Milton Resident Named Interfaith Social Services’ Community Hero of the Year

Paula Lombardo, a Milton resident and Chief Administrative Officer of The Lombardo Companies, will receive Interfaith Social Services’ 2012 Community Hero of the Year award at their 65th Anniversary Gala on December 6.  Lombardo has been helping Interfaith meet the needs of the families and individuals they serves for more than a decade.

“Paula is always donating time, business services and personal resources to help us serve the South Shore,” said fellow Milton resident Rick Doane, Executive Director of Interfaith Social Services. “Whether it’s through her past role as a Feed the Hungry Gala co-chair,  host or sponsor, her support has been consistent over the years, always , finding ways to be extremely involved in Interfaith’s mission of helping our neighbors in need.” 

Paula Lombardo explains that, “One of my personal joys in working with Interfaith Social Services is hearing the personal stories of service recipients who are able to make it through the rough times and build a better life for themselves and their families due to the help and services Interfaith provides. It’s truly heart-warming.”

Since the founding of The Lombardo Companies in 1963, the Lombardo family has made it a priority to give back to the communities that have made the company successful. Paula helps lead the charge in this family tradition with her work at Interfaith and beyond, by “helping where the local communities need it most.” A sampling of the other community initiatives Paula and the Lombardo family are involved with include:

• Each Thanksgiving, Lombardo’s hosts its Giving Thanks Celebration, where the family opens the doors of Lombardo’s Function Facility to senior citizens, veterans and people who do not have family to celebrate with at Thanksgiving, welcoming them into their “home” for a free, sit-down, family style Thanksgiving dinner. This event, which has been a family tradition for more than 40 years, serves approximately 900 people annually, with the help of 125 volunteers. 

• The Lombardo family also hosts an annual Vincent’s Nightclub Anniversary Celebration, a black-tie fundraising event benefitting three different local charities chosen by the Lombardo family each year. All proceeds of the evening are given to the three charities as the Lombardo family pays 100 percent of the evening’s expenses, leaving all ticket sales and funds raised as a source for donation to the designated charities. Since its inception, this event has raised almost one million dollars for charities throughout the South Shore (including Interfaith Social Services, which has been a benefactor of this event in the past).

• Paula’s goodwill also extends to the Long Island Shelter, where she recruits friends, family and employees to donate time to serve meals every third Tuesday of the month, sponsoring the “Serving Ourselves” program. Paula is credited with initiating her family’s involvement in the shelter after she first heard about it through the Massachusetts Restaurant Association more than 25 years ago. 

“I am blessed that my family and I can help so many organizations,” Paula said “Interfaith is special in that it provides so many essential services, from nutritious food to clothing and heat assistance, as a means to help people get back on their feet and working again; including providing counseling services along the way. Interfaith helps those in need while helping them maintain a sense of dignity. I am humbled to receive this very special award especially since there are so many deserving volunteers.” 

“Paula’s dedication to our organization over the past decade has truly made a difference to our team and the people we serve,” Doane said. “I can honestly say that without her energy, commitment and passion we could not have helped the thousands of people who depended on us when they had nowhere else to turn. I am looking forward to honoring Paula at our Gala. It is well deserved.”

Interfaith Social Services’ Feed the Hungry Gala & 65th Anniversary Celebration will be held on Thursday, December 6th from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at the Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy.

Governor Deval Patrick is Honorary Chair of this year’s event, recognizing Interfaith’s 65 years of compassionate service and emergency assistance for South Shore families in need.

Tickets are still available. Join the fun festivities while feeding the hungry and helping your neighbors in need. Tickets are $75 per person and a group of 10 tickets are available for $600. Event tickets and 50/50 raffle tickets can be purchased online at www.InterfaithSocialServices.org or by check made payable and sent to: Interfaith Social Services, 105 Adams Street, Quincy, MA 02169 Attn: FTH Gala.

Raffle and silent auction items are still being accepted. The money raised by ticket sales, corporate donations and raffle tickets will help Interfaith meet the needs of the growing number of families they serve.  

The above release was provided by Kirsten Whitten, Interfaith Social Services.