June 18, 2025 • 5 mins
Shannon Baldassario, Executive Director of MACC Charities, joins us live from the Travelers Championship to talk about the organization’s mission to meet emergency needs and break the cycles of poverty in the Greater Manchester area.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning. I'm Allison Demurz. I'm over at the Travelers
Championship in Cromwell. We're doing interviews for Birdies for Charity
where every dollar raised they get fifteen cents from Webster Bank.
Right now, I have with me Shannon Baldassario, Executive director
of MAC Charities.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good morning, good morning. How are you.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I'm great, thank you, How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Very well? Very well? Excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
So it's m ACC. What does that stand for?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
That is the Manchester Area Conference of Churches.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
So tell me all about it. How did you begin
and what is it that you guys do?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Absolutely so, we provide direct support and assistance for basic
emergency needs not met by other organizations within the greater
Manchester area, and we motivate and empower individuals with skills
necessary to break cycles of poverty and to enrich the
lives of those that we serve. So this past January
MAC celebrated fifty two years in service. And we originated
(00:58):
by fourteen areas Catholic churches that came together realizing that
they were providing the same basic need services to those
folks that were in need, and they came together and
created one centrally located nonprofit MAC Charities wonderful.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Do you have any personal stories without saying names, of
amazing stories where people were impacted positively?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Absolutely? I mean I can sit here for days stories.
I mean, I've been a part of the organization for
a little over thirteen years, and I started my career
there as a volunteer and I've been able to progress through.
So the greatest story ever share is the reason I
do what I do. And I did a few years
(01:45):
with the Community Outreach Emergency Service department where I was
working in direct field with folks that were literally homeless
outside and we had a shelter client who came in.
We do a bag search a body search before they're
allowed into our shelter, and I performed mine on him.
He was attempting to sneak in illegal drugs with paraphernalia
in to the shelter. I had a debrief with him.
(02:10):
We went through a whole process of conversation where he's
going with his life. I mean, he was a twenty
four year old kid who didn't have a job, who
didn't finish high school, he had a child on the way.
Kicked him out of the shelter a few resources and
a real life heart to heart talk. Four years went by,
COVID went through last summer. I was walking down Main
(02:33):
Street in Manchester, just doing my usual check in with
downtown businesses, saying hi, and a car pulled down in
front of me and this car, this kid in this
car says, Hey, you're the girl from the shelter, aren't you?
And I just looked at him with a blank starem
its like, it depends on what you're asking me for.
And he went in to explain how he remembers me
(02:54):
pulling him to the side on a check in night
and he was trying to sneak heroin into the shelter
and I kicked him out, gave him that heart to
heart conversation, put him into a rehab and ever since
then he's now got his life back on track. He
was driving his own car, he had a full time job,
he was in his own apartment, and it was having
that little conversation on the side street in Main Street,
(03:15):
Manchester that made me realize I am where I'm supposed
to be. To help one or help a thousand, it
doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
It's so wonderful. What would you say to people who
don't understand the stigma of homelessness.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
People will never understand it unless they experience it. But
I we as a team created the hashtag Kindness Wins
through COVID and if there's anything that I can just
stay with that stigma is that could be your neighbor,
that could be your family, that could be your business partner,
one paycheck away. You never know, So kindness wins always.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
It could be you correct any walk of life. It
can affect absolute. Do you have any events that are
coming up.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yes, So we are coming to the end of our
current fiscal year the end of this June, and we
are going to be celebrating our annual meeting with a
celebration of fifty We've accomplished through the Greater Manchester community,
our wonderful partnerships with our faith members, our non faith members,
as well as all of our local civic groups and
business partners, just to come together and support the real need,
(04:28):
especially in these challenging economic times when the need is
greater for families that have never had to reach out
for support once before. So I'm looking forward to having
everybody come to our table for camaraderie and to enjoy
a beautiful breakfast and hopefully raise funds to support the
growing need that is forming within our community and beyond wonderful.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
It's maccdashct dot org or hyphen MACC hyphenct dot org. Again.
You can go to that website or Travelers Championship dot
com and make your donation. For every dollar they're going
to get fifteen cents from Webster Bank. It must feel
so good. I know you have very difficult days at times,
but to put your head down on the pillow at
night and know that you know that you are blessing lives.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
We wake up and do what we do because we
love what we do. Every one of my staff, including myself,
have a story as to why we're at the table
doing what we do. It is our own personal testimony
and there's a purpose and a reason. That's why we
are doing it.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
And there's a purpose for every life. Absolutely, I'm speaking
with Shannon Baldassario, executive director of MAC Charities. Again. It's
MACC hyphenct dot org or go to Travelers Championship dot com.
