Steven Henderson is the recipient of this year's annual Bob Montague Volunteer Award, which recognizes dedication and significant contributions to our mission and the community we serve. A long-time local resident and business owner, Steven has supported Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes since its beginning as an outreach program of St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Initially, he was a monthly donor, contributing funds to support our feeding programs.

In 2006, when former Executive Director Brooke Sampson joined PVLF, she and then-bookkeeper and Board officer Bob Montague met to discuss a pressing issue. PVLF's tax preparer had failed to file the organization's federal tax return on time and was being unresponsive to the organization. Quick action was needed. Brooke reached out to Steven, a CPA and Principal of Henderson & Co., to ask for his assistance. He agreed, advised her to draft a letter to the IRS, and met with Bob to put the tax return together promptly. The IRS accepted the letter and tax return filing without levying a penalty.

Steven has continued to prepare our annual tax return pro bono every year since, generously giving many hours of his time. The filing assures our compliance with the federal government and serves as a crucial document for grant seeking and fundraising purposes. It not only enumerates our finances and assets, it also accounts for all of the in-kind food donations we receive and outlines our mission and programmatic activities. It is a public record available to anyone interested in our organization's work, and is routinely submitted to foundations and governmental funders considering a grant to the organization.

About his service to PVLF, Steven simply says, "I like to help people in need when I can. If there's something I can do, I like to do it." A local Rotarian, Steven serves the community in many other ways as well by participating in his club's activities. We appreciate Steven sharing his professional expertise and time with us over the years. His counsel and contributions have strengthened our accounting practices and fundraising capabilities, sustaining our organization so we can continue in our mission.