QUINCY, AUGUST 13, 2020 – When Paul Sullivan of Sullivan Tire & Auto was invited to tour the South Shore YMCA’s Germantown Neighborhood Center years ago, he fell in love with this vibrant community and started the center’s first reading program for children.
Over a decade later, Paul Sullivan continues to visit the center each year, bringing joy and support to its residents in new ways.
This week, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic strain on the community, Sullivan and his Executive Assistant, Maureen Cullity, returned to Germantown to do something special for those who are struggling, providing local families with complimentary meals from The Chef’s Table and Montilio’s Baking Company.
“We are very proud to be back at Germantown,” said Sullivan. “It has been 11 years since we first stopped here, and since then we have been back here each year. We are just so proud of all the great work that is being done here.”
Located less than three miles from the center of Quincy, the Germantown neighborhood is a diverse community where generations of families from a variety of cultures live together on a small peninsula, with nearly 1000 affordable housing units that are home to elderly residents and families.
“They are wonderful people here at Germantown,” said Sullivan. “Anytime we hear ‘Germantown’ it goes to the front of our list, always!”
Surrounded by water, this thin strip of land can feel isolated from the rest of the city, especially during a pandemic. What serves as the hub of this community is the Germantown Neighborhood Center, run by the South Shore Y, which offers programming and support for families, and includes a vegetable garden, teaching kitchen and food pantry.
“Over the past 5-6 months with the virus, our food pantry has quadrupled,” said South Shore YMCA president and CEO, Paul Gorman. “The Y serves about 1000 people a week here and we used to serve about 250. Many have lost their jobs due to COVID, and we are a main source of food for their families. We are doing a good job getting the staples to residents day in and day out, but it’s the extras – like these special meals — that just raises spirits and brightens their day.”
“There are so many different ways that Paul Sullivan and Sullivan Tire have supported the YMCA and the Germantown Neighborhood Center,” said Gorman. “Paul has been instrumental in getting kids to camp, supporting scholarships to make sure they are going to college. It is from his heart and so sincere. He comes personally to see what is going on and see what the neighborhood needs.”
“Anytime you can help people, no matter what way, whether it’s giving them groceries or providing a hot meal, or giving them some educational benefits or social activity, I think it’s just wonderful.” said Sullivan. “We are just proud to be back here today. If it is just to help people have a better day in the way of a meal, you can count us in.”
For information on ways you can help the South Shore YMCA Germantown Neighborhood Center Food Pantry, www.ssymca.org/foodpantry.
###
About the South Shore YMCA
The South Shore YMCA is a leading charitable organization dedicated to strengthening community through programs that promote healthy spirit, mind, and body. Serving the communities of Quincy, Randolph, Holbrook, Weymouth, Braintree, Milton, Hingham, Hull, Cohasset, Scituate, Norwell, Hanover and beyond, the South Shore Y provides the opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive through its services and programs. Financial Assistance is a Y community benefit available to all families in need, applicable to all Y programs and services. To learn more about the South Shore YMCA, visit www.ssymca.org. The South Shore YMCA. The Better You Belongs Here.
