Priest gleans for poor

He then delivers the items to the inner city of Albany, bringing fresh food to people who otherwise would not have access to it.

"We certainly do not make a major dent in local hunger realities," he told The Evangelist. "But what I do creates contact and friendships with people I would otherwise never meet. And these people have become an important part of my life."

Food delivery

"A woman called me one day and asked if I would be interested in taking over the distribution of left-over produce from a local Price Chopper to poor and needy families in the area," he recalled. "I agreed. A few years later, when I was assigned to St. Vincent's in Cobleskill, people there heard about what I was doing and began to offer their excess harvest from their farms and gardens for the picking.

"On Sunday evenings in late summer, I'd go right into their fields, pick beautiful vegetables right off the vines and load it all into the back of my truck. Sometimes, there would be fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and beans. I met a lot of wonderful people out there in Schoharie County. After I'd pick the harvest, I would drive it into Albany for distribution."

Stops on way

Many of those parishes responded, including St. Catherine's in Middleburgh, St. Joseph's in Schoharie, Our Lady of Fatima in Delanson, St. Gabriel's in Rotterdam and St. Madeleine Sophie's in Guilderland.

When fresh produce was not available, he was still able to obtain food from supermarkets, including several local Price Chopper and Hannaford markets, with the agreement that the food would be given away and never sold.

"We are grateful to these businesses for their donation to our efforts. We very much appreciate their generosity," he said.

Companions

So he began to take students along when he distributed food at St. Joseph's Church. During this time, he became acquainted with Sister Kate Crispo, CSJ, who lived in Arbor Hill and was connected with the immigrant outreach at St. Joseph's. She introduced him to the many needs of the Vietnamese families that were new to the Albany area.

The families immediately became a focus for his student group's efforts. The young people provided fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as clothing, furniture and books in order for the families to set up households.

"The Vietnamese never forget a kindness," the priest said. "No matter how simple any offer was, they were grateful for whatever they received."

More join

Father Smith and the volunteers who assist him are not only meeting the most basic needs of the poor by satisfying their hunger; they also provide an avenue for their spiritual and emotional needs.

He recalled one incident involving a woman about whom little was known, other than that she was a single mother with "a lot of children." She never talked to anyone; she would just go to the food pantry, select her food and leave.

"After three or four years in the program," he said, "she called me aside one day and said, 'Okay, Father, now I want to tell you about my autistic son.' Suddenly I realized that it had taken her all that time to build up enough trust in us and the program to open up and share her painful story."

Harvest of help

Volunteers who are in ministry with him continue to bring in excess harvest from their farms to their churches for Sunday evening pickup and delivery to food pantries or soup kitchens.

"I used to hear that it is an important responsibility for people in the suburbs to bring Christ to the needy," Father Smith reflected. "But now I think the truth is that the needy bring Christ to those in the suburbs."

(09-28-00) [[In-content Ad]]