Penfield HOPE

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

When you plan an outdoor volunteer appreciation picnic but a wind storm happens! Thanks for the last-minute accommodations, St. Joseph’s Church, and the beautiful blessing, Fr. Jim. Thank you, Kevin Berry, Penfield Town Supervisor, for your time and encouraging words to our volunteers. Thanks for the extraordinary customer service and partnership from Penfield Wegmans staff as we changed menus and delivery just before the store lost power! Thank you to the event team of Julie Bedford, Margaret Jones, and Mary Ann Lovelock, and bakers Annette Coffey and Sandy Kolupski. Most of all, thank you to all of our Penfield Hope and Phillip the Van volunteers, “ministers of Hope,” as Fr. Jim aptly said.

06/18/2026

Happy 8th anniversary, Penfield Hope volunteers! Thank you, John Kucko Digital — you are in our hearts and prayers!

06/17/2026

Penfield Hope is an outreach ministry of St. Joseph’s Church. Besides the many parishioners who are volunteers, Teresa Dunn, pastoral associate, is a volunteer; and Fr. Jim Schwartz, pastor, is an active Board member. Teresa is pictured here with Cathy Glisson, co-director of Penfield Hope, a retired pastoral associate from St. Joseph’s Church. It’s a blessed partnership. We love the picture, John Kucko! 💙💙💙

06/16/2026

Each client who visits the food pantry at Penfield is able to walk through and make their food choices for themselves and their family. They leave with enough supplemental food to feed their household for three days. We encourage clients to take advantage of the generosity of our Penfield community and to shop for food with us every other week, saving on their grocery bill to help them stay current with housing and utility bills. Here Charla helps a client gather her bags. Thanks, John Kucko, for another lovely image of your wife. 💙💙💙

06/15/2026

Each time we are open to welcome clients, we have 5 or 6 volunteers. Some walk clients through the pantry and stock; some sit with clients to hear their stories; and there’s always a shift manager to help where needed. Jody and Mike share that role on Thursday mornings. Thanks, John Kucko, for another great shot of our volunteers in action! 💙💙💙

06/14/2026

When a client first comes to Penfield Hope, or needs financial assistance, two of our interviewers, like Terry and Trisha, sit with them to hear their story. They listen to understand how we might best serve this family or individual. Thanks to John Kucko for creating a hope-filled image! 💙💙💙

06/13/2026

The Penfield Hope diaper room was created by Joyce and Mary when we started in 2018, originally in the basement at St. Joseph’s. We are grateful for the many years they maintained the inventory.
Here Debby gets diapers for a client with young children.
Join us for 4:30 Mass at St Joseph’s today, Saturday June 13, as we recognize Joyce and Mary as Penfield Hope’s “Founding Volunteers.” 💙💙💙

06/12/2026

At Penfield Hope, our interview volunteers focus on listening to each client’s story and needs. Here, Jody and Trisha meet in our volunteer room after meeting with a client and hearing their financial request. They’ll compare notes on what they heard and how Penfield Hope might best help. Our mission: listen to understand and serve. Thank you, John Kucko, for capturing our volunteers at work on behalf of a Hope client. 💙💙💙

06/11/2026

When Penfield Hope opens today for client service hours, the two interviewers for the shift are Joyce and Mary. As we celebrate all of our volunteers during this 8th anniversary month, we especially recognize Joyce and Mary as our “founding volunteers.” They were among the first volunteers who trained with Webster Hope and the first to interview clients and still are among our most active volunteers today — listening to their stories to understand how we might best serve. This Saturday, Joyce and Mary will receive a special blessing at St. Joseph’s at 4:30 Mass. All are welcome!

Thanks to John Kucko for taking this sweet photo of them a few weeks ago — John, we’re glad you’re home!