John (Jack) McDonald - Community Service

Some people carry out Community Service as part of big, organized projects. John McDonald, known to his friends as Jack, serves his Halifax community one community member at a time.

Jack has volunteered his time with one small, personal, selfless act after another. His work with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, through St. Theresa’s Church Parish, has touched the lives of countless people. His work involves going out into the community to offer financial, social, and spiritual assistance. He delivers aid through home visits and deliveries, and he is available on call for emergency needs. He often helps out with deliveries of furniture and household goods from the Society’s store, called Hand-In-Hand.

As for whether the people he helps are parishioners or not . . . John says that he doesn’t even ask. "They just ask for help, and we give them a little bit of help," says John. He says he never judges, and is open to offering whatever help he can. The Treasurer of the St. Vincent de Paul Society told us the same about John, except she also noted that he would do anything for anyone, and laughingly noted that they occasionally have to "rein him in."

Jack’s niece, who his main nominator for this award, told us she recently learned he has volunteered with the Society at least once a week, every single week, for over 45 years. Meanwhile, he has also assisted with many other projects. Just this past Christmas, Jack helped to assemble and deliver over 100 Christmas gift boxes. It’s a commitment and sacrifice he makes every year, never travelling at Christmas time to be sure he can help other people in his community have their own happy Christmases.

Jack said he "just likes to help people." He believes it’s the right thing to do, since he has always gotten help when he needed it. Jack feels good helping other people in turn, and says "Sometimes you’d like to help more, but you can’t...but it’s sure nice to help in whatever way you can."

John McDonald may be too modest to tell you much about his work himself, but his selfless generosity has not gone unnoticed by those around him. We thank them for nominating him, and we are pleased to present him with a Remarkable Seniors Award for Community Service.

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