GREEN COVE SPRINGS – When Timothy Rust, owner of Fleming Island Insurance, began supporting the nearby Food Pantry of Green Cove Springs, he didn’t realize he already had a connection to pantry director Wynema Lovell.

“Turns out, I have known Wynema virtually all my life,” Rust said. “We attend the same church. And last year, when the pantry decided to have an annual fundraiser, she asked me to spearhead it and I couldn’t say no.”

The risk of Rust saying no was probably pretty low – he’s been a leader of Fleming Island Lions Club, having served as president and now a director, which is how he first got involved with the pantry.

The food pantry, founded in 1989, provides emergency food for the working poor, acts as a stopgap in times of crisis and also assists people waiting for Food Stamps.

“Many times, people find themselves in a temporary situation, and they aren’t to the point of needing government assistance,” Lovell said. “Often, they come to us one or two times and then find work or make other arrangements in their lives.”

Rust and his wife, Melissa, co-owner of Fleming Island Insurance and a board member for the Food Pantry, have hosted and promoted food drives, organized items for distribution and participated in other events in addition to the gala, which is in its second year and ramping up quickly already.

“I’ve never lacked for food, and can’t even imagine what it is like for those who do,” Rust said. “That’s why I continue to help.”

Lovell has been with the organization since the beginning. She was looking for volunteering opportunities after retiring from the U.S. Postal Service, and knew immediately the pantry was the right fit.

“To see the tears of a young mom when you roll out that shopping cart of food makes it all worthwhile,” she said.

With 90 volunteers, no paid employees and no government funding, the pantry served nearly 10,000 people last year. Clients are served four times per year, with a minimum of 30 days between visits, and must have a referral from a church partner or social services agency so the pantry can utilize its resources wisely, Lovell said.

Those resources have continued to grow, thanks to support of people like the Rusts.

“From working on fundraisers with the Lions to serving on our board, the Rusts have been an amazing asset,” Lovell said. “And Tim is a mentor for me personally, helping to coach me as I seek donations and other support for the pantry.”

It’s all part of Rust’s belief in giving back — and getting his staff and others involved, too.

“I want my clients to think of me as more than just an insurance agent,” he said. “I live, work, play and give in my neighborhood, and I always invite them to join in.”

That approach has earned Fleming Island Insurance a 2016 Safeco Insurance Make More Happen Award. The award comes with a $4,000 donation to the Food Pantry of Green Cove Springs from Safeco on behalf of Fleming Island Insurance.

“Thanks to donations like this one, we’ve never had to turn anyone away in all those years,” Lovell said. “This money will go straight to purchasing food — and as we typically provide about $150 worth of groceries, $4,000 will go a long way for local families in need.”

Rust said the award is gratifying, but helping families is the most important – and rewarding –

thing, he said. “All this volunteering, it really fills the heart.”