Community Harvest Food Bank reopens two days after fatal accident

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Community Harvest Food Bank reopened Saturday, two days after a pastor was accidentally killed in its parking lot.  The food bank closed after Rev. James Haugen was pinned underneath his van.

Haugen would later die at a local hospital.

“It just seemed the appropriate thing to do,” said Jane Avery, Executive Director of Community Harvest Food Bank.  “We just kind of felt like to honor him, we needed to do that and to honor the feelings of the staff at that time because a lot of people did know him."

Avery applauded how the food bank staff handled the accident.  Workers at Community Harvest took a fork lift and lifted the van off Haugen.

“I was really proud of the response," Avery said.  "We do have people who think clearly and as the police department said, it was giving him every good chance possible."

Avery decided to open Saturday because many people, who rely on the food bank, can only get there on a Saturday.

“We serve so many of the working poor, and the reason we are busy on Saturdays is because being at jobs they frequently can’t get to pantries or other food assistance programs that would be available to them,” Avery said.  “We feel real strongly about Saturdays and I just kind of think that Pastor Haugen himself would have thought, you know these people need assistance. This would be the right thing to do."

Avery said Haugen will be missed at Community Harvest Food Bank.

“Somebody with a smile like him, he's hard to miss," said Avery.  "The perfect person almost for the pantry, because his attitude."

Avery said Haugen was mission driven.

“(Haugen) was just an all around nice guy, totally mission driven,” said Avery.  “Lived what he believed and lived what he preached.”

NewsChannel 15 will attend church services Sunday morning at Living Water Lutheran Church.  We will have more on Haugen Sunday on the Weekend Report and wane.com.