again—there’s nothing to compare with Against Hunger of Southwest Florida,
that feeling.” started the local chapter of this na-
Shannon gargiulo, a Naples resi- tional organization after his mother
dent, also volunteers for St. Matthew’s. heard of the group’s activities in other
An artist who juggles the demands areas. “Our family was already help-
of four children and a business, Gar- ing a school in Haiti, where the kids
giulo is in charge of organizing the St. couldn’t concentrate and learn because
Matthew’s House Fall Festival on No- they didn’t have enough food to eat,”
vember 15. “A year or so ago, I offered says Popper, who also approached
to start an art program for residents,” his Rotary Club to involve them in the
she recalls, “but when the development project.
director informed me that they really Since August 2007, volunteers
needed people to stuff a 5,000-piece aged 3 to 90 have continued to
mailer, I started there.” show up and help package a total of
Elbow-to-elbow with St. Matthew’s 2,852,000 fortified rice casseroles,
residents who were helping out, I heard which were shipped to Haiti and dis-
stories that sent me home with a new tributed to hurricane-ravaged areas, as
set of heroes,” Gargiulo continues. well as to Collier Harvest and the Harry
“The cafeteria line here, with its young Chapin Food Bank, two local charities.
families and retirees, makes it obvi- “There’s no better feeling in the
ous that anyone, including your world than what I’ve experienced in
neighbor, can become home- helping others,” declares Popper.
less. An empty stomach is “I like this project because it’s
an empty stomach.” The inclusive. Last May, 120
shelter has renewed third-graders from Peli-
her faith in the hu- can Marsh Elementary
man race. “Spend School packaged
any time around all the 16,000 meals in two
people who are volun- hours, with only a little
teering and doing good and supervision.”
you’ll discover that life isn’t erin and Pat gillespie
about getting cut off in traffic, it’s became Lee County volunteers for
about hope.” Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest
Pat mantey has been volunteer- Florida after completing a rigorous
ing at the Shelter for Abused Women application process. Erin works for the
& Children in Naples for three years. Lee County Department of Children
“I started because this was one of and Families. Pat is a reporter for The
the charities associated with my golf News-Press in Fort Myers.
league. After I toured the center, I At the age of 27, the pair de-
thought it wouldn’t hurt me to help out cided they wanted to give back to their
here.” community by making a difference
Mantey began as an administrative in children’s lives. “We specifically
volunteer, doing everything from writ- wanted to mentor siblings and we
ing personal thank-you notes to filing. got them; ages 10 and 13,” says Erin,
Next, she moved on to babysitting the whose heart has been captivated by the
children. Then she attended a class to youngsters. They appear in numerous
become certified to work in the shelter. photos tacked up on her office walls.
Now, she averages four to five hours “Anybody can spend a couple of
a week, mostly answering the center’s hours every few weeks with kids and
hotlines. succeed in really giving them a boost,”
“I was poor when I was young, she continues. “It doesn’t take much to
and I told myself that if I ever made it, make them happy. They just need some
I would give back,” explains Mantey. one-on-one attention and to know that
“I realize how much I am blessed, and someone cares about what they say and
I want others to have that feeling. Also, do. Pat and I feel good every time we
the work here helps me keep my own see their faces.”
life in perspective.” As a freshman at Edison State Col-
Steve Popper, founder of Kids lege in Fort Myers, elizabeth Aulen-
November 2008 27
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