Sister Mary Josette Smigielski

Inspired by a newspaper article, Sister Mary Josette Smigielski, the campus minister, founded the Villa Maria Food Pantry on the Villa Maria College campus in 1986. She began collecting food, clothing, money, and items such as toothpaste and shampoo. Sister Josette also got food vouchers from supermarkets during the Christmas season, and donations of hams and cases of food from the Buffalo Food Bank. In its first year, the pantry served up to 120 individuals, mainly students and college employees, but expanded to serve well over 10,000 individuals yearly from beyond the campus.

The ministry was renamed Sister Mary Josette Food Pantry in 2008, the year Sister Josette died. With the continued volunteerism of Villa Maria staff and students, and with support from the Felician Sisters, the Sister Mary Josette Food Pantry has continued to serve the community.