Thank you so much for being here and for serving
the community.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Thank you for having us. It's been a pleasure
Good morning. I'm Allison Demurz. I'm over at the Travelers
Championship in Cromwell. We're doing interviews for Birdies for Charity
where every dollar raised they get fifteen cents from Webster Bank.
Right now, I have with me Shannon Baldassario, Executive director
of MAC Charities.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good morning, good morning. How are you.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I'm great, thank you, How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Very well? Very well? Excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
So it's m ACC. What does that stand for?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
That is the Manchester Area Conference of Churches.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
So tell me all about it. How did you begin
and what is it that you guys do?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Absolutely so, we provide direct support and assistance for basic
emergency needs not met by other organizations within the greater
Manchester area, and we motivate and empower individuals with skills
necessary to break cycles of poverty and to enrich the
lives of those that we serve. So this past January
MAC celebrated fifty two years in service. And we originated
(00:58):
by fourteen areas Catholic churches that came together realizing that
they were providing the same basic need services to those
folks that were in need, and they came together and
created one centrally located nonprofit MAC Charities wonderful.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Do you have any personal stories without saying names, of
amazing stories where people were impacted positively?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Absolutely? I mean I can sit here for days stories.
I mean, I've been a part of the organization for
a little over thirteen years, and I started my career
there as a volunteer and I've been able to progress through.
So the greatest story ever share is the reason I
do what I do. And I did a few years
(01:45):
with the Community Outreach Emergency Service department where I was
working in direct field with folks that were literally homeless
outside and we had a shelter client who came in.
We do a bag search a body search before they're
allowed into our shelter, and I performed mine on him.
He was attempting to sneak in illegal drugs with paraphernalia
in to the shelter. I had a debrief with him.
(02:10):
We went through a whole process of conversation where he's
going with his life. I mean, he was a twenty
four year old kid who didn't have a job, who
didn't finish high school, he had a child on the way.
Kicked him out of the shelter a few resources and
a real life heart to heart talk. Four years went by,
COVID went through last summer. I was walking down Main
(02:33):
Street in Manchester, just doing my usual check in with
downtown businesses, saying hi, and a car pulled down in
front of me and this car, this kid in this
car says, Hey, you're the girl from the shelter, aren't you?
And I just looked at him with a blank starem
its like, it depends on what you're asking me for.
And he went in to explain how he remembers me
(02:54):
pulling him to the side on a check in night
and he was trying to sneak heroin into the shelter
and I kicked him out, gave him that heart to
heart conversation, put him into a rehab and ever since
then he's now got his life back on track. He
was driving his own car, he had a full time job,
he was in his own apartment, and it was having
that little conversation on the side street in Main Street,
(03:15):
Manchester that made me realize I am where I'm supposed
to be. To help one or help a thousand, it
doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
It's so wonderful. What would you say to people who
don't understand the stigma of homelessness.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
People will never understand it unless they experience it. But
I we as a team created the hashtag Kindness Wins
through COVID and if there's anything that I can just
stay with that stigma is that could be your neighbor,
that could be your family, that could be your business partner,
one paycheck away. You never know, So kindness wins always.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
It could be you correct any walk of life. It
can affect absolute. Do you have any events that are
coming up.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yes, So we are coming to the end of our
current fiscal year the end of this June, and we
are going to be celebrating our annual meeting with a
celebration of fifty We've accomplished through the Greater Manchester community,
our wonderful partnerships with our faith members, our non faith members,
as well as all of our local civic groups and
business partners, just to come together and support the real need,
(04:28):
especially in these challenging economic times when the need is
greater for families that have never had to reach out
for support once before. So I'm looking forward to having
everybody come to our table for camaraderie and to enjoy
a beautiful breakfast and hopefully raise funds to support the
growing need that is forming within our community and beyond wonderful.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
It's maccdashct dot org or hyphen MACC hyphenct dot org. Again.
You can go to that website or Travelers Championship dot
com and make your donation. For every dollar they're going
to get fifteen cents from Webster Bank. It must feel
so good. I know you have very difficult days at times,
but to put your head down on the pillow at
night and know that you know that you are blessing lives.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
We wake up and do what we do because we
love what we do. Every one of my staff, including myself,
have a story as to why we're at the table
doing what we do. It is our own personal testimony
and there's a purpose and a reason. That's why we
are doing it.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
And there's a purpose for every life. Absolutely, I'm speaking
with Shannon Baldassario, executive director of MAC Charities. Again. It's
MACC hyphenct dot org or go to Travelers Championship dot com.
Thank you so much for being here and for serving
the community.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Thank you for having us. It's been a pleasure
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