Volunteers In Action
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Lou and Maureen Pieri
On a perfect July morning-sun shining, mercury rising-100 McAuley House guests boarded two school buses bound for a farm in Little Compton. These men, women and children usually spend summer days stuck in the city. This day, though, they looked forward to heaping-full picnic plates and slices of watermelon. They anticipated baseball games in a green field, and wading into ocean waters at a Little Compton Beach.
This summertime gift was given by long-time McAuley House friends, Lou and Maureen Pieri, who have farmed the land in Little Compton for 55 years. For more than 30 of those years, they've opened their home to McAuley guests every summer. "We've just been so blessed," Maureen Pieri said. "Why wouldn't I share this?"
Maureen Pieri, a nurse, began volunteering at McAuley House the year it opened-1975. Over the years, she helped serve lunch, brought friends to paint walls, and persuaded husband Lou, a teacher and farmer, to install a bathroom sink for the meal site.
"Maureen and Lou are truly remarkable," said long-time McAuley House outreach worker Sr. Joan Rokicki. "Their loving kindness is generous and constant. They have gifted McAuley House with their spirit of friendship, faithfulness and respect for each and every guest."
Lou and Maureen eventually began opening their own home to the McAuley community.
The effort began as a meal at St. Catherine's in Little Compton, with Maureen and friends serving a Thanksgiving dinner. That evolved into a summer picnic.
The annual event gathers the Pieri clan - children and grandchildren, neighbors and friends-who greet the arriving busloads and serve lemonade and popcorn beneath borrowed canopies. She tells her volunteers to treat their guests as if they were in a restaurant.
After lunch, guests hop back on the buses for a trip to a nearby beach. For some, this is the season's only trip to the sea, said House administrator, the Rev. Mary Margaret Earl. "It's a day of hospitality and of joy," she said.
Several years ago, another McAuley volunteer couple began opening their home to the guests, too. David and Elaine DeSousa welcome 100 guests to their home in Narragansett for a picnic and visit to the beach there. Such days, Elaine DeSousa said, take families and children beyond cement city sidewalks.
"This is a chance," she said, "for them to see there's more to the world than their neighborhood." -
Featured Volunteer Sr. Amelia Chapentier
When the Warde-robe opened in 1996-the fruit of a shared dream between Sisters of Mercy Lois Harten and Alberic Martin-the ministry relied on donations of clothing and of time.
Fueled largely through the work of volunteers, the Warde-robe in Central Falls has relied on Sr. Amelia Chapentier's committed service. Reliable come rain, shine or snow, Sr. Amelia provides a caring, patient presence to shoppers in need of gently-used clothing or household goods.
"She treats each person who enters our doors with respect, and hospitality," said store manager Donna Benetti. "We are grateful for all she gives."
