Tim Griffin volunteers Friday at the Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston, where he has offered his services since the late 1980s. The 75-year-old was named the Jubilee Center’s Volunteer of the Year for 2024. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — Tim Griffin volunteered at the Trinity Jubilee Center before it was known by that name.

He began volunteering in the late 1980s in the space under the Trinity Church when it was known as the Urban Ministry Training Center. His church group came in once a week to prepare a meal. He said he once met the late Rev. William Baxter, who founded the welfare-to-work program FaithWorks that operated there and also helped form the Trinity Jubilee Center.

Griffin said Baxter told him something that has stuck with him about serving your community.

“It has to be more than words,” he said. “It’s about showing you care through service. That’s why I’m happy to volunteer here.”

Griffin, 75, volunteers at Trinity once a week, helping prepare meals.

This month he was named the Jubilee Center’s Volunteer of the Year for 2024.

An announcement of the award this month said that on top of helping in the soup kitchen, Griffin and his wife also help organize the annual toy distribution during the holidays.

“Tim comes in smiling and makes silly jokes to keep people laughing while working,” the post said. “He helps wherever necessary, takes pride in his work, and when he has time, asks other volunteers to teach him words in their languages.”

Griffin said that from the first few times he volunteered at Trinity, he made it a mission to go back and “help out where I could.”

He’s there most Friday mornings, unloading and organizing food deliveries and helping do other preparation for kitchen staff.

Tim Griffin, 75, volunteers Friday at the Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston. He was named the center’s Volunteer of the Year for 2024. Volunteering alongside him are Alexandra Orlas Martinet, right, and Raabe Alvaro, background. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

“The staff is wonderful,” he said. “They’re very caring, fun to be with, and have a tremendous mission. It’s a very caring place, and they’re not looking for attention because they really care for people. I really appreciate that and I want to be around it.”

The Auburn resident said that after retiring in 2018 from his job as a management analyst for the Maine Department of Labor, he put more emphasis on volunteering.

Griffin also volunteers at the food pantry at the High Street Congregational Church in Auburn, as well as Andwell Health Partners, formerly Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice. There he helps make follow-up calls to families, works in the hospice house, and at Camp Dragonfly, an annual program for children who have recently lost loved ones.

Erin Reed, director of the Trinity Jubilee Center, said Griffin will “do whatever needs to be done” when volunteering. She said some days it’s bagging up groceries for guests, while other days it’s plating lunches.

“He knows how important this food is to our guests and he wants to make sure the distributions go smoothly,” she said. “He works extra during the holidays sorting toy donations and handing them out to the kids. Things can get pretty hectic here but he is always calm and patient and smiling. Volunteers come and go but he’s been here longer than many of the staff members.”

Griffin said he plans to volunteer as long as he can.

“As long as they let me in, I’ll keep going,” he said.

The Trinity Jubilee Center, which opened in 1991, served 38,000 meals in the past year. The center serves a hot lunch Monday through Saturday.

Know someone with a deep well of unlimited public spirit? Someone who gives of their time to make their community a better place? Then nominate them for Kudos. Send their name and the place where they do their good deeds to reporter Andrew Rice at arice@sunjournal.com and we’ll do the rest.