It’s with a heavy heart that I tell you we received word that David Schwake, former AAFB/AzFBN (he knew us from way back) board member and fierce advocate for people suffering from hunger in Arizona, passed away earlier this week.
This article about him only begins to outline all of the people he impacted. He was joy incarnate.
Every once in a while, David Schwake would pop in to the AAFB/AzFBN office unannounced to have a chat about what he was doing in Litchfield Park to help hungry kids, or to drop off a donation to help our work. If we were lucky, he’d also bring along some extra goodies from the kitchen, usually given out with a classic David bear hug. The cookies were legendary, if not the kind of healthy food he was trying to make sure kids got through his work as the Food Service Director at the Litchfield Elementary School District.
Not content with his day job, he was also a volunteer board member at AAFB/AzFBN for years, among several other nonprofit and community based activities. When it was time for David to invest more in his other charitable responsibilities and he left the AZFBN board, it was a sad day. David was always the bright spot in a meeting, bringing levity to our very serious work and ensuring we got things done when it was most needed.
There are people in the world that only approach philanthropy as a means to an end – that end being notoriety, accolades, or even awards. Not David. His “love of humankind” was exactly that. Spend 5 minutes with him and you knew, in the best Mr. Rogers way, that you were a unique human being who was loved and worthy of health, happiness, and, most of all, a full belly.
At a time when the world is experiencing so much tragedy and loss, it isn’t fair to compare the depths of grief that we’re all feeling. But I have to say that the breadth of this loss could span the Grand Canyon. David was unique, dedicated, and so unsatisfied with the inequalities of the world that he worked every day to make things better. A life well lived? Unquestionably, and it’s so devastating that he wasn’t afforded more time with us.
To all who knew and loved him, we share your grief, we will remember him always, and will do everything we can to honor his memory by fighting for the change he wanted to see – a community where all children have enough to eat every day, even on Saturdays, since David used to joke that he did not know kids were only hungry Monday-Friday. Rest well, dear friend.
–Angie and the AzFBN Team
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