For the past couple of years, Van Zbinden has been taking the heat and staying in hot water at his church.
And that's fine by him; his volunteer work with the annual shrimp boil fundraiser at St. Mark's Episcopal Church helps many in need through St. Francis House Ministries.
Three years ago, he was refilling diners' beverages at the annual fundraiser when he caught the eye of the volunteers cooking the shrimp, potatoes and corn.
"They told me, 'Hey, I think you would fit in well coming to work over here with us,'" Zbinden, 40, recalls with a chuckle. And that's where he has been volunteering ever since. This year, he's leading the cooking team as chairman of the four-member cooking committee.
This year, the 12th-annual boil hosted by the church at 1000 N. Mississippi St. runs from 5 to 9 p.m., Sept. 24. Take-out meals will be sold with drive-through service from 5 to 7 p.m.
The meal includes Cajun style Gulf Coast shrimp and sausage with all the trimmings, including corn and potatoes. There will also be hot dogs and tater tots for children and those who don't eat seafood. Homemade cookies, brownies and soft drinks will be sold, as well as beer and wine for on-site diners.
The fundraiser will take place rain or shine, Zbinden says, noting the church's spacious indoor dining area, which can accommodate about 1,100 people.
Weather permitting, patrons can dine among the church's lush gardens. The popular 10-piece local band The Greasy Greens will perform.
Razorback fans fear not; if the Hogs are playing during the boil a TV will be set up.
The shrimp boil has raised more than $165,000 for St. Francis House in its first 11 years, Zbinden says.
"At last year's boil we sold 960 tickets ... and donated about $22,000 from our fundraiser to St. Francis House," he says.
St. Francis House was established in 1970 as a social outreach of the Episcopal Church. It was founded, in part, to continue the work of St. Phillip's Church, an 86-year-old Episcopal mission in downtown Little Rock. The mission, made up of black members, saw its building and property sold to make way for Interstate 630.
While the original intent of St. Francis House was to work to connect the black and white communities of Little Rock amid the tension created by segregation of schools and neighborhoods, it fast became clear that the more pressing, immediate need was to assist individuals. To that end, St. Francis House began working to help those not eligible for help from other agencies.
Located at 2701 S. Elm St., just north of Roosevelt Road, St. Francis House focuses on providing immediate material assistance. It offers food, medicine, shelter, clothing, utility and rent payments, transportation and other basic needs.
In 1988, St. Francis House contracted with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to form a veterans' re-entry program that provides transitional housing for veterans struggling to re-enter society due to post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse or other issues. The veterans are provided housing (most for three months but some for as long as two years), meals, counseling, employment (able veterans are required to seek full-time employment) and laundry services as well as various activities. Homeless female veterans and veterans with families are also eligible for assistance.
The Episcopal-based charity again widened in reach in 1999 when it partnered with St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center (now CHI St. Vincent's) to also offer health care for its clients through St. Francis House Community Clinic, which is staffed by retired volunteer physicians, nurses and other health care professionals. More information on the private, nonprofit organization is available at stfrancisministries.com.
"It's important for me to be involved in this because St. Francis House does such important work with its community outreach programs," Zbinden says. "I want to do what I can to help those in need in our city.
"The money goes a long way when we give it and it's good for the church, too ...."
Zbinden hails from Chattanooga, Tenn., and received his graduate degree from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He arrived in Arkansas in 2005 and today works as an archivist at the Clinton Presidential Center. He lives in Little Rock with his wife, Heather, and their son, William, 8.
Before joining the staff of the presidential library, he worked as the National Register historian with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and prior to that, as a curator at the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources in Smackover.
He also serves as a den leader and assistant cub master for Cub Scouts Pack 30.
In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer in an adult league.
This time of year, though, Zbinden is all caught up and covered up in crustaceans.
"Last year, we did 1,000 pounds of shrimp," he recalls. "I smelled like shrimp for about a week afterward," he adds, laughing. "But it's a lot of fun. We have a great time doing it."
Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under through Sept. 16. Prices at the door go up to $30 for adults and $15 for children. More information about the event and tickets is available at (501) 225-4203 or stmarksshrimpboil@gmail.com.
High Profile on 09/04/2016