Politics & Government

DiBouno Finds a Niche in Community Service

After graduating college a year ago, Louis DiBouno returned to Harrison to help out with the community services office.

Helping people in need is something Louis DiBouno always wanted to find time for—he just didn't think he would have the opportunity to do it every day.

DiBouno, 23, has been working part-time in the Harrison Community Services office for the last nine months. After graduating college at University of Massachusetts-Amherst a few months earlier, he was looking for a post-college job when he came across an opportunity in the department.

"It's definitely a feel-good job," said DiBouno, who on a daily basis helps organize donations to the Harrison Food Pantry and other organizations that help local people in need.

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During his time in the office, DiBouno has worked with Director Community Services Nina Marraccini. The two work together to provide services that help people who are struggling with a variety of issues, from domestic violence to housing and hunger.

But DiBouno said his favorite part of the job is bringing food to about 100 local families in need through his work in the food pantry.

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"I mean food, that's a huge concern if you can't feed your family," he said. "If you can help take that concern away from people, that's huge. You can see the relief on people's faces when they don't have to worry about feeding their kids."

The best part of his job, DiBouno said, is when the pantry is opened to those in need once a month. It's an all-day event that shows how his work in the department is paying off.

"I've gotten to know every single person that we help out, so it's nice to see the faces of the people your helping," he said. "That's something I enjoy a lot."

Having DiBouno on board has also been a positive for the town. The list of families in need is kept confidential and DiBouno works to keep donations organized while not revealing the identities on the list to others.

Although probably not the job he expected when leaving college, his part-time position in the community services office has been a great experience for both DiBouno and the families he works to help.

"When I was able to find this it kind of worked out well for me," he said. "I didn't know I would stumble upon doing this, but it all worked out well and I'm happy."


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