Seeing People, Serving Community: Mary and Peggy’s Story

Each week at the FOCUS Food Pantry, volunteers greet neighbors, help them choose groceries and personal care items, and make sure families get the food they need with dignity and respect.

For volunteers like Peggy Mow and Mary Seely, the pantry means much more than handing out food. It’s about building community, making connections, and helping people feel noticed and valued.

“Everyone’s welcome to a food pantry,” Peggy explained. “It’s just a matter of whether it’s our pantry or someone else’s pantry.”

Hospitality is at the heart of how the pantry works. Volunteers guide guests through the process, help them pick out what they need, and connect those outside the FOCUS area with other pantries in the Capital Region.

A Place to Give Back

Peggy started volunteering at the pantry about a year and a half ago through her connection with Unity in Albany, which supports FOCUS.

“I really enjoy being here,” she said. “I wanted to volunteer here because I like the idea of serving people hands-on and getting to know a different group of people than I would normally know. I also enjoy doing something that matters in the community.”

Mary joined FOCUS after retiring from a career in Human Resources and becoming part of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps. She wanted a more hands-on way to help others and quickly connected with FOCUS’s mission.

“What I really like about FOCUS is the spirit of community,” Mary said. “The volunteers and the FOCUS staff work well together and always put the people we serve as the number one priority.”

Both women say that a shared sense of purpose is a big reason volunteering at the pantry means so much to them.

“We’re all coming together to meet an important need,” Mary said. “Personally, it’s just wanting to give back, being grateful for what I’ve had in my life, and now I’m at a time in my life where I’m able to give back, and it is very satisfying.”

Peggy agreed immediately. “Me too. I can agree with everything you just said.”

Treating People With Dignity

The pantry serves people from many different backgrounds and circumstances. Some guests are navigating long-term hardship. Others are seeking help for the first time after losing a job or facing rising expenses.

“There are people who come here who clearly have seen better times,” Peggy reflected. “You wouldn’t think they would need a food pantry.”

Mary added that many guests feel embarrassed about needing assistance.

“Sometimes people will say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry I have to come here,’ and we tell them that’s what we’re here for,” she said. “There’s no judgment in it.”

For Mary, building relationships with guests is one of the most meaningful parts of volunteering.

“I believe in the importance of really seeing people,” she said. “So many of these people have had very difficult lives and haven’t been treated with dignity and respect. I want to make a connection with these people, remember their names, get to know them, ask them about their families, make them feel seen and valued.”

An Important Resource for the Community

The FOCUS pantry serves hundreds of households each month and is one of the more accessible pantries in the area, open five days a week and one Saturday each month.

“Some pantries have very limited resources or limited days that they’re open,” Mary said. “So the fact that we’re open five days a week and one Saturday a month is really helpful to people.”

“A lot of our guests don’t drive and walk to this food pantry,” Mary explained. “It is a very important resource for the community.”

Both volunteers believe the community would feel the loss if the pantry was not available.

“I think it would be very devastating to the community,” Mary said.

Peggy added simply, “I don’t know where people in this area would go for their food.”

“You Get Even More Than You Give”

For anyone thinking about volunteering, both women say the pantry gives something meaningful back.

“It just gives me a lot of satisfaction to come here,” Peggy said. “I really hate to miss it if I have to miss it for something. I like being here.”

Mary described the experience this way: “I know this is kind of cliché, but I feel like I get so much from it. It’s like you get even more than you give.”

In addition to serving its own guests, FOCUS also supports other local pantries through funding from the New York State Nourish New York program and Stewart’s milk gift cards. Partner pantries include First Church in Albany, Venture Churches in Selkirk, St. Vincent de Paul in Albany, St. Patrick’s in Ravena, St. James in Albany, Trinity United Methodist Church in Coeymans Hollow, and Blessed Sacrament in Albany.

Whether you volunteer, donate, or help spread the word, community members make this work possible. To learn more about volunteering or supporting the FOCUS Food Pantry, contact FOCUS or visit our website.