Charlene Manning of Quincy will receive Interfaith Social Services Community Hero of the Year award at our Feed the Hungry Gala on Friday December 9th.
Since 1947 Interfaith Social Services has been a safety net for South Shore families in need. Our programs are focused on hunger, mental health and emergency assistance. Interfaith presents the Community Hero award each year to an individual who inspires others through selfless service.
“We have an amazing team of volunteers here at Interfaith, they are incredible, but Charlene goes above and beyond the call of duty,” said Rick Doane executive director of Interfaith Social Services. “Our Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop is one of our organization’s most important fundraisers; the entire shop is run by volunteers. Charlene serves in the shop almost every day of the week. She is there early in the morning and into the evening, sorting, organizing planning sales and getting the shop ready for our customers. She is constantly thinking about ways that she can support Interfaith’s various programs. She truly is a community hero and we are very pleased to honor her with this award.”
Charlene will receive the Community Hero of the Year Award at our Feed the Hungry Gala on Friday December 9, 2016 at Granite Links in Quincy. Interfaith’s Gala is one of the premiere social events for Greater Boston and Massachusetts’ South Shore region. The Gala features carnival-style games, door prizes, entertainment and an amazing variety of live and silent auction packages. Chefs from top South Shore restaurants host a Dine Around experience for guests while local wine and spirits distributors showcase their products. Many surprises and fun giveaways are being planned for this year’s event. All proceeds support Interfaith’s programs.
Charlene Manning grew up in South Boston, her husband Joe is a retired Quincy Policeman. They raised their two sons in Quincy. For decades she shopped at Interfaith’s Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop before becoming a volunteer at The Shop three years ago. “For me volunteering is a self-serving reward,” said Manning. “Interfaith is one of the few places that I know where I can go and really make a difference in someone’s life, even if it is as small as giving a kid in the food pantry waiting room a stuffed animal. I feel selfish volunteering because I get so much out of it.”
Click here to purchase tickets to Interfaith’s Feed the Hungry Gala.
Past Community Hero of the Year award recipients include: Ally Donnelly, Jennifer Reale, Cindy Lee, Ed Kelley, Paula Lombardo, Beverly Tangvik, Thomas F. Williams. Esq., Kris Larsen, Matti Lang, Jan Stewart, Mary Ann Walsh, Robert F. Taylor, Margaret Davidson and Andrew Scheele.