’s why he was chosen as the Neosho Exchange Club’s Book of Golden Deeds recipient this year. A banquet in his honor will be held on Oct. 29.
Allen worked professionally as an educator for 34 years, including a 28-year stint as principal at South Elementary in Neosho.
During that time, he also got in on the ground floor of what was to become the Newton County Food Basket Brigade. One day while driving to work, Allen was listening to a local radio station, KBTN, when announcer Dave Winegardner related how the Economic Security Corporation lost part of its funding and couldn’t offer food baskets for the needy that holiday season. Winegardner added he and his wife decided to form a local canned food drive to help fill the gap.
An idea was born.
“I thought it would be good for South School students to bring cans of food which would be delivered to be a part of the baskets,” he said. “I talked with my immediate supervisor and the idea took off from there. Within a few years, all of the elementary schools were taking part. Now, most schools in the county are involved in some way.”
Allen related throughout the remainder of his education career, he organized contests between classes to see which could bring in the most canned foods for the food basket brigade, and told his students they could raid their home pantries and bring in “all of the canned spinach they wanted.”
He didn’t slow down in retirement. In 1997, he took a leadership role with the organization. Bill Masters, a minister in Neosho’s Ministerial Alliance, served as chairman that year and asked Allen to be part of the steering committee, specifically, to recruit volunteers. It’s a capacity he continues to work in to the present day.
In 1998, First Christian Church pastor Clem Graham asked Allen to co-chair the basket brigade with him. Later, Allen worked with the Rev. Tom Thorne of First Congregational Church and Bill Crowe, the city’s former parks and recreation director. He co-chaired the annual drive with the Rev. Craig Kirby-Grove as well, the last year a minister served as co-chair.
Then, as the organization acquired its non-profit status, former La-Z-Boy human resources director and fellow Golden Deeds recipient Lewis Cole came on board. The 501c3 status required the organization have a president and vice president, Allen recalls. Cole said if Allen would serve as president, he would serve as the VP. Both served in one or the other capacity for the next several years before deciding it was time to leave it to a younger generation.
“We both decided we would go out together,” Allen said.
Allen had been grooming a replacement, Larry Johnson, while Cole had selected another volunteer, Terry Cook, as his replacement. They approached both men with the idea of stepping into their positions, and both accepted, with Cook as president, Johnson as VP.
“We weren’t going to dump it on anybody,” Allen recalled.
Allen has had a long history of helping in other capacities as well. When a son became interested in Scouting, his former Cub Scout dad came along to Neosho’s Troop 34 as well, eventually serving as a Scoutmaster while Nathan Allen moved up the ranks to the organization’s most coveted award, Eagle Scout.
“I’ve continued to help support Scouting with monetary contributions and with help on several Eagle projects,” Allen said.
Allen also became involved in forming a youth soccer program with the school’s physical education teacher and another Neosho resident.
“Scouting and soccer was as a result of having boys,” he laughed. “This was in the 1970s, when everyone thought soccer would take over football, because the equipment for football was so expensive. My oldest boy, Jay, was in soccer and Nathan was a Scout who went on to get his Eagle. I was a Cub ‘Sprout’: I didn’t get that far, although my mother was a den leader.
“We were blessed in the Methodist Church with Troop 34, the Methodist Men really supported that.”
Allen was also a volunteer in his professional life, serving as treasurer of the Neosho Community Teachers Association, a lifetime member of the Missouri State Teachers Association, president of the Southwest Missouri Principals Association — Subdistrict A, and as a member of the Missouri Principals Association. While principal, South School received several awards from the American Legion for promoting patriotism.
Allen and his wife, Alva Jane, are members of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), where Robert has served as deacon, elder, and chairman of the board for two terms. He and his wife have co-chaired the education committee for several years and have chaired the outreach committee — which does missions work — for at least the past seven. Additionally, the couple has encouraged the collection of shoes and financial donations for Soles4Souls, taking donations to a collection center in Nashville, Tenn., twice. The Allens have helped with delivery of Meals on Wheels since 1997 and have worked with current First Christian minister, Al Gritten, in tornado relief efforts in Joplin.
Following the example of an older couple in their church, Ted and Margaret Coulter (who, incidentally, have also received the Book of Golden Deeds), the Allens have gone to the non-denominational Festival of Sharing in Sedalia each October.
“It’s the food basket brigade, but about seven times over,” he said. “We make health kits, hygiene kits, school kits, and its’ all people from different churches in Sedalia and all across the state.”
Allen was born in Conrad, Mont., and moved with his family to Ft. Morgan, Colo., when he was in the fourth grade. He graduated from Ft. Morgan High School, then attended Phillips University (Christian Church, Disciples of Christ) in Enid, Okla., where he met his bride-to-be, Alva Jane.
“We were in a play and it had an Indian theme,” he recalled. “She was dressed as an Indian maiden, but in a burlap sack! It was love at first sight and she has been the love of my life for the past 48-plus years, and she’s the boss!”
“I’m the encourager,” Alva Jane stressed.
“We’re a team, we do things together. Anymore, it takes both of us to do one thing,” Robert Allen added with his characteristic chuckle.
