Serving with heart and hands

Volunteers find fulfillment in serving the hungry

Photos | Melissa Demjaneko

“Jesus meets you where you are, and for many guests, they come and witness Jesus working through us,” said Melissa Demjanenko, an eight-year volunteer at Emmaus Ministry, located on the southside of Syracuse. “We are merely His hands, His feet, and His heart.”

Demjanenko said she is overwhelmed with gratitude that God has chosen her for this ministry. “I had so little faith, and yet, at the time, I didn’t realize that the experience was a stepping stone to growth in my relationship with Jesus.”

Whether long-established or newly formed, community kitchens and meal centers are vital resources for millions of people across the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 86.3% of U.S. households — 115.7 million — were food insecure in 2024.

Melissa Demjaneko poses with guests at Emmaus Ministry. Frank brings gratitude and a smile when he visits the community kitchen

According to a Sept. 16, 2025, Syracuse.com article by Kevin Tampone, Syracuse’s child poverty rate fell by more than 7 percentage points in 2024, but it remained among the highest in the nation. Citing U.S. Census Bureau data, the article reported that 40.9% of Syracuse children lived in poverty, the fourth-highest rate among cities with more than 100,000 residents. That means more than 10,000 children in the city were living below the poverty line.

These statistics are equally alarming in other areas of the diocese. In 2024, 18.5% of the population (34.4 thousand people) in Broome County were living under the poverty line according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In Oneida County, 15.5% of the population (33.8 thousand people) were living under the poverty line that same year.

Amid these troubling statistics are the stories of some of the many volunteers who give their time, compassion, and kindness at community kitchens, food banks, and food pantries across the seven counties of the Syracuse Diocese.

Deborah Tyksinski, a parishioner at Old St John’s Parish in Utica, coordinates the sandwich ministry with fellow parishioner Barbara Countryman. For over 40 years, volunteers at the parish have been providing food to the hungry and homeless through the food pantry at the Outreach Center in the Cornhill area and the sandwich ministry located several miles away. Tyksinski said that last year, the team of volunteers served 30,000 sandwiches, averaging 2,500 per month. The demand has grown exponentially over the last five years.

“The sandwich ministry offers nutritious bag lunches to anyone who asks for them. Some people served are homeless, while others struggle to feed themselves and their families,” Tyksinski said.

Patrick Marthage has been a volunteer for the sandwich ministry at Old St. John’s for four years. “I got involved because I wanted to do something more hands-on; something where the results can be immediately seen and felt,” said Marthage. “I keep going back because the need is great and it makes me feel like I’m making a real difference in someone’s life.”

“The work makes you feel worthwhile,” added Countryman, a retired student drug intervention counselor for the Albany Diocese’s Catholic Charities. “Working in the sandwich ministry was a natural transition and a way to give back,” she said. “It gives me a sense of purpose and connection. Something as simple as preparing and providing food feels small, but I know it can make a real difference in someone’s day.”

For Laurie Gildea, a volunteer at Catholic Charities in Broome County, her faith and the welcoming atmosphere at CCBC inspired her to get involved. “I volunteer because I believe in God’s teachings that we are here on earth to help our fellow man,” she said. “If I can give comfort to someone and perhaps put a smile on their face, then I feel I have fulfilled God’s wishes.”

Janet Viscosi, one of the longest-serving volunteers at Old St. John’s, hands a sandwich to a patron from the drive-through window.

Gildea said there are times it can be emotionally overwhelming when a client shares their story on why they are there. “One story that still tugs at my heart is that of a mother who came to the pantry for the first time. She told me she had just left her husband and was struggling to make ends meet. I just listened and tried to reassure her that we are there to help her and her family,” said Gildea. “We had a lot of wonderful food choices that day, and we were able to give her children stuffed animals that we had received. She was so overwhelmed and thankful for all that was given to her, she broke down and cried; we both cried as we hugged each other.”

Between January and May of this year, Catholic Charities in Broome County served 18,580 people at its Main Street location in Binghamton and 7,098 people at its Mother Theresa Pantry in Endicott.

Overall, in 2025, the six areas of Catholic Charities in the Syracuse Diocese served 1,267,135 meals and 106,530 people. “Between public policy changes in SNAP (Food Stamps) benefits and the increased cost of living, our food pantries are seeing an unprecedented demand for food from individuals and families who can no longer make ends meet,” explained Mike Melara, diocesan director of Catholic Charities and executive director of Catholic Charities of Onondaga County. “We are stretching our available resources to serve as many people as possible, with more showing up at our door every day.

“If food is love, then Catholic Charities provides a lot of love in our diocese,” said Melara. “Together, we are attending to one of our most basic human needs: to have our hunger satiated. A hunger that often extends beyond food. A hunger to be known, seen, cared for, and understood.”

If you are interested in volunteering, contact your parish office, regional Catholic Charities, or a community kitchen or food pantry in your area.