Volunteer Spotlight: Tom McGinn

Tom’s wife encouraged him to explore volunteer opportunities at the Newton Food Pantry; the couple have been financial donors since they moved to Auburndale in 2019. He came onboard as a home delivery driver more than two years ago and immediately found the work rewarding. 

“It felt good knowing I was getting food to the doorsteps of our hungry neighbors, who, because of age and/or disability-based physical limitations, would otherwise have no way to access the Newton Food Pantry,” he says. 

Tom soon sought out other ways to contribute at the Newton Food Pantry and was offered additional volunteer hours prepping and stocking the pantry ahead of client shopping on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Today, Tom serves as the shift leader and expediter of home deliveries. The Newton Food Pantry provides supplemental food assistance to approximately 100 Newton households each week via home delivery. 

Tom says he treasures the connections he has made with fellow volunteers and clients alike. He tells the heartwarming story of an older client he had gotten to know pretty well while delivering to a senior housing development in Newton. On the days he delivered her groceries, she would often give him a token of gratitude in return – a chocolate bar or other piece of candy or fruit. One morning, Tom managed to pop a small bouquet of flowers into one of her bags and she was overjoyed. This type of see-and-be-seen connection was exactly what he was hoping to find through volunteering in his community.

Tom says he would tell anyone considering volunteering with the Newton Food Pantry not to hesitate. “We are always looking for delivery drivers and other types of help, and you’ll find yourself glad to be among our diverse community of volunteers and clients. There really is a need, and we are here to help.”