Next month, the guard will change at St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Greenville as President Kevin Little steps down after two terms. Sue Asel, a current volunteer, will take up the torch.
St. Vincent de Paul, run out of the Sacred Heart Church in Greenville, serves as a food pantry for the surrounding communities, including Mason and New Ipswich. Presidents are appointed for three-year terms, with a limit of two terms.
As he approaches the end of his tenure, Little said he’d like to scale back and focus more on his health.
Asel, who joined the pantry as a volunteer around the time Little took up his presidency, has his full confidence, Little said.
“Sue is an excellent fit. She’s a very caring, wonderful lady who really wants to do her best for people struggling right now in our community,” Little said. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no one better qualified to help us as we continue to expand. Whatever is in store in the future for us, Sue will direct and lead us, and I have great confidence in her.”
Asel, who volunteers during the pantry’s open hours on Thursday, has also played another role almost her entire time at St. Vincent — acting as the community’s “Mrs. Claus” and running the pantry’s Christmas gift program, which collects donations from the community for children.
The program includes a tree with tags with gift requests at the Sacred Heart Church, as well as anonymous wishlists on Facebook, where community members can sign up to buy for a child or family.
“We just get busier and busier,” Asel said of the Christmas program. “But it’s great all the people you can help. There’s so much reward from it. Our community is amazingly generous.”
Asel said Little has been encouraging members to think about stepping up for the presidency since he embarked on the last year of his term.
“I was thinking and praying about it, and I feel called to do this,” said Asel. And, she said, she knows it is far from a solo endeavor.
“I have enough support that it’s not just me running a ship,” Asel said. “It’s everybody. It takes the whole team.” She said that will be crucial for her, as she works as a home care nurse during the day and will rely on other volunteers to staff daytime appointments at the pantry outside of its regular hours.
Asel said the pantry will continue its community outreach, including community dinners, local food drives with Scouting America and its Christmas program and Thanksgiving baskets.
Little thanked the community for its generosity during his terms as president.
“I’ve been so blessed, met so many people and witnessed how God is a driving force in all of this,” said Little. “We will post about a need in the community, and a family or business come forward to donate, every time. We work very hard, but really it is the wonderful generosity of the community that helps us do it. There’s no better community in the world than right here.”
Asel encouraged anyone in need to reach out to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry for assistance. You do not need to be a member of the Sacred Heart Church to receive assistance from the pantry.
“It’s for anyone in need, and everyone is in need of something at some point — there is no embarrassment,” Asel said. “We’re there to help.”
The pantry is located in the Sacred Heart Church at 15 High Street in Greenville. The pantry is open on Tuesday noon to 2 p.m., Thursday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., or by appointment by calling 603-878-0518.