The Open Door Announces 2024 Autumn Breakfast Award Recipients
Each year, The Open Door Autumn Breakfast kicks off the holiday giving season and recognizes outstanding volunteer and community partners for their dedication to help connect local people to good food.
HELEN MUISE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
This award is named after Helen Muise who was a faithful volunteer until she lost her battle with cancer in 2002. She ruled the kitchen with a big wooden spoon and ninety-eight pounds of determination. The recipient(s) of this award must have volunteered more than 40 hours in the last 12 months, and must possess the qualities of service that we so fondly remember of Helen.
This year the award will honor three outstanding volunteers.
Claudette Chmura
Chmura, of Gloucester, has been volunteering at The Open Door for about 10 years and is a retired middle school English Language Arts and U.S. History teacher. Chmura has volunteered 693+ hours* at The Open Door. She and her husband moved to Gloucester for two reasons: they wanted to live near the beach and they wanted to find a community where they felt they could give back.
“I know the need is there. What amazes me is the response,” she says. “That was why we moved to Gloucester. We felt we could give back and participate in the community because there are so many opportunities to do it.”
Chmura was nominated by staff as a volunteer who is always ready to dive into a task and see where else she can help.
“Claudette is very reliable and knowledgeable when working with me in the Call Center,” says Jan Shields, Call Center Associate. “She is an awesome worker, and if she is caught up in the Call Center, she will see if help is needed in Fulfillment or elsewhere. She has been volunteering for TOD for many years.”
Chmura enjoys being part of the organizations contributing to the “safety net” in Gloucester for neighbors that need a little extra help. Here at The Open Door, she volunteers primarily in the Fulfillment Center, helping to pack up grocery orders, and in the Call Center, helping people place grocery orders by phone.
“So many times I’ve heard on the phone, I don’t know what we would do without The Open Door. It isn’t just sitting at a keyboard filling out an order. It’s working with people who really need help and are very appreciative of it,” she says.
Don Marcoux
Marcoux, of Gloucester, has been volunteering at Second Glance, the thrift store of The Open Door, for about a year and has made a tremendous contribution in that time. He’s already volunteered 131 hours* for The Open Door, and recently made a large donation of contracting equipment which was sold during a special sale at the store. A Boston-area contractor all his life, when Marcoux retired to his summer home in Gloucester he swiftly realized he didn’t want an idle retirement.
He started volunteering for Second Glance, restoring furniture donated in poor condition so that it could be sold and earn more revenue for hunger-relief programs of The Open Door.
“I love Gloucester and the Gloucester community,” Marcoux says. “I felt like I could give back by using some of my skills to get more money for The Open Door.”
“The people in Gloucester are so different,” he adds. “They’re so much friendlier. It’s easier to make friends.”
Staff at the store say Marcoux is an expert at salvaging furniture that would otherwise not be sellable, transforming pieces into beautiful, quality furniture once again.
“Don has been volunteering with us for about a year now here at Second Glance and has been an incredible asset to our store with his expertise in furniture restoration and repairs,” says Susan Zwart, Director of Thrift Operations. “He takes furniture that normally needs to be disposed of and makes them saleable. We are tremendously lucky to have him on the team.”
Marcoux says it’s a joy just to be part of the team at Second Glance.
“What’s done here is totally amazing and I really enjoy being part of that,” he says.
Nancy Scanzani
Scanzani, of Ipswich, has been volunteering at The Open Door for three years, and has volunteered 257+ hours* for the nonprofit. A retired social worker, her parents instilled in her the value of helping others from a young age. Her father ran a small grocery store, and was flexible with their neighbors taking food home “on the cuff” to make sure everyone had the food they needed. It opened Scanzani’s eyes to food insecurity in her own backyard.
“That was the first time I realized not everyone has enough food or money to pay for food,” Scanzani says. “I realized, these are my friends and neighbors, and they need more food. This makes me feel like I’m 12 years old again, filling grocery orders for people.”
“My father would always say, if you have enough and someone does not have anything, you’re obligated to share,” Scanzani adds.
Scanzani enjoys chatting with clients and making them feel welcome. She volunteers at the Ipswich Community Food Pantry and the Mobile Market at Winthrop Elementary School in Ipswich.
“I like to be able to chat with people,” she says. “And I like to see what the kids like to choose at the Mobile Market. Some of them really enjoy broccoli and cucumber and lemons.”
Scanzani was nominated by staff for both her talent for making clients feel welcome and consistent dedication to the mission.
“Nancy is a compassionate and reliable volunteer who dedicates her time to helping others at both the Ipswich pantry and Mobile Market,” says Frank Margiotta, Mobile Market Coordinator. “Rain or shine, Nancy shows up with a smile and is always ready to assist those in need. Nancy truly exemplifies the essence of community service, embodying the spirit of the Helen Muise Community Service Award.”
CHARLOTTE POPE SERVICE AWARD
When Charlotte Pope retired from teaching in the late ‘70s she volunteered at the food pantry, the schools, and at The Open Door Meals. She believed helping others was just the right thing to do, and it was a way of giving back to the neighborhood that helped take care of her and her siblings when she was growing up after her mother died. She knew more than anyone what it means when someone says, “It takes a village…”
The award is given each year to a volunteer or volunteers who live out this principle in their deeds and actions.
Sue King
King, of Rockport, has been volunteering at The Open Door since about 2008, when she became superintendent at Rockport Public Schools and joined the Rockport Rotary. She’s volunteered 271+ hours* for The Open Door. Now retired, King continues volunteering for Community Meals.
