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“It’s a good thing for the community, for people that are volunteering and helping, to be recognized.”
— Greg Silkenson
Greg Silkenson has been a quiet fixture at Veterans Memorial Park for more than two decades, offering breakfast, coffee and kindness to Elgin’s day laborers and unhoused residents nearly every Friday.
This summer, his steady presence earned regional recognition when he was named one of KVUE’s 5 Who Care honorees — an annual award that highlights Central Texans for outstanding volunteer service. Silkenson is the first Elgin resident to receive the honor in the award’s 37-year history.
“It’s exciting to me and an honor,” Silkenson said in KVUE’s Aug. 2 segment. “It’s encouraging because it’s not just me helping — it’s my wife, other people and family members. It’s a good thing for the community, for people that are volunteering and helping, to be recognized.”
Silkenson’s outreach, known as Church on the Street, began in 2004 following a prostate cancer diagnosis three years earlier. The experience, he said, shifted his perspective and strengthened his desire to give back.
“Elgin was a much smaller town, and we came by the park here and there’s all these day laborer men,” he said. “I thought, well, I could do something with them.”
That “something” quickly became a consistent effort rooted in compassion, according to those that know him. Over the years, Silkenson has delivered clothes, wellness kits, Bibles and more to the park’s gazebo — connecting people with the local service organizations that can help them further.
Through holidays and harsh weather alike, Silkenson has remained a constant at the greens. Locals said they know he will be there — not just with food, but with friendship.
“There’s a language barrier somewhat because I don’t speak a lot of Spanish,” he said. “But some of the men speak plenty of English … and they’re happy to see me. They’re polite and they’re thankful.”
Many of the park’s day laborers said they live, rent and shop in Elgin, quietly contributing to the local economy while often going unseen, according to Silkenson.
The full KVUE segment is available at kvue.com.
