Donor Spotlight: Ruth Mayes Walton
It started with one $15 gift to God’s Pantry Food Bank in March 1993. The check was from Ruth Walton, a former bank teller at First Security Bank. Originally from Carlisle, she was a quiet woman who lived in a one bedroom condominium in downtown Lexington. She married one of her bank customers, Owsley. They had no children. Owsley passed away and Ruth also lost her sister, Bess.
The $15 checks from Ruth kept coming—almost every month. In 1997, the monthly checks increased to $25.
While settling Bess’s estate, Ruth befriended Bonnie Kittinger, an attorney. They became close, visiting almost weekly. Kittinger said Ruth never talked about her wealth and lived very frugally, remaining in the one bedroom apartment at Hanover Towers she and Owsley had shared.
What Bonnie remembers were her weekly Sunday visits with Ms. Walton. She and her husband, Larry, would often take Ruth to lunch, as she needed help getting around in her later years. Dudley’s and The Merrick Inn were her favorite spots and she enjoyed the opportunity to get out and socialize.
Ruth’s regular checks to God’s Pantry Food Bank abruptly stopped in 2004. She died in 2006. And that would seem to be the end of the story. But Ruth had other plans.
As she made her own estate plan, Ruth consulted with a trust officer of the bank where she had worked, which had since transferred from Bank One and then again to J.P. Morgan Chase. She created a trust and designated four beneficiaries, including God’s Pantry Food Bank, in her final plans.
In 2007, checks from Ruth Walton started coming again to God’s Pantry Food Bank. The first check from her settled estate wasn’t $15, or even $25. It was more than $3,000.
Every quarter, the checks continue to come, as Ruth Walton directed in her will and trust. God’s Pantry Food Bank continues to benefit from Ruth Walton’s faithful generosity, years after her passing. Often, a single check from her estate is capable of providing more than 20,000 meals to hungry Kentuckians.
In life, Ruth gave what she could and made a difference. In 2003, God’s Pantry Food Bank honored Ms. Walton with a Daily Bread Society Award, recognizing her plans to include the food bank in her will. No one knew the full impact of her decision.
“I still miss her,” said Bonnie. “She had a delightful wit.”
Ruth’s wit may be a happy memory, but her legacy of generosity endures, feeding thousands of families. Her quiet caring lives on.
A gift in your will is the simplest way to remember God’s Pantry Food Bank in your estate plan. There is no cost during your lifetime, and your estate may qualify for a charitable deduction. If you have already included us in your Will or Estate Plan, please let us know. We’d like to thank you and welcome you into our Daily Bread Society. For more information on Planned Giving programs or the Daily Bread Society, please contact Rebecca Wallace, at 859.288.5325.