Erin Joy Graziani always said when she retired she would like to do mission work, spreading the love of Jesus Christ and helping others. She received an email in December of 2020 from a board member for Midwest Food Bank, New England, fitting that description.

For 34 years Erin was the Senior Center Director for the town of Ellington. In 2020 she felt an urgency to retire to spend more time with family and to fulfill that promise of mission work. That email arrived a short time later. 

Now, Erin volunteers about 20 hours each week for MFB New England as the agency coordinator. In this role, she assists the nonprofit agency partners that receive food from MFB New England. She also credits her childhood growing up in rural Connecticut with her mother and grandparents as a guiding force.

"I am blessed," says Erin."My family believes in God and I learned at a young age the power of prayer."

"MFB New England was established in December of 2020 and volunteers like Erin have been a key component to getting this location operational," says Jan Young, Executive Director for MFB New England.

Erin is all smiles holding her grandson.