MADISON — The Society of St. Vincent de Paul-Madison recognized 15 volunteers for their years of dedicated service to neighbors in need, on the evening of November 14 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.
Ken and Jolene Kenyon
Ken and Jolene Kenyon, founding members of the St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. Christopher Parish in Verona, have been actively involved in home visits to neighbors in need since 2008.
Their many years of service include Ken’s term as the conference president and spiritual advisor, and current service as a home visit coordinator for the conference.
Together, Ken and Jolene have done countless home visits and have helped their fellow conference members grow in-home visit skills.
In addition, they have volunteered at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry for more than a decade, leaving that service early in the pandemic, but returning in recent months.
Ann Lynn, Hannah, and Noah Gillian-Daniel
Ann Lynn, Hannah, and Noah Gillian-Daniel were recognized for their service in the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.
Before the pandemic, Ann Lynn served as a service center receptionist for several years.
In addition to checking in pantry users, she offered compassionate care and support for needs beyond food, including vouchers and referrals where appropriate.
Once the pandemic caused the pantry to move outdoors, Ann Lynn joined the outdoor volunteer team twice weekly, and more when needed, checking in clients, loading cars, and lending a hand elsewhere when needed.
College freshmen twins Hannah and Noah started volunteering in the pantry with their mom during middle school and continued during their high school years.
When it became clear that the outdoor pantry would need help over a considerable period of time, they jumped in to assist nearly every Thursday evening for two years.
This past summer, Hannah and Noah also helped pack boxes for the drive-through on a regular basis.
Their time and commitment are unmatched in the Society’s history for service by middle and high school students.
Lauren Clausen
Lauren received the Dedicated Volunteer Award for her years of service in the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.
For the last 2.5 years, Lauren has helped at the outdoor drive-through pantry. She has checked-in pantry users, loaded boxes into cars, and stepped up for an extra shift when that help was needed.
Before the pandemic, Lauren served as a service center receptionist, checking clients into the pantry, but also looking to meet needs beyond food.
Lauren helped clients with clothing or household vouchers in the thrift stores and made referrals to other agencies for services.
Paul Saeman
Paul was awarded the Volunteer Leadership Service Award for his years of service.
His service through the St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. Peter Parish in Madison as a home visitor has offered a lifeline to countless people on the north side of Madison.
His commitment as an advisor to the Youth Service Council has helped young members grow in their faith through service.
His participation as a member of the Voice of the Poor Committee improved advocacy efforts for systemic change on behalf of neighbors in need.
Clem and Karen Lamere
Clem and Karen accepted a Dedicated Volunteer Award particularly for their years of service in the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.
They served as kind and compassionate pantry hosts before the pandemic.
When volunteer needs suddenly changed, they stepped up to do the literal “heavy lifting” of loading boxes onto tables and into cars three days per week.
They have been vital to running a successful drive-through operation.
Their continued service for more than 2.5 years means thousands of families have had food on their tables thanks to them.
Rory Zakrzewski
Rory received a Youth Service Award for her leadership as a co-president of the Youth Service Council during the 2021-22 year.
Rory was recognized for her initiative and dedication to keeping the Youth Service Council (YSC) active and engaged throughout a challenging year that required adaptation and creativity.
Of special note, was her leadership in recruiting many of the group’s members, planning successful events, promoting YSC efforts on social media, and attending the Society of St. Vincent de Paul National Assembly.
Nolan Sullivan
Nolan was honored with the Youth Service Award for his efforts as Youth Service Council president during the 2021-22 year.
Nolan was recognized for his work with Rory along with their commitment to keeping the Youth Service Council active and engaged throughout a challenging year that required thoughtful innovation to be effective in service.
Nolan was a four-year participant in the YSC, including as a co-president this last year, planning successful events, and attending the national assembly.
Tom Parker
Tom received a Leadership and Service Award for his decade-long history of service to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and neighbors in need.
His service was offered as a dedicated current board member, member of the finance committee, member and chair of the Special Works Committee, leadership on several task forces of the Special Works Committee, and a food pantry volunteer serving in a variety of capacities for many years.
Laura Mendyk and Julie Eichhorn
Laura and Julie were honored with a Community Partner award.
They received this award thanks to their volunteer work in developing and offering an online ordering system for food pantries.
The entrepreneurs created Pantry2Home (P2H) to help food pantries serve their clients.
P2H allows people to order their food online and choose a time to pick it up at the pantry.
The system offers people the dignity of choice for food that meets their preferences.
For nearly two years, Laura and Julie have updated the online order form, processed submissions, and coordinated with pantry staff to get people the food they need.
The online ordering system has allowed the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry to add an at-home food delivery service.
Those with transportation barriers can now place an online order and select DoorDash delivery.
Laura and Julie continue to work to develop this process into a website that will eventually streamline the effort.
Anthony ‘Tony’ Varda
Tony received a Community Partner award for his 40 years of service doing pro-bono legal work for St. Vincent de Paul-Madison.
Additionally, Tony served as a member of the advisory council to help promote the capacity to serve neighbors in need throughout the community.
Tony is retiring from legal practice and moving further south with his wife Jane.