Serving others was his passion and in an October 2014 Community Food & Outreach Center thank you video, Richard Kenneth Kepple talked about how much he loved helping others.

“Giving a hand up to me means having our customers keep their integrity, while assisting them financially with things that they could not necessarily afford all the time," said Ken Kepple in the video. "And I love the fact that we’re able to help so many customers and give them a hand up here."

The 46-year-old was found dead Wednesday night at the Metro at Michigan Park apartments on Conway Road near Curry Ford Road in Orlando.

A concerned co-worker went to check on him, after Kepple failed to show up for work at the food bank on Michigan Avenue Wednesday. 

His manager said that was out of character for Kepple. Eric Gray, executive director for Community Food & Outreach Center, said Kepple could always be counted on. His background made him an asset to the outreach center.

“He was a volunteer before he was a staff member and that perspective is incredibly important to us and he was a client before he was a volunteer," Gray said. "So he was a triple threat that he could give us the view point of every constituent that comes here on property."

"We're really going to miss his opinion and his work and his work ethic. Just his passion more than anything else," Gray added.

On Thursday, Orlando police officers were still guarding Kepple’s apartment, and had posted CRIMELINE signs with a reward of up to $5,000 nearby, hoping neighbors could help them find out what happened to him.

Investigators have not said how Kepple was killed or released any information about a possible suspect.

The last time co-workers saw Kepple was Sunday.

“While he didn’t have direct relatives in this community, he had a lot of family in the form of the friends both here at the Community Food & Outreach Center and elsewhere," Gray said.

Co-workers decided to close the grocery store at the outreach center early Thursday afternoon in remembrance of Kepple. 

If you have any information about Richard Kenneth Kepple’s murder, you can call CRIMELINE anonymously at 1-(800) 423-TIPS (8477).