Generosity in Action

Each week, familiar faces gather for exercise classes at Chicago Trail Village. 

As instructor Pat Waldo leads residents through stretches and strength-building exercises, the room is filled with encouragement, laughter and conversation. Long after class ends, many stay to visit. 

Over the years, those conversations grew into friendships. They also revealed a need. 

Residents shared how rising grocery prices, utility bills, insurance costs and prescription expenses were stretching fixed incomes further than ever before. 

“They’re making choices nobody should have to make,” Pat said. “Nobody in America should be making the choice of, ‘Am I going to buy my prescription, or am I going to buy this?’” 

For Pat and her husband, Stephen Mott, helping others has always been a way of life. 

After spending years leading the New Carlisle Food Pantry, the couple retired from that role last fall. But they weren’t ready to stop serving. When Amazon announced grant funding for new nonprofit initiatives in St. Joseph County in 2024, Pat recognized an opportunity to respond to the need she had come to know through her friendships at Chicago Trail Village. 

She had never written a grant before. 

With encouragement from others, she submitted a proposal focused on providing fresh produce, protein and other nutritious foods for older adults. The idea was selected for a $10,000 grant. 

Before purchasing a single grocery item, Pat and Stephen asked residents what would be most helpful. They surveyed the community about favorite foods, eating habits and whether home delivery would be beneficial. 

The response surprised them. 

Ninety-three of Chicago Trail Village’s 102 apartments signed up. 

“We went, oh, my goodness,” Pat recalled. 

Drawing on their years of pantry experience, Pat and Stephen focused on offering fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products and protein—foods that are often the hardest to fit into a monthly grocery budget. 

Pat laughingly describes Stephen as “the numbers guy.” He’s constantly looking for ways to stretch every dollar while handling much of the heavy lifting behind the scenes. 

Working with organizations such as Cultivate Food Rescue, they were able to fill boxes with healthy foods that might otherwise go to waste. 

Once each month, volunteers packed nearly 100 grocery boxes. Members of the Delta Beta Phi sorority joined the effort, while the New Carlisle Fire Department delivered the boxes directly to residents’ doors. 

During the program’s first nine months, volunteers delivered 795 food boxes containing more than 9,600 pounds of food. 
As the months passed, another idea emerged. 

Residents appreciated the monthly boxes, but many wanted the freedom to choose the foods they would use most. 
So, the Nourishing Seniors pantry was born. 

Today, volunteers stock the pantry several times each week with fresh produce, meat, dairy products and pantry staples.

Residents stop in when it’s convenient, selecting only what they need while visiting with neighbors along the way. 

For residents who are unable to make the walk to the pantry, Chicago Trail Village Director Liz West identifies those needing extra assistance, and volunteers prepare grocery boxes just for them. 

The pantry has also brought an unexpected blessing. 

Residents who rarely left their apartments began making regular trips to the pantry—not only for groceries, but for the opportunity to see neighbors and reconnect with the community. 

One resident especially touched Pat’s heart. 

After changing banks, the resident’s Social Security payments were delayed for two months. 

“She says, ‘Oh, my goodness, I haven’t had eggs, and tomatoes in months,’” Pat recalled. 

Moments like that remind Pat and Stephen why they continue serving. 

“We’re not doing this for fame and fortune,” Pat said. “We’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do.” 

Today, the pantry continues through the support of volunteers, local businesses, community partners and generous donors. Pat and Stephen established Nourishing Seniors as its own nonprofit organization, helping ensure the ministry can continue serving older adults for years to come. 

When asked why so many people have stepped forward to help, Pat’s answer comes without hesitation. 

“People want to help,” she said, “when they know it matters.” 

What began as conversations after a chair yoga class has grown into something much bigger—a community of neighbors caring for one another with compassion, dignity and generosity.