'You need to help people. It's the right thing to do.'

February 15, 2024

Kathy and Bob Lickteig are partners – in family, in faith, and in charity.

A few years ago, Kathy had been thinking they should volunteer somewhere. A note about St. Vincent de Paul caught her eye. About the same time, after daily Mass, someone approached her and asked if she and Bob would consider joining the local St. Vincent de Paul conference.

“It was something I knew very little about. I knew of the thrift stores,” she said. But she learned “there’s so much more to it: The food pantries, the social services, the back-to-work program.”

St. Vincent de Paul is celebrating 100 years of helping people in central Iowa, both those who need immediate help like food, and those who need help getting back on their feet by getting a job.

“I think that’s what drew us to it,” she said. “The more we learned about the organization, we said yeah, this is where we need to be helping.”

Bob grew up on a farm, which instilled in him a solid work ethic and a get-things-done attitude.

He’s spent his career problem solving. So when he realized he could help others with their needs, he jumped in. He’s been volunteering through the Knights of Columbus since 1981. When he learned about St. Vincent de Paul, he joined Kathy in stepping up.

They worked at the food pantry in Des Moines for a while before the pandemic. After the pandemic, they’ve restarted. She serves as the treasurer of their conference, and he serves as president.

“I’m accomplishing something. You have a beginning and an end. You’re fixing things, and when you leave you feel satisfied that you’ve done something,” he said. “There’s a need and it’s getting bigger.”

Two Saturdays a month for six hours each day, there’s a 14-foot long truck in the back of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart property in Ankeny. Chances are, you can find Bob there. His warm smile welcomes each person or family that drives up with donations of food, personal care products, diapers, clothing and small household items for the thousands of people served by St. Vincent de Paul each year.

Folks come from as far as Marshalltown to the east to Madrid to the west and all points in between, mostly in northern Polk County.

Bob helps unload items, hops up into the truck to sort and pack the goods, and thanks all those who come by with something that someone else could use. 

His dedication and time commitment to filling the truck twice a month are appreciated.

“If it wasn’t for Bob, it would be falling apart,” said Don Lamberti, who with Evertt Riewer founded the St. Vincent de Paul drop-off donations initiative at OLIH years ago. Eventually, they transitioned from having a shed that held dropped-off items to the truck. 

“We needed some fresh blood. He’s taken it to the next level. I’m glad to have him around,” Lamberti said.
Laurie Reedy, of St. Vincent de Paul, calls Lickteig a servant leader.

“We love Bob’s enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile,” she said. “We are so blessed to have him support and answer the call of SVDP to ‘Help Us, Help Others’ in Des Moines and surrounding communities.”

Bob is extremely grateful for the support of the Knights of Columbus at Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart and St. Luke the Evangelist, both in Ankeny. The Lickteigs have been active in their KC council, too. Last year, Bob was honored by being inducted into the Iowa Knights of Columbus Hall of Fame.

Why does he spend so much time volunteering?

“You need to help people. It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate. My wife and I always lived within our means. We saved. Now we’re giving back. You don’t need to make a lot of money to give back.”

Kathy feels the same way.

“As part of our faith, we’re called to help others,” she said. 

Bob was thrilled the day a couple, their six-year-old child and a grandmother came to help unload vehicles and fill up the truck for a couple of hours. And he hopes more families will spend some time lending a hand.

“It’s satisfying that you’re accomplishing something and you’re teaching your kids,” he said. “If you keep busy, you show a good example for others and eventually they pick up on that and they’ll do the same thing.”