Food bank becomes wedding chapel
Jan Couturier and Bob McIntosh exchange marriage vows Saturday in front of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul facility in Sierra Vista. Both are volunteers for the food bank. (Mark Levy • Herald/Review)
SIERRA VISTA — It has a religious name — St. Vincent De Paul.
But it isn’t a church, or even a chapel.
Rather, it is the food bank in Sierra Vista of the St. Vincent De Paul Society.
It’s a place where people come, hungry people, poor working people, unemployed people seeking food for themselves and their families.
But Saturday, the outside of the food bank on Bartow Street became a church setting for a wedding between two of the establishment’s volunteers — Jan Couturier and Bob McIntosh.
Married by a local justice judge, the couple exchanged their vows before nearly 40 friends and relatives.
Saying traditional vows, pledging their eternal love, and exchanging rings, the previously married man and woman were declared man and wife, with the judge’s quiet order to Bob telling him “you can kiss the bride now."
Complying, there was the touching of two pairs of lips, as some people snapped photos of the event.
But one woman didn’t get the shot and yelled out, “Kiss her again,” which led Bob to comply, but his complying wasn’t really forced on to him.
Saying she has been a widow for seven years, Jan told the Herald/Review, “I asked God to find the right man for me."
Then laughing she said she never thought Bob would ever marry her, especially after she had did some damage to his property.
Those incidents involved knocking down part of a fence on his property and damaging some security lights.
Bob said after the two incidents he told her, “You might as well stay."
That was four months ago, and although they’ve known one another for about a year — Bob has volunteered at the food bank for six years and she for one — Jan said Bob’s recent proposal was a surprise.
“God heard me,” she said as she smiled broadly.