About this series
This is the first in the Springfield News-Sun four-part series about Unsung Heroes in our community. The News-Sun asked readers to nominate people who go above and beyond to help others but rarely receive recognition for their work.
Giving to the less fortunate is a way of life for Springfield residents Keith and Bonita Mills.
Their family has operated the nonprofit Family Needs Center for at least 40 years. Bonita and Keith Mills took it over after her parents died about 15 years ago.
“It’s helping people,” she said. “It’s helping the less fortunate. That’s how I was raised.”
The pantry at 36 E. Grand Ave. has feed at least 5,000 people this year, said Springfield resident and food pantry worker Gloria Oliver, who nominated the couple as Unsung Heroes in the community.
“A lot of times Bonnie and Keith do things out of their pocket when there’s not enough money,” Oliver said. “To me, they’re great people. I don’t think anyone realizes how much time and devotion they put into that pantry.”
The non-profit organization provides food, free meals and clothing to people in need. It’s open four days a week and provides a hot lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It held its annual Thanksgiving meal last week.
“They’ve kept it going,” Oliver said. “It’s been in existence in Springfield for at least 40 years. For her to keep her mother and father’s legacy going for all those years, it’s amazing to me.”
The organization was started decades ago by the parents of Bonita Mills, whose maiden name is also Mills. Edwin and Dorothea Mills operated the center in several locations until the current facility was donated by the South Fountain Seventh Day Adventist Church.
In 1991, Edwin and Dorothea Mills were honored as President George Bush’s 412th Daily Point of Light, which honors those who help others in the community.
Keith and Bonita Mills began running the center full time in 2000 when her mother died, but the married couple have played a big role in it for many years. He’s retired from Navistar, where he worked for 35 years. She’s retired from Harts Family Center, where she worked for 24 years.
“We couldn’t see it go under,” Keith Mills said. “We’ve been running it ever since.”
Bonita Mills also currently works at the latchkey program before and after school at Perrin Woods Elementary School.
The center has had as many as 100 people lined up in the morning this year.
“We’ve got a lot of friends from it,” she said. “We know Springfield. They’re part of our family.”
Oliver started working at Family Needs Center through Mature Services about a year ago. She didn’t realize the extent of the services it provides for the community.
“I knew it existed, but I had no idea what they actually did,” Oliver said.
The Mills are both in their 70s and hope to find someone to take over Family Needs in the future. Last year their nephew Vernon Gaines renovated the property after the pipes burst and caused major damage to the dining room, kitchen and restrooms.
The center receives donations from individuals, churches and businesses, Keith Mills said. It has about 10 volunteers and three workers who are paid through Mature Services.
“We don’t want to see it go under,” Keith Mills said. “We’re looking for any funding we can get.”
The Mills family does so much for so many different people, said Springfield resident Linda Higgenbotham, who has volunteered there for the past three years.
“I can’t even begin to name all the things they’ve given — clothing and food,” Higgenbotham said. “They have people come in to help people get jobs. Anything that someone needs, they try to accommodate the people of Springfield.”
The organization fills a big need for residents in the community, she said.
“They look for it to be open because they know it’s a comfort that they can come there and ask for whatever they need,” Higgenbotham said. “If we have it, we’re more than glad to give it to them. I can’t put it into words to tell you how well (the Mills) are loved by the people.”
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