Letter to the Editor

A neighborhood hero

I was very glad but hardly surprised to see that Sandra Nijjar recently received the state’s Unsung Heroine Award. I have known Sandy for sometime now. When I first met her, we were on opposite sides of a neighborhood issue. I immediately noticed her passion for what she believed in and was fighting for at that time.

More recently, I have been working with her at the East Boston Soup Kitchen where every Tuesday the hungry come to be both fed and be recognized. Folks of all ages show up. Many of them turn into volunteers too. I have worked side by side with Sandy and watched her watch over the soup kitchen and the hungry who show up sadly week after week after week. Sometimes she helps these folks in need with their other needs like housing and jobs.

She tries to connect people with others who can help them.

There are so many heroes working at this soup kitchen. They give of their time because it is the right thing to do. I want to thank Our Savior Lutheran Church on Paris Street for offering its basement for this vital mission of feeding the hungry and making them know they are important too.

Sandy didn’t need an award to know she is a neighborhood hero. We already knew that from watching her.

Sincerely,

Sal Giarratani

East Boston

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *