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| L-R for group: Jim Campbell, outreach specialist for the Joyce Family Food Pantry and Outreach; Eileen Nowak, director of Catholic Charities Parish Outreach and Advocacy; Charlie Joyce, chairman of the board of Otis Eastern Service LLC; Dennis C. Walczyk, president and CEO of Catholic Charities; Debra Miller, mental health counselor for Catholic Charities; Anne Miles, district director for Catholic Charities Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties; and Joyelle Tedeschi, director of Catholic Charities Family and Community Services. |
Catholic Charities’ Wellsville Food Pantry and Outreach at its Wellsville office, 67 East Pearl St., officially bears a new name. During a Holiday Open House held Monday, the pantry was designated as the Joyce Family Food Pantry and Outreach.
The renaming was done to recognize in a special way local
businessman Charlie Joyce and his family for their significant, ongoing support
of Catholic Charities. Joyce, chairman of the board of Otis Eastern Service LLC
gave $450,000 in total to the 2019 Appeal, the largest personal and corporate
donation in the Appeal’s 95-year history.
In 2012, his donation made possible the establishment of the
Catholic Charities Wellsville Food Pantry and Outreach. Earlier this year, he
made a $10,000 donation directly to the pantry. Since opening, the pantry has
served more than 2,000 individuals and nearly 900 families, and many more have
received clothing and supplies from the Thrift Store which opened in 2016.
After recounting the Joyce Family’s legacy of support,
including a late 2019 Appeal match challenge gift of $100,000 that was met,
Dennis C. Walczyk, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, expressed the
agency’s deep gratitude.
“Naming a pantry and
outreach center as a gesture of our very deep gratitude may seem like a token,
but know that it is done with our utmost respect and gratitude,” said Walczyk.
“Having the Joyce family name associated with giving to others will always be a
reminder of their generosity and a witness to the value of compassion and care
for those in need. We can’t thank Charlie and his family enough.”
At the close of the 2019 Appeal, Catholic Charities
announced that it would rename the pantry in the Joyce Family’s honor.
“We don’t do what we
do to see our name some place, but we do want to have things like this
available to people in need,” said Charlie Joyce during the ceremony. “We are
lucky as a family to be blessed in a lot of ways. We understand giving back,
and just to see the inside of this place and know how many families we’ve
helped and how much this has grown is stunning.”
The Holiday Open House was held in part to highlight the
expansion of Catholic Charities services in Allegany County. In addition to
basic needs assistance and a food pantry and thrift store, services in the
county now include Our Kids Parent Education and Awareness Program, counseling,
and a Kinship Caregiver Support Group as part of the Kinship Caregiver Program
in Cattaraugus County, which has been operating for more than a decade.
Last year, Catholic Charities impacted the lives of more
than 1,500 individuals in Allegany County.
To connect with Catholic Charities’ Wellsville office, or
any of the services listed above, please call (585) 593-2015.
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| Mike Tronetti, a volunteer for Catholic Charities, inside the pantry. |
