Christmas Won’t Be Same Without Trent

Watching Ken Trent help run The Christmas Bureau each holiday season provided a lesson in diplomacy. The Volunteers of America director was the troubleshooter. Workers at the bureau called on him to decide if a poor person lacked proper ID or was trying to get more than his or her share of toys, food and gifts.

Trent would take the person aside and in a quiet voice, ask some questions. He usually gave the poor person the benefit of the doubt. “Anyone who would come here and stand in line probably needs what we have,” he’d say.

Trent was no pushover, however. He’d heard every excuse from people trying to take advantage of social service agencies. Yet he never talked down to the people he served. Nor was he ever judgmental. He served our community’s most desperate and needy with compassion, wit and diligence. Trent, 66, retired last week. We wish him well. With welfare reform, social service agencies and charities will assume new tasks and new clients. We need dozens more like Ken Trent to lead the way. , DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Rebecca Nappi/For the editorial board