How does a person who has worked in agriculture for over 35 years become the Tuesday afternoon Head Baker? For Mary Zischke it was an easy transition.
In 2018, when Mary retired from the agricultural industry, she stopped in that very week to MOWMP and asked to be put to work, for she was terrified of being bored in her next journey of retirement!
Mary first was drawn to volunteer at the farmers market on Wednesday mornings. She loves to cook and started doing cooking demos, featuring items that were available at the market. This was wonderful while it lasted until Covid hit and that came to a halt.
An opening came up during this time which the bake shop and Mary was approached to help. With her love of cooking this was an easy answer to give! At the time, the bake shop was a two-person job, but since then, with the considerable number of clients, the baking staff now numbers five.
When asked how you think our clients feel when they get a home baked treat each Wednesday, Mary replied “Everybody loves an occasional treat!” Since Mary’s husband is also a driver, he gets great feedback weekly that the brownies and the coffee cake are the big hits!
The most fulfilling part of volunteering for Mary has been getting to know the staff and the volunteers. “Everybody is so nice! It has been a lot of fun to get to know the students who volunteer and cycle through as well. It is fun to see them working on their degrees and then moving on to their next stage of lives,” she shared. When asked if someone is thinking about volunteering Mary replied “MOWMP is a great organization and there is always work to be done so don’t be shy. Everyone has a passion and can find a niche! Even baking.”
For Mary, volunteering and being active is part of her daily life. Mary also volunteers at the PG Natural Museum, as well as continues with consulting opportunities, exercises at Chautaugua Hal,l and is very involved with her church. All in all, Mary hasn’t allowed herself to be bored in her retirement journey and we are grateful she volunteers at MOWMP!
