By Annie Riley
Assistant News Editor
St. Bonaventure University Ministries named Margaret Morris, ’05, the new program manager of the Warming House and Bona Buddies.
The Warming House is known as one of the oldest student-run soup kitchens in the nation and Bona Buddies is a mentoring program where one-on-one relationships are created between local children, ages 5 to 15, and St. Bonaventure University students, according to the university website.
Morris spent three years, 2006-‘09, as an international volunteer with Good Shepherd Volunteers in Itaugua, Paraguay. She also worked as a communications liaison, consultant, marketer and PR specialist and teacher while with Good Shepherd, according to a Feb. 1 university press release.
“Maggie comes to The Warming House and University Ministries with great credentials as well as great life experiences,” Father Francis di Spigno, O.F.M., Executive Director of University Ministries, said. “Not only is she an SBU grad with a degree in theology she also earned a master’s degree in food studies from Chatham University. I am certain that Maggie will have a great impact on our campus community.”
Father Francis said he believes Morris will make the Warming House and Bona Buddies programs into great opportunities for SBU students, and as well as for the local communities of Olean and Allegany.
“While I enjoyed every moment of my four years here, I never imagined that I would return to work at the university,” Morris said. “I see the Warming House as the ideal location to begin conversations about our food system. If we are to address hunger and poverty in a meaningful way, we must look beyond donated mac and cheese to sourcing more of our food locally thus supporting farmers and distributers in our region and improving the health of the people and our economy.”
Morris said she hopes to help students and the local community rediscover the Warming House as a place of welcoming, of collaboration and empowerment.
