Community is what we are all about. Fostering relationships. Connecting. Sharing. Backgrounds and hierarchy melt away. We are all one. Moving toward a common goal. Mutual respect for all.
Haley House carries the philosophy of personalism from its Catholic Worker roots, compelling us to take personal responsibility for individuals in need. People in and around the community resist violence and injustice by taking direct action and promoting justice and peace through their own life choices. Hospitality is key to the community’s way of life. We share friendship, space, and material goods that we have received through the generosity of others.
Haley House uses food with purpose and the power of community to break down barriers between people, empower individuals, and strengthen neighborhoods. We believe in radical solutions: solving problems at their root by challenging attitudes that perpetuate suffering and building alternative models.
Reginald Jean
What is your role at Haley House?
Executive Director
Alexander Bezek
What is your role at Haley House?
Operations Director
What brought you to Haley House?
The opportunity to serve others!
What is your favorite food?
Chicken (jerked or fried)
What is your favorite downtime activity?
Reading or lifting weights.
What has been your favorite Haley House moment?
Volunteering in the Soup Kitchen.
What does “food with purpose” mean to you?
It means the opportunity to utilize food to build relationships and grow community.
Bing Broderick
What is your role at Haley House?
Former Executive Director
What brought you to Haley House?
“We were just sitting around talking…” (old Catholic Worker saying). I received emails from three different people about a job opening at a new non-profit café opening in Dudley Square. I met with Didi a few times and then had a 2-hour interview with Kathe McKenna and Kathleen O’Connor. The conversation hasn’t stopped since.
Favorite down time activity?
Gardening, chopping wood, baking bread.
Favorite or most memorable HH moment?
On a hot summer night in a packed café during Art is Life itself, Mel King read from his poem/book “Streets” with memories of his youth and the things in his neighborhood that were of support to him. He then passed the mic to the next person, and he recounted his own youth support network, and by the end of the night, the mic had made its way all around the room. It was a Haley House moment.
Bridget Duffy
What is your role at Haley House?
Development and Outreach Manager
Favorite down time activity?
I love to read, crochet, and try new hikes!
What has been your favorite Haley House moment?
Every morning I’m in the Soup Kitchen is my favorite!
David Hirschberg (he/him)
What is your role at Haley House?
Director of Development
What brought you to Haley House?
Volunteering in the Soup Kitchen
What is your favorite food?
Pizza
What is your favorite downtime activity?
Walking, biking, listening to music and audiobooks
What does “food with purpose” mean to you?
Everyone needs food to survive and community to thrive. Food with purpose is about working together to meet both of these needs.
Disha (they/she)
What is your role at Haley House?
urban farm manager
What brought you to Haley House?
trust in my mycelium network
Favorite food?
anything homegrown/made with love & good intentions! & with veggies/fruits! &/or foods with tart, savory, spicy, bitter flavor
Favorite down time activity?
cooking in the woods with people
What does “food with purpose” mean to you?
food that’s ACCESSIBLE and FREE for the masses and not thought of as a commodity that exists for the purpose of profit/exploitation of people/land. food that’s beyond the purpose of flavor or fuel & that’s more about being our most affordable health care/prevention. & food as offering healing, connection, & [re]building a deeper more intimate relationship with ourselves, the land & our stories.
Fatima Seck
What is your role at Haley House?
McKinley Garden Coordinator
What brought you to Haley House?
I had a friend who was a live-in and they invited me to volunteer in the garden.
Favorite down time activity?
Reading
Favorite food?
Any kind of fresh fruit
Favorite or most memorable HH moment?
It’s always so special to harvest fruit with kids in the garden
Juliana Soltys (she/her)
What is your role at Haley House?
Volunteer and Soup Kitchen Operations Manager
What brought you to Haley House?
Volunteering in the Soup Kitchen and Take Back the Kitchen programs
Favorite down time activity?
Hiking, reading, gardening, and hanging out with my dog!
Favorite food?
A home cooked meal
Kathe McKenna
What is your role at Haley House?
I have been at Haley House since before it was Haley House!
What brought you to Haley House?
I accepted John McKenna’s offer to join him in renting an apartment on skid row (now the South End) to offer hospitality to men wandering the streets in 1966. Alcoholism was considered a moral lapse and work or religion was offered as the antidote. Developing relationships that introduce me to the hidden treasures in others keeps me coming back.
Favorite down time activity?
Taking time for meditation retreats—although it only looks like it’s a ‘downtime’ activity.
Favorite or most memorable HH moment?
