"Service to the poor and marginalized" is part of Siena's Franciscan mission. Often, it's the students who take the lead, but all Saints are empowered to serve.
Sam Hesler, assistant director of Academic Programs and Events, quickly scanned the form, grabbed a cart, and went shopping for groceries. In the freezer, she discovered a package of chicken breasts donated by Chick-fil-A. A few bags of apples had just been delivered, so Hesler splurged on the fresh fruit. The pantry, however, had been nearly depleted of even the most basic staples, so the request for peanut butter and jelly was filled with only peanut butter.
Hesler was collecting groceries on behalf of a family of three and their cat. The family requested assistance from the Food Pantry, a service offered by CAPTAIN Community Human Services, providing families facing food insecurities with a three-day emergency supply of meals. The food is collected and stored at CAPTAIN's Clifton Park office, and volunteers help to fulfill the orders. It was Thursday morning at 11:00, and Hesler would have typically been in her office serving the Siena community. But this particular Thursday was part of the inaugural Siena Serves week, and Hesler was encouraged to be somewhere other than her desk.
Hesler was collecting groceries on behalf of a family of three and their cat. The family requested assistance from the Food Pantry, a service offered by CAPTAIN Community Human Services, providing families facing food insecurities with a three-day emergency supply of meals. The food is collected and stored at CAPTAIN's Clifton Park office, and volunteers help to fulfill the orders. It was Thursday morning at 11:00, and Hesler would have typically been in her office serving the Siena community. But this particular Thursday was part of the inaugural Siena Serves week, and Hesler was encouraged to be somewhere other than her desk.
"Siena Serves St. Francis Week was a campus-wide initiative to provide faculty, staff, and administrators an opportunity to engage in service to our local community during St. Francis Week and to be able to directly apply the mission and values that we hold so deeply to the broader community," said Adam Casler, interim vice president for Student Life.
President Seifert whole-heartedly supported the new initiative calling on Siena employees to serve beyond the Siena community, during work hours. He served himself – along with the rest of his office – by writing letters to service members through the Wildwood Without Walls program.
"Taking time as an office during St. Francis Week to write letters to veterans was truly meaningful," said Kiley Pendergast '21, assistant director for experience and executive assistant to the president. "It allowed us to pause, reflect, and express gratitude to the heroes who have served our country. St. Francis’ message of living with gratitude and serving others with love continues to guide us and serves as a reminder that these values are timeless and greatly needed. Each day, I hope to reflect the spirit of St. Francis through acts of gratitude, kindness, and service to others."
Camp Scully in Wynantskill, which is operated through Catholic Charities, needed help with its fall clean-up, plus some painting and staining of structures on site. A team of Saints, below right, got to work. In all, Siena partnered with seven unique community agencies and had over 30 community members from a wide range of departments and offices participate.
"St. Francis Service Week was a great way to live Siena's mission, provide much needed support to our community partners, and demonstrate that Siena Serves is not just for our students, but our faculty, staff, and administrators who are giving back to organizations as board members, donors, and volunteers on an everyday basis," said Sarah Toledano, director of field experience in the Social Work department. "Thank you everyone who supported this effort and made it possible!"
"I'm extremely grateful to Siena and my colleagues for organizing such a meaningful opportunity to serve our community. Volunteering at CAPTAIN opened my eyes to the significant need for nutritious food in our community and has inspired me to look for ways to continue to help."
Sam Hesler, assistant director of Academic Programs and Events
"Over the past few years, we’ve seen a 35–40 percent increase in households visiting the pantry, with similar growth across our other services. To meet these growing needs, our leadership team has launched a capital campaign to expand into a new location. We also depend on a dedicated team of volunteers serving between 200-280 orders each month, which helps 450-900 people receive the food they need."
Bill Lubin, volunteer and community engagement manager for CAPTAIN
