St. Matthew partnership with Publix expands to other parishes, stores
CHARLOTTE — Feeding the poor is not only a corporal work of mercy. For some, it’s a special calling from God.
Tom Mahoney knows all about that. Soon after retiring in 1999, he felt inspired to volunteer with charities that feed homeless people, until an opportunity presented itself to start a new charity that would grow beyond his wildest expectations.
“When I read that Publix was coming to town, I saw a chance to start a new ministry that would reach more people, especially families,” Mahoney says. Before the Florida-based supermarket chain opened its first store in Charlotte in early 2014, Mahoney contacted the management about donating soon-to-expire bakery products on a daily basis. They were happy to oblige and thus began “Our Daily Bread,” the ministry he established with the support of his parish, St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.
Our Daily Bread has grown exponentially since it began two and a half years ago. From one store in south Charlotte, it presently works with eight Publix stores – six in Charlotte, one in Concord and one in Lake Wylie, S.C. – as well as Carolina Foods, the wholesale bakery that makes Duchess Brand snacks.
Pictured: One of the charities that the ministry serves is the Missionaries of the Poor in Monroe. (Photos by Natasha Beathe, Catholic News Herald)
“We receive food from them periodically, whenever they have a surplus,” says Mahoney about Carolina Foods. “The generosity of both Publix and Carolina Foods makes it possible for us to do what we do. Without their participation, we’ve got nothing.”
The ministry now delivers bread and other baked goods to 55 nonprofit organizations which care for the poor and needy.
Catholic charities account for less than 20 percent, but include the Missionaries of the Poor in Monroe and Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte, both of which cater to the growing Hispanic community. Most of the charities are of other Christian denominations and even nondenominational.
“We help anyone who is in need of food,” says Tony Lopez, a neighbor and friend who was among the initial team of drivers whom Mahoney recruited. Religion isn’t a determining factor when it comes to feeding the impoverished.
Logistical support is key to the success of the operation. Our Daily Bread has 75 committed drivers whose schedules are organized by eight captains who organize the weekly rosters.
“There is a captain for each store,” explains Mahoney, who found it necessary to delegate the workload as the ministry began to grow.
According to Lopez, the captains are “very responsible people who are dedicated to helping the ministry even though they are not compensated financially.”
Likewise, the drivers who collect and deliver the food consider it an act of Christian charity.
“We spend money on gas, give of our time, hit the morning traffic and all the inconveniences, but we do it gladly to help the people who are in need of food,” says Lopez, who at 79 is semi-retired and has health issues that prevent him from helping out more frequently. “It takes a bit of physical effort to do this work, but since I don’t travel anymore I’m always available as a backup driver.”
With scheduling in the hands of capable captains, Mahoney says, he is able to focus on expanding the ministry. Every new store presents an opportunity for growth.
Once Publix began spreading out in this region, Mahoney says he decided to reach out to other Catholic churches in Charlotte with the hope of getting their parishioners involved with Our Daily Bread.
“We are a ministry out of St. Matthew, but we work with other churches within the diocese,” he says, adding that the volunteers for the six Charlotte stores belong to different parishes, and a few are not even Catholic. “It’s about Christian charity.”
When Publix began opening stores outside Charlotte, Mahoney says he realized the time had come to establish branches of the ministry that would “function independently” but always with the participation of Catholic churches in the area. For instance, before the supermarket chain opened a store in Lake Wylie last summer, he contacted St. Michael the Archangel Church in nearby Gastonia and spoke to the pastor, Father Matthew Buettner, about introducing Our Daily Bread as a ministry in the parish. Father Buettner agreed and Mahoney showed the parish leadership team how to run things.
“I helped them find the charities for the food and the volunteers,” he says.
Pictured is a member of South Tryon Community United Methodist Church collecting food for Our Daily Bread. Riguey Gomez is one of the parishioners at St. Michael who responded to the appeal for drivers. Because of her job, Gomez started out doing deliveries on Saturdays until Mahoney asked her to take on the position of captain. She accepted without hesitation.
“I’m in charge of the weekly schedule, and that involves finding backups to replace drivers who can’t make their delivery,” says Gomez, adding that the team handling the Lake Wylie store comes from different parishes. Gomez is currently training someone to replace her as captain so that she can assume leadership of a new team St. Michael is forming to handle a soon-to-open Publix store in Gastonia.
“I live in Gastonia so it’s more convenient for me,” she says.
The mother of two young boys, Gomez got involved because of a desire to help others in need.
“I am a single mother and all of my income goes into supporting my boys, so I don’t have extra money to give to the poor. However, I can give of my time,” she says.
Gomez admits that she didn’t always have a close relationship with God and the Church, but going through a divorce changed that. “God is first in my life now and He has made a big difference in my life and my commitment to the Church. I serve God through my service, and I am teaching my children the importance of charity.”
Besides St. Michael, Our Daily Bread operates independently at St. Joseph Church in Kannapolis – which handles the Concord store – and very soon at St. Thérèse Church in Mooresville.
Mahoney is also in talks with St. Aloysius Church in Hickory, where Publix is slated to open a store early next year.
“They are interested in putting together a team,” he says. Mahoney is encouraged to see more parishes introduce Our Daily Bread as a ministry, because their participation is necessary for continued growth and subsequently more charities will be helped.
Our Daily Bread is always looking for more charities to support so that the food reaches people in need. With 55 charities presently benefiting and more to come, Publix is happy to continue working with the ministry.
“Publix is committed to serving our community and donating food to hungry families is part of that commitment,” says Kim Reynolds, media and community relations manager at Publix. “Our Daily Bread is an important resource to so many local nonprofit organizations and one that we are proud to support. Further, Tom Mahoney’s passion and dedication for serving hungry people is admirable. His team is a joy to work with and selflessly meeting an important community need.”
That passion is the driving force behind Our Daily Bread’s impressive growth and at 81, Mahoney shows no sign of slowing down.
“We need more churches to join, more volunteers and more sources of food,” he encourages. “We have deliveries every day of the week, and it’s a great opportunity for them to give the food to people before it goes bad.”
Mahoney has taken to heart God’s call to feed the hungry, and he often reminds everyone on board that the people who receive the food “are more important than the person who started the ministry.”
If you are interested in getting involved with Our Daily Bread, email Tom Mahoney at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— Natasha Beathe, correspondent