A La Porte County Life in the Spotlight: Nancy and Randy Hansen

Randy and Nancy Hansen are a husband-and-wife duo that truly have a heart for giving back. Regular volunteers, they are long-time La Porte County community members who value what La Porte County has to offer.

The couple began volunteering with The Salvation Army a few years ago. Today, volunteering with The Salvation Army is a core component of their week.

“It’s so heartwarming to see the people’s faces getting food and getting clothes,” Nancy said. “When they come in and they’ve gotten a new job, or they need certain things for work, we’re able to help them.”

The couple’s inspiration to volunteer with The Salvation Army stemmed from the work that Nancy was highly involved in with the area schools. When the La Porte County Community School Corporation transitioned to requiring school uniforms so that parents did not have to purchase uniforms every year, many local community members wanted to start a uniform exchange program.

“A cousin of mine on the board at The Salvation Army knows that I’m an organizer, and she asked if I would be interested in helping to establish this exchange program,” Nancy said. “There were two of us working on that and then more clothing was being donated, so we had to continue to grow the storage space. First, we stored the clothes in the lobby, and then in a small room.”

Randy Hansen volunteers at a food pantry through The Salvation Army.

“Just post-COVID, The Salvation Army needed a fill-in at the food pantry and, as it turned out, I became the fill-in volunteer as time went on,” he said. “At a certain point, I became less of a part-time volunteer. The pantry is open two days a week, and one of those is mine.”

Nancy is also a volunteer at The Service League in Michigan City. The Service League is a nonprofit organization that works to provide medical equipment and supplies to adults in La Porte County.

The Hansens live on an acre of land. They have a small greenhouse and a fairly extensive garden on their property. There, the Hansens grow many of their own produce on their land.

“I kept bees for a while, and we have a dozen chickens now here out back,” Randy Hansen said. “When the kids grew up and moved away, these types of hobbies took over and filled our time.”

Randy volunteers at the Michigan City’s Tannehill Soup Kitchen as well. As part of his volunteering with Tannehill, he prepares meals and cooks. He also enjoys spending days on the water when the opportunity presents itself.

The Hansens have two children, Erin and Corey, and two grandchildren.

“Our grandchildren are Millie and Morris,” Nancy said. “We also have two wonderful in-laws.”

Nancy and Randy Hansen are certainly contributing to the community in a very multi-faceted and meaningful way. From students to those looking for work to those that cannot afford a meal, the couple is giving their time and energy towards many good causes throughout La Porte County and the surrounding area. Additionally, they are dedicated to their family and to each other.