A local philanthropic icon, Jack Menges, died at the age of 82 on Thursday, June 22 at Bothwell Regional Health Center.
Menges, a Korean War veteran born on Aug. 19, 1940, in Wichita, Kansas, was the former Executive Director of Open Door Ministries. After leaving Open Door, he went on, at age 78, to found an additional ministry, Heart of America ReDistribution Solutions & Support Inc., in November 2018. The ministry offers items to not-for-profit organizations, schools, and churches that, in turn, distribute the items to those in need. In 2020, the center was on its way to reaching a goal of redistributing $2 million worth of goods.
In 2020, Menges reported to the Democrat that Heart of America redistributes items to 140 groups in 12 counties, with 80 groups in the local area. The ministry offers various non-food items such as clothes, tools, lights, auto parts, steel-toed boots, cleaning supplies, vitamins, and over-the-counter medications. Menges noted in 2020, there were only four redistribution not-for-profits in Missouri — St. Louis, Sedalia, Warrensburg and Kansas City — compared to Illinois, where there are none.
The center, which received the Community Connection Award in 2020 from the Sedalia Area Chamber of Commerce, is also responsible for the Summer Food Program and provides meals for Open Door Community Café. It's also part of a national organization, good360.org.
Also in 2020, Menges, seeing a need and still under the shadow of COVID and through Heart of America, launched the current Summer Food Program along with Summer Food Coordinator Sue Foster. In 2020, Pettis County had 11 distribution sites: Housel Park, Vermont Park, Liberty Park, Centennial Park, Hubbard Park, Katy Park, Washington Elementary School, Sunset Village Mobile Home Park, Lone Pine Mobile Home Park, Homestead Mobile Home Park, and the Public Housing Authority.
Amanda Davis, the current executive director at Open Door, expressed her thoughts about Menges on Tuesday morning.
"Jack always put the community first, even if he had to break some rules," Davis said with a smile. "Jack will be missed by so many partners and organizations; he touched so many lives.
“Jack was an important part of Open Door and will always be a part of our history."
Foster, a Heart of America board member, noted she's worked with Menges since the late ‘90s. She added that to her, Menges was an "icon."
"I met him when I started working at the Salvation Army in the late ‘90s," Foster said. "I'd always heard about Jack Menges … but I had never met him.
"I went over there (to Open Door) and introduced myself, and we started working together," she continued. "I thought a lot about, 'what would Jack do in this situation?' He's very giving. He didn't question people; he didn't feel it was his place to question if you needed something."
She said that what she admired about Menges was his giving attitude.
"I think he had a very, very intense faith, and he was just a wonderful guy to work around," she noted. "I just very much enjoyed him.
"We worked on a lot of projects together, and it seemed like we were always on the same page," she added. "And we got to where we could complete each other's sentences."
Foster added although Menges is gone, the Heart of America will continue and thrive.
"Because people realize the work that's being done there," she said. "And they want help with it.
"I miss him because I always liked to one-up him on something," she continued with a smile. "And say, 'I did this today' just to show him I've got one on him. He was a pretty remarkable guy; he really was. He's one of those people you know him by his first name. He's just Jack."
According to Menges's obituary, along with loving his family and supporting them as much as possible, he also had an entrepreneurial spirit when finding ways to serve his community. Not only through businesses and churches but primarily through nonprofit public charities. He was either founder, early incorporator, or early board member of many Central Missouri nonprofit organizations, including Missouri Valley Community Action Agency, Pettis County Community Partnership, Pettis County Health Department, Open Door Service Center, Putting Roofs Over People, Project Homeless Connect, Project Community Connect, Salvation Army, United Way of Pettis County, Johnson County United Way, The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri, Servant's Open Door, Manna Harvest, Artful Askers, Still Waters International Ministries, Life Christian University and numerous others.
Menges is survived by his wife, Sue Menges; his daughter, Lissa Brown; two stepsons, Keith Bartolazzi and Peter Bartolazzi; 12 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
A visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday, June 29 at Abundant Harvest Worship Center, 2825 S. Ingram Ave. in Sedalia, followed by a celebration of life service at 2 p.m. The burial will be at Crown Hill Cemetery following the service. Arrangements are under the direction of Rea Funeral Chapel in Sedalia.
Faith Bemiss can be reached at 660-530-0289 or on Twitter @flbemiss.
