Weston Gives Back: St. Vincent de Paul provides food aid in difficult times

Editor’s note: Through the end of the year, the Weston Observer will be profiling aid organizations and people who are focused on assisting those in Weston who are in need of food and support this holiday season. If you have a suggestion for this series, please email editor@westonobserver.org.

Are there really people in need in affluent communities such as Weston?

The answer is a resounding “Yes,” said Pat Burns, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston.

The Society is part of a worldwide Catholic lay organization with the mission of ending poverty and serving neighbors facing hardships regardless of their religious affiliation or background. In Weston and Lincoln, volunteer members run a food pantry, provide emergency financial assistance and give scholarships to adults seeking vocational training. They currently serve more than 130 families.

“So, yes, Lincoln and Weston are home to people that do need help,” Burns said.

The Society’s current endeavor is the Thanksgiving Project, which will provide $35 gift cards to Donelan’s in Lincoln so clients can purchase fixings for Thanksgiving dinner.

Ursula Nowak, secretary and former president of the Society, co-chairs the project. She has been with St. Vincent de Paul for 20 years and said the organization has provided food for Thanksgiving since 2005, when the food pantry first opened.

At first, they distributed turkeys, but as the need grew, it became nearly impossible to store the frozen turkeys, she said. In 2020, they began distributing gift cards instead.

“It’s taken a few different shapes over the years. It’s one of our favorite things that we do,” said Burns.

The food pantry will provide fresh produce and sides such as cranberry sauce and dessert, said Kim Mai, assistant manager of the pantry.

Pies are donated by the Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School and the Goddard School in Weston.

The Society supports anyone who lives, works, or attends school in Lincoln and Weston, including those who live on Hanscom Air Force Base.

Read more Weston Gives Back stories: Resident builds nonprofit to treat hygiene-product insecurity, Club hosts drive to aid pet owners impacted by food insecurity, Weston student aims for 1,000 donations for local soup kitchen, Emergency aid available to residents through Merriam Fund.

Mai said requests have increased in the last couple of weeks and she expects to get even more as the federal government shutdown continues, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) benefits are impacted.

Life-changing moments

Nowak said the Society has “changed [her] life.”

“I’ve always searched for a way to express my faith in a concrete way. I found a home at St. Vincent de Paul’s,” she said. “I think my skills and my desire to help people who need help and my compassion for those who are struggling is just the perfect combination for the skill set that I have to make a difference.”

Mai began volunteering at the food pantry in 2017 when it was in a tiny closet at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Lincoln. As the pantry grew – it is now in a renovated garage at the church – so did her responsibilities.

“I love interacting with our families and hearing their stories – both good and bad stories. There are a lot of sad ones but there are good ones as well,” she said.

Burns has volunteered for many organizations over the years but there is a special place in her heart for St. Vincent de Paul.

“It sounds corny to say but I get more than I give because you really have a sense that you are actually making a difference,” she said.

How you can help

Volunteers have really stepped up in recent weeks, said Nowak, and there are many ways to help.

Donate food and other items

Crucially needed items include

• Pasta sauce
• Garbanzo and black beans, preferably Goya
• Rice pilaf
• Canned chunk or albacore tuna
• Canned soups
• Condiments including ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and salad dressings
• Granola bars
• Non-dairy shelf-stable milk, including coconut and oat milk
• Vegetable and olive oil
• Sugar and salt
• Tea
• Toilet paper
• Laundry detergent and dish soap

Visit the website at svdplincolnweston.org/food-donation. A QR code will enable you to shop from home and have items delivered directly.

Buy a gift card

People can purchase $35 gift cards at Donelan’s Grocery Store in Lincoln and leave them at the customer service desk. Donations can also be made online at svdplincolnweston.org/give or by sending a check to Society of St. Vincent de Paul, PO Box 324, Lincoln, MA 01773.

Checks can also be dropped off in the back of St. Joseph’s Church in Lincoln or St. Julia’s Parish in Weston in the box marked “SVdP Donations.” Please put Thanksgiving in the memo line.

Donations are tax deductible.

Host a food drive

Ask neighbors to fill a bag with food according to a list from the food pantry, found at svdplincolnweston.org and bring the bags to the food pantry and help stock shelves.

“We don’t see ourselves as we and them the other; that is, people who are in need. We are all part of the same human family and we all have needs at certain times. For some people, those needs at the moment are that they come to a food pantry,” Nowak said.