At Master’s Manna, Ms. Cheryl Trzcinski (right) helps prepare for the next day’s chicken soup meal.
On September 30, 2016, the Founder and Executive Director of Master’s Manna, Inc., Ms. Cheryl Trzcinski, gave in her letter of resignation and retired. Master’s Manna, a nonprofit organization aimed to better the lives of individuals who are homeless or are from low-income backgrounds in the Meriden-Wallingford area and surrounding communities, works with Choate to run a volunteer program for Choate students to participate in and help those in need.
Ms. Trzcinski founded Master’s Manna in 2006, and this month marks its tenth-year anniversary. During this time, the organization grew considerably under Ms. Trzcinski’s care. She started it in the basement of a small church, then expanded to a small storefront, then to only half of the building where Master’s Manna is situated today, and finally to the full building space it occupies today.
Matt Aguiar ’18, who has been volunteering at Master’s Manna since his freshman year and currently serves as a student member to the Board of Directors, recalls his interactions with Ms. Trzcinski fondly. “She came up to me the first day I volunteered and struck me as an amazing devout person who truly believes in assisting the margianlized in the Greater Wallingford area,” Aguiar said.
Indeed, as Ms. Gail Powell, another Board member, remembered, “Cheryl always claimed that it was a calling from her Lord that told her to feed his sheep, so she said, ‘Well, if that’s what he wants me to do, I’ve got to find a way to do it.’”
However, Ms. Powell went on, “She felt it was time for her to move on to other opportunities.” Since Ms. Trzcinski’s resignation, the organization has not had an Executive Director. The Board has been dealing with the organization’s policies, and the staff has been running the actual program. Each person from the Board of Directors deals with everything that fits in their skillsets and interests, so the members of the Board can work with the area they love. Ms. Powell thinks this will help build a stronger organization.
Ms. Powell confirmed that Master’s Manna does not anticipate any change in the relationship between the organization and Choate. In fact, the Board looks to keep all the relationships that Ms. Trzcinski developed open and ongoing. “That’s really part of what makes the program as strong as it is and helps fulfill the slogan of Master’s Manna, ‘Building a Stronger Community,’” Ms. Powell said.
The volunteer program at Choate gives students the opportunity to do anything at Master’s Manna that needs to be done. As Ms. Powell described it, students are able to find whatever “feeds that part of your soul.” Their responsibilities may include working in the clothing area, in the food area, or with people with disabilities. Every Saturday morning, the volunteers also help clean the premises and make sure the facility is ready for opening on Monday morning.
Aguiar commented, “I plan to continue to stay involved with the organization even after Ms. Trzcinski’s resignation. The services have made a difference in so many people’s lives in the community, and I want to continue to be a part of such a great cause.”
Everything done at Master’s Manna is a “labor of love.” Ms. Powell mentioned the word “hope” many times in the interview as an integral part of the organization. Ms. Powell explained, “There’s something about being hungry and not knowing where your next meal is coming from — it diminishes your spirit and your hope for the future. When you have food and are nourished, and you know you don’t have to forage for food, then you can approach life differently.”
