Former SIUC employee devotes time to Red Cross

Delivering about 1,000 meals might seem like an insurmountable task.

To Walter Kent, it's all in a day's work.

A retired SIUC Press employee, Kent delivers hot meals and other necessities to people in areas struck by major storms and tornadoes.

Since 2002, Walter Kent has been a volunteer for Little Egypt Network, a Herrin-based Red Cross office that covers 14 southern Illinois counties.

Sandy Webster, director of the Little Egypt Network, said Kent has also aided recovery efforts after nine hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Dennis. Most recently, he was in Mount Vernon about 60 miles northeast of Carbondale after a July 21 storm.

Kent's main job with the Little Egypt Network is to traverse the streets of disaster-ridden areas and deliver hot meals, cold water and other items from an emergency response vehicle.

Pat Creek, a retired Herrin firefighter and Little Egypt Network volunteer, said he and Kent were in charge of delivering food to the south side of Mount Vernon. They delivered between 500 and 1,000 meals per day.

Volunteers served more than 25,000 meals throughout Mount Vernon while more than 50 percent of homes had no power for a week, Creek said.

Kent said the Mount Vernon storm that left thousands of people without electricity for a week was caused by two strong winds colliding. The storm caused millions of dollars of damage, according to media reports.

Kent said the storm that took place in Mount Vernon was bad, but was no comparison to the damage that took place in Hurricane Katrina.

"Hurricane Katrina was the biggest thing that ever happened in America," Kent said.

The emergency response vehicles delivered about 30 million meals to Hurricane

Katrina victims, Kent said.

Kent said volunteers oftentimes go through their own hardships.

"The living condition of volunteers can be pretty rough. I've had to sleep anywhere from a parking lot to a vehicle for up to and over a week," Kent said.

Kent received an accounting degree from SIU in 1957. He got his first and only job at the SIU Press after a two-year stint in the U.S. Army. Kent worked at the SIU Press for 35 years as an associate director and chief financial officer. He spent two years as interim director and retired in 1996.

Kent grew up in Mount Vernon and has lived in Carbondale for 50 years.

Creek said he has always seen Kent as a mentor. His fun-loving personality helps volunteers deal with the destitution around them. Creek said Kent is a good listener who always provides comfort and a helpful hand to everyone around him.

"All the stuff we see in disaster-ridden areas really works on you physically and mentally," Creek said. "Walter's humor and comforting personality really help the volunteers get their minds off the horrors we see."