“It just seemed like a great way to help other people,” she says. “Since it revolved around the kitchen—I love to cook. I love to eat.”
The level of food insecurity locally continues to surprise King.
“It still amazes me, now more than ever, the amount of food that is pumped out to people. The amount of need that exists is heart-crushing,” she says. “Some people really have such need. Just to be able to help in any way for an area that I love living in…it’s a beautiful place to live.”
King also enjoys helping the kitchen team. She’s seen the organization evolve first-hand from Community Meals where ingredients were sourced by the volunteer groups and prepared by volunteers in the kitchen, to a new, state-of-the-art kitchen with seven staff members. Today, the kitchen prepares more than 3,000 meals a week (5,000 during the summer when the kitchen ramps up for Summer Meals for Kids). Meals provide in-person dining, to-go, Senior Soup & Salad, Pathways lunches, and other community partnerships. Ingredients are sourced from the Greater Boston Food Bank, donations, local farms, and purchased wholesale, and the menu written by our Food Service Manager and overseen by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
She was nominated by staff for her can-do attitude and willingness to go above and beyond, even leading other volunteers through familiar projects like measuring spice packets for The Open Door Build-a-Meal program. King volunteers with the kitchen team weekly.
“She just jumps right in and frees up staff for other work,” says Dan Trimble, Food Service Manager. “She often brings new volunteers and introduces them to TOD’s operations. A great community resource.”
“It’s just fun,” says King. “I love the team in the kitchen—they’re just a great group of people.”
UNSUNG HERO AWARD
Each year, the Unsung Hero award recognizes a volunteer or volunteers who have gone the extra mile, often taking on responsibilities beyond those typically assigned to a volunteer, in order to make a profound impact. This award recognizes those who are often behind the scenes, putting countless hours into their service to help us connect more people to good, healthy food.
Bob Gillis
Gillis, of Gloucester, has been with The Open Door almost from the start. He joined the Board of Directors in 1979, a year after the nonprofit first began, and has volunteered since. Gillis has volunteered 324+ hours* for The Open Door.
“It’s been really impressive,” Gillis says. “The organization has met a tremendously growing need in all the communities it serves.”
He says his parents instilled the values of giving back and fairness.
“I’m someone who has been very fortunate in life, and it’s about serving others,” He says.
Gillis is retired, and previously served as the President of Cape Ann Savings Bank. Today, he regularly volunteers to deliver meals and helps package Build-a-Meal kits with the Rockport Rotary at The Open Door.
“There are a lot of people that can’t get out, that are struggling,” he says. “It’s an easy thing for me to do. I drove a taxicab many years ago—I know the streets and I don’t mind driving.”
Gillis was nominated by staff at The Open Door because he is a go-to volunteer when the team is in a pinch and needs more delivery drivers. He delivers meals twice a week and regularly comes back to deliver more.
“Bob Gillis is a go-to guy. He usually delivers meals to our housebound clients twice a week as well as showing up with the rotary and other special events. He always has a big smile and a great attitude,” says Mari Bergeron, Data Coordinator.
For Gillis, the work at The Open Door is as simple as the nonprofit’s tagline: Feeding People. Changing Lives.
“If you want to help people less fortunate, there’s no better way,” he says. “There’s a direct connection. With food, it’s pretty simple.”
OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY PARTNER AWARD
The Outstanding Community Partner Award is given each year to an organization that has taken extraordinary steps to make a meaningful impact for their community. Those that receive this award have demonstrated that helping one’s neighbors is more than a gesture of kindness and generosity, but also deeply integrated into the philosophy and values of their organization.
Beauport Financial Services
For approximately 20 years, Beauport Financial has demonstrated a deep commitment to connecting local people to good food.
For David McKechnie, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Beauport Financial Services, the reality that The Open Door serves 1 in 6 Gloucester residents stands out.
“The thought of people in our community not having a good source of food for their families—it starts with that,” McKechnie says. “People have to make choices between rent, prescription medication, and food.”
“It’s hard to be productive and happy if you’re stressed about where your next meal is coming from,” agrees Derek Reed, Managing Partner at Beauport Financial Services. “Especially if you’re a parent.”
Beauport Financial Services has focused its charitable giving to support access to four key issues: food, education, clothing, and shelter.
McKechnie and Reed also note many of their clients are donors and volunteers at The Open Door, and it’s been a natural partnership to help support local hunger-relief.
“It’s a basic need,” says Reed. “The need has gotten larger. Food is more expensive. What The Open Door does, going beyond Cape Ann, it’s fantastic. We’re proud to say we invested in that growth.”
“Honoring Beauport Financial as our 2024 Outstanding Community Partner was a no-brainer,” says President and CEO Julie LaFontaine. “This group exemplifies the profound impact a business can have philanthropically in the community it serves, and we’re fortunate to have their support building up the safety net for food resources on Cape Ann and beyond.”
Beauport Financial donates 10% of their profits back to the community every year through their Richard D. Wilson Community Response Gift Fund-and The Open Door has been a grateful recipient of that fund. BFS also recently launched their Philanthropy in Action Campaign to raise $100M of charitable giving in Essex County to continue their commitment to giving back.
For McKechnie, it’s about community and neighbors helping neighbors.
“Cape Ann has always been a community that rallies around immediate need,” he says.
The Open Door 2024 Autumn Breakfast award recipients will be honored on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester from 7:30-9:00 a.m. Learn more at FOODPANTRY.org/autumnbreakfast.
*Volunteer hours are calculated through The Open Door’s volunteer management software, from 2020 on.