Beautiful People: Helping Others to Live a Better Life

By Kaitlin Irwin

     Marilynne Hinkel is a longtime resident of Delaware County and has poured hundreds of hours of service into her community. All of it is done out of a labor of love, and Marilynne wouldn’t have it any other way. Her volunteer efforts picked up after retirement; she learned about various charitable organizations through her church, Chambers Memorial Church in Rutledge, PA. Marilynne saw the need for assistance at Chester Eastside so she began volunteering and hasn’t looked back since. Along with about 2 dozen other volunteers, Marilynne helps Chester Eastside with their food pantry and donated goods, which aid about 100 people every week.

     Besides contributing her time and energy to the organization, Marilynne also extends a helping hand by getting out into the community and asking for donations from restaurants and businesses in the region. A couple of years ago she approached a local Applebee’s to ask if they could donate any items for Chester Eastside’s food pantry. Not only did the manager agree, but Marilynne has been graciously welcomed by the manager’s two successors throughout the years. She is now a friendly, familiar face at the Applebee’s, where she picks up soup each week for the food pantry.

     Marilynne also takes regular trips to Lancasters, where her aunt owns a dry cleaning business. Any clothes that were abandoned by customers are retrieved by Marilynne and are used as donations at Chester Eastside. Unafraid to ask or be resourceful, Marilynne has helped the organization with food prep, childcare, and donations. This past July she helped out with weekly field trips to the Swarthmore Swim Club for kids in Chester. Marilynne also runs the Super Bowl of Caring in January, in which she and other volunteers go door-to-door collecting canned food for those who need it most. She also recruits local Boy Scouts and school groups to help out. Last year, 7 truckloads of food were donated to Chester Eastside!

     Other volunteer efforts for Marilynne include helping with Church of the Brethren in Drexel Hill’s homelessness initiative, in which the homeless are fed, clothed, and able to spend the night in January and March. Marilynne assists with serving dinner and she collects socks, coats, and boots throughout the year to help clothe the homeless during these colder months.

     During her spare time, she also does work for The Village in Rosemont. During the Christmas holiday, Marilynne teams up with her church to provide around 100 gifts for foster children. She is also Treasurer of the SkillsUSA PA Alumni Association and chairs their Outstanding Chapter contest in April. Retirement is anything but dull for this generous and energetic woman! She is a gem to Delaware County.