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08/28/2019 08:47 AMFor most people, the daily demands of a job, the stress of relationships, mental or physical health issues, and other everyday problems can pile up, making it easy to forget that some neighbors might have even greater troubles, including wondering whether they will have enough to eat on any given day.
Some people do not forget, even after almost four decades.
For the past 40 years or so, Joan Cuomo and Vera DaCorte, with the support of St. George Parish, have been able to offer food and basic supplies to those people who are fighting through difficult or desperate times, and offer their comfort to those who might have little else to comfort them.
“These people that come to us,” said DaCorte, “they come, and they’re getting their food and stuff, but some of them just need somebody to talk to when things are bad.”
“It’s just nice to help somebody, you know?” she added.
DaCorte, a nurse who works at Yale New Haven Hospital, joined up with Cuomo about 20 years ago when she moved to Guilford, she said. Cuomo had been informally serving a handful of people through the parish, but as the number of those in need grew, DaCorte found herself becoming more and more involved.
Today, DaCorte says she and a small group of volunteers run the St. George food pantry, providing weekly bags of fresh vegetables, canned goods, toiletries, and various other necessities to between 40 and 50 people who, for whatever reason, are unable to fully provide for themselves.
“A lot of our people are single people, elderly people,” said DaCorte, “and some are young people just starting to get a job...and maybe with everything, they can’t afford food.”
Most of the people show up once a week at the church to find a neatly packed shopping bag with their name on it, and either DaCorte, Cuomo, or another volunteer waiting to greet them with a smile. DaCorte says they purposefully keep the number of volunteers on site at the pantry low, to make the experience more comfortable for those who might be embarrassed at accepting charity.
“They’re comfortable coming to us, talking to us,” said DaCorte.
People feeling comfortable and being able to share any detail of their struggles or needs is a very important part of the St George food pantry’s mission, DaCorte said. Often, she or another volunteer are able to direct them to other organizations that can help them find things like clothes or transportation, help them build a resume, or provide adult education.
“I’m a nurse, so some of them will come and ask, ‘Do you know any doctors [who are] good for this,’ or ‘I’ve got this ailment, what should I do about it?’” said DaCorte.
DaCorte and the food pantry get their supplies almost entirely through donations. Stop & Shop provides day-old baked goods for local charities, and DaCorte said volunteers make daily trips to collect whatever is available. A large portion comes from individual donations, she said—people who bring a box or two of staple foods and leave them at the church.
Though the food pantry is listed on several directories online, most people are guided to it by word of mouth, according to DaCorte. She said that if someone in town has a need, people know where to direct them.
“Somebody [gets] word to us, that [a person or family] is in need of help,” said DaCorte. “And we would just see what we could do.”
DaCorte again emphasized that there is no judgment or questioning, except to make sure someone doesn’t have an allergy or illness to a particular food. But whatever the reason, whether someone needs immediate help or long-term aid, the pantry is there.
“If we can help them out for a few weeks or whatever,” said DaCorte. “Some of them lost their job because they were in the hospital, or something happened and they lost their job...they’re trying to pay rent and whatnot, and food sort of comes last.”
For more information on the St. George food pantry, visit stgeorgeguilford.org/social-action-outreach.