Too, too many to mention over 45 years. Certainly one of the most tragic was receiving the news of John Leary’s sudden death at age 24 shortly after his graduation with honors from Harvard College. Healing took place as he was “waked” at Haley House where he shared his room and his life with so many in need. Some built his casket, some cooked and cleaned, some welcomed the hundreds who came to say farewell, and we all held each other in our grief.
Sharon Jones
What is your role at Haley House?
Case Manager
What brought you to Haley House?
I want to be a part of the solution for change.
What is your favorite food?
Fruit
What is your favorite downtime activity?
Spending quality time with family and loved ones.
What does “food with purpose” mean to you?
Providing healthy foods for everyone.
Sisi Jean-Baptiste (she/they)
What is your role at Haley House?
TBK and LiFT Program Manager
What brought you to Haley House?
I have also loved the community that is Haley House! I love the work we do and the people we serve. I want to be a part of that in all capacities.
What is your favorite food?
Ethiopian food
What is your favorite downtime activity?
Binge watching Netflix
What has been your favorite Haley House moment?
The farm program welcome party
What does “food with purpose” mean to you?
All of our biggest moments happen around food! All of the most influential conversations happen around food. Being intentional about the way we utilize food to conduct those conversations and changes is amazing.
Susan Terrell
What is your role at Haley House?
Finance Manager
What brought you to Haley House?
Work
Favorite food?
Jerk chicken
Favorite down time activity?
Reading
Favorite or most memorable HH moment?
Outdoor Community Tables 2017
Carl Long
What is your role at Haley House?
Board Member and Chair-elect
What brought you to Haley House?
Proximity. I have been a near neighbor since 2008
Favorite downtime activity?
I enjoy baseball and basketball with my sons, hiking, and observing art.
Favorite food?
Nearly all things seafood, interesting salads, and chocolate in almost any form
Favorite or most memorable HH moment?
Block parties on Montgomery Street filled with kids’ laughter, chalk drawings on the ground, and wonderful conversations amongst neighbors.
David Manzo
What is your role at Haley House?
Board Member (Currently) Also, PULSE Volunteer (1975-1977). Live-In Community (1977-1980), Board Chair (1980-1991)
What brought you to Haley House?
When I was in high school in the early 1970s, I visited the Catholic Worker in New York. As a student at BC, Jim Halpin, a Jesuit, and one of my teachers introduced me to Kathe McKenna and Haley House, the beginning of 40+ years of involvement.
Favorite down time activity?
Watching my New York Yankees
Favorite or most memorable HH moment?
Opening the door at 6 AM when the day begins at the Soup Kitchen and my relationships with our guests especially Ed Hennessey, Lefty Powers, Clarkie and Willie Brown. I greatly miss them all.
Irene Li
What is your role at Haley House?
Board Member
What brought you to Haley House?
The Souper Bowl was my first experience with Haley House. I think the people are incredible and the mission inspires me to believe in a better future for Boston.
Favorite down time activity?
Tending my houseplants
Favorite or most memorable HH moment?
Feeding nearly a quart of carrot soup to a four year old at our first Souper Bowl
Kathy Kim
What is your role at Haley House?
Board Member (Finance Commitee) / LiFT
What brought you to Haley House?
Haley House came to Dudley Square and that’s where I met Kathe McKenna at a Dudley Pride Meeting which was a program under the historic Dudley Square Merchants Association which then evolved into what we know today as Roxbury Main Streets.
Favorite down time activity?
Padde boarding, surfing, fishing … designing
Favorite food?
Pizza
Favorite or most memorable HH moment?
Our First Dinner and Movie with Bing and Didi. It was the first time since I was a child in the 1970s I had seen an inflatable movie projector in Roxbury which took place in the early 2000s. We had to bring the inflatable movie unit to cars which we had to climb and serve dinner and movie for over 200 people in the lot.
Yvonne Rincón
What is your role at Haley House?
I’m a member of the Board.
What brought you to Haley House?
I was first introduced to Haley House when I was a student at Boston College. During an event, we were given a bit of information about the organization and its TEP program. After working in the corporate world for some months after graduating, I decided to move on to an organization that I felt I could connect with and be a positive change for the community and Haley House was the perfect fit for me. I’m happy to have returned to serve on the board.
Favorite down time activity?
I really enjoy hiking and reading… not at the same time.
Favorite or most memorable HH moment?
Participating in the Dorchester Chili Cook-off. It was a nice day of amazing food, eager community members, and sharing.
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