SPRINGFIELD -- Jim Kahle has always believed it's in the simple things that people can make a difference in the world.
"If you can do something that does not require a lot of effort, but it can help someone, then you should do it," said Kahle, owner of Jim's Auto Trim Specialists on State Street in Springfield.
Since 2009 Kahle has collected nearly 40,000 pounds of food for the Open Pantry by doing one simple thing.
"I offer all of my clients a $15-$20 discount on their bill if they bring in at least four nonperishable food items when they pick up their vehicle," he said.
Outside the shop he has a big yellow sign alerting drivers that he collects food for the pantry. When a customer brings a car to the shop, he explains the offer. Most take him up on it.
"People are very receptive to it and most of the time they will bring much more than just the four items," he said.
Kahle is hoping that other local businesses will consider doing the same thing.
"It's such a simple thing to do, there's no overhead or anything, and it makes a very big difference to the Open Pantry, which has struggled to collect enough food to fill the need," he said.
At the recent Rock 102 Mayflower Marathon, an annual food donation event in Springfield, Matthew Castleman, executive director of Springfield's Open Pantry, said there is always a need.
"Open Pantry has been able to stay operational over the last 40 years because of the generosity and caring of the community," Castleman said. "We serve an extremely large amount of needy people here in Western Mass., but we do not meet the entire need. The number of people we are able to serve is dependent on the amount of food and money that we receive from the community."
For Kahle, giving back to his community is a way of life, and he has instilled the same values in his children and grandchildren. Kahle is grandfather to Brady Kahle, the Springfield boy who has raised more than $13,000 for a friend battling cancer by donating baseball cards and other sports memorabilia.
In his first interview with The Republican in February, Brady credited his grandfather with teaching him all about baseball and card collecting and also about a philosophy the family lives by.
At his booth at card shows, Brady always has a saying by a favorite player of his and his grandfather, Roberto Clemente, which reads, " Any time you have the opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't then you are wasting your time on Earth."
Jim Kahle has the saying posted in his shop as well.
"This is how we live as a family and my hope is that businesses in the area will consider doing this for the Open Pantry or their local pantry," he said.
