On Saturday mornings, a father walks through the doors of Emmaus Ministry with his children, who range in age from one to 16. He pulls a stroller behind him to help carry home enough food for their family.
He looks tired. His construction work is physically demanding and not always steady. But he brings his children faithfully to Emmaus Ministry for meals and children's activities.
"He is trying to be a role model," said Sheila Austin, Executive Director of Emmaus Ministry. "And it shows."
She sees it in the tenderness and attention he gives his children. Following their father's example, they treat everyone they meet with kindness and respect.
"He always engages with our volunteers and staff; thank-you's all over the place," Sheila said. "You can see his sense of pride in who he is and pride in his kids."
That pride matters in a neighborhood where families are often seen first for what they lack.
A community responding to child poverty
Emmaus Ministry serves a Syracuse, New York, neighborhood that ranks first in the nation for child poverty.
Families contend with food insecurity, unstable housing, unreliable transportation, and limited access to health care. Many work hard to keep their households afloat without the resources or support others take for granted.
Emmaus Ministry began in 2009 after a pastor challenged his parish to take their commitment to service beyond the walls of the church. Volunteers loaded a van with food, toiletries, socks, and other necessities, then traveled to shelters and outreach sites throughout Syracuse.
Now, Emmaus Ministry has a permanent outreach center in the heart of the neighborhood.
They provide meals six days a week, along with groceries for 140 households. Emmaus Ministry also offers case management support and operates a free medical and dental clinic.
Volunteers make all of this possible. They prepare meals, unload deliveries, stock shelves, pack groceries, help with showers and laundry, and welcome guests. Others provide haircuts, legal assistance, health screenings, and activities for children.
Over the years, volunteers haven't simply filled roles. They helped Emmaus Ministry build new ways to meet the neighborhood's evolving needs.
From a few crayons to 90 children
Nancy began volunteering with Emmaus Ministry when it started 16 years ago. A teacher at the time, she noticed children coming in with their families during meal service and wanted to give them a welcoming place of their own.
She set up one of the dining room tables with coloring books and crayons. Three small children pulled up chairs.
From that single table, Nancy built a children's program that now welcomes up to 90 children.
Now retired, she plans each gathering around a theme, using books, science, art, and hands-on projects to spark the children's curiosity and creativity. Many of the children who first joined her years ago continued returning as they grew up.
The children love the program—and everyone in the building can hear it.
"The noise level is off the charts," Sheila said with a laugh. "The kids literally run up the outside steps into the dining room, and Nancy is there to greet them with open arms."
During a recent painting program, Nancy transformed the dining room tables into a small art studio. She arranged tabletop easels, canvas boards, paintbrushes, and trays filled with six different colors of paint, then invited each child to paint whatever they imagined.
One three-year-old boy swept his brush back and forth across his canvas. When he finished, he spent the next 15 minutes walking through the outreach center, proudly showing his painting to anyone who would look.
"He was so excited and so proud," Sheila said, growing emotional as she remembered him. "What we see is the opening up of creativity in these kids who don't normally have that exposure."
The father and his children were there that day. He too settled in at the table, working on a canvas of his own next to his oldest daughter, who has developed an extraordinary talent for drawing and painting, which Nancy and the other volunteers watched emerge over the years.
In families where so much energy must go toward finding food and meeting immediate needs, those unhurried moments can be rare.
"To see the persistence of these adults who know they want something more for their kids is very humbling," Sheila said.
Ready for school, remembered at Christmas
Nancy's care for the children extends far beyond their Saturdays together.
Before each school year, she prepares backpacks filled with school supplies. Emmaus Ministry also includes socks and underwear after learning that many children arrive at school without them. These basic necessities help children feel comfortable, confident, and ready to learn alongside their classmates.
At Christmas, Nancy organizes something especially meaningful for families. Many of the children Emmaus Ministry serves do not have a Christmas tree or presents waiting for them at home. Because Nancy knows the children so well, she chooses gifts with their individual interests in mind—the games they enjoy, the activities that excite them, and the things that will make them feel known.
But the children do not receive the gifts at Emmaus Ministry. Their caregivers pick them up privately. In the bag of gifts, Nancy even includes wrapping paper and ribbon, so parents have the joy and dignity of wrapping them, placing them in their own homes, and creating Christmas morning for their children.
A community built on generosity
When Emmaus Ministry moved into the neighborhood, volunteers came prepared to welcome and serve the families and individuals who lived there. Sheila soon realized that they were being welcomed, too.
"This wasn't our turf at first. This was theirs," she said. "We came into their neighborhood with this mission and desire to provide things they needed. They truly are the ones who welcomed us as part of the community."
Sheila remembers a young woman expecting a baby and worried about how she would afford everything her child needed. Other guests at Emmaus Ministry recognized her need and began bringing in baby items their own families no longer used.
A crib. A stroller. A car seat. Before long, the young mother accumulated an entire nursery.
"Our guests are very generous," Sheila said. "They know what it's like not to have a crib or clothes or diapers. They are always looking out for each other."
Emmaus Ministry evolved into a steady place where that generosity can move from one household to another. Guests come for meals, but they also care for their neighbors, welcome volunteers into the life of the neighborhood, and help the ministry understand what the community needs.
The volunteers arrive ready to give. By getting to know the people they serve, many discover how much they can receive and learn in return.
"We have to accept everyone as they are, open our doors and our hearts, and allow ourselves to be changed by them and to learn from them," Sheila said.
Six days a week, the community gathers at Emmaus Ministry. Children paint at Nancy's tables. Parents sit beside them. Volunteers offer meals and support. Guests welcome one another.
And a hardworking father carries home food and a painting of his own—proud of what his family created together.
Emmaus Ministry uses Unison to manage volunteers who serve meals, stock pantry shelves, pack grocery bags, and welcome guests. Unison makes it easy to sign up, whether someone has several hours to volunteer or just enough time to help prepare sandwiches.
