Women of Among Mercy High School’s defining characteristics, community has a prominent place.
The breadth of Mercy’s community service involvement is reflected in the initiatives and ongoing activities of students and faculty, staff and alumnae. While community involvement is unquestionably a thread that has run through Mercy across the years, it has never been more evident than during the past year, as the pandemic made needs more acute. The leadership and life’s work of two remarkable women—Nettie Silverman ’73 and Maryellen Shuckerow—are infused with meaningful Mercy connections. Annette Dascanio “Nettie” Silverman has visited 49 of the 50 states, but a lifetime of service really took root close to home, at Mercy High School. To this day, she thinks about and admires Sr. Pat McKeon, RSM, her former Math teacher. “I crushed Math! And I credit Sr. Pat for my love of Math and community service,” she explained, noting that Sr. Pat, after departing Mercy, went on to become the director of St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Downtown Middletown. Silverman attended Eastern Connecticut State University and then Central Connecticut State University, earning a BA in Art and a BS in Elementary Education, followed by a Master’s in Math Education and her 6th year in curriculum/instruction and administration. She began a stellar teaching career at St. John's School in Middletown and then taught for 35 years in the Middletown Public School system—spending three decades at Moody School teaching 4th grade, until her retirement in 2013. She continued to volunteer at the school. In 2017, Nettie cleaned out sections of the basement at St. Francis Church to achieve her dream of helping the less fortunate. With $2,000 of her own money, she opened Hinka’s Cupboard, named in honor of her mother, who was very active with the church. Nettie felt the church was the perfect location for a food pantry. Time has proven her judgement to be accurate. Nettie has seen the line of 20 at the food pantry during 2018 quickly become a line of 150+ families in 2021. The significant increase in the number of people seeking services was unmistakable, and the response encouraging. “What I remember most about the past year is there are many compassionate people out there willing to help,” she observed. “We have to look at the good. There are many people out there that are also food insecure. I’ve been doing as much as I could to help.” Private donations are necessary to operate the food pantry, to purchase food and needed supplies. She pays for expenses—such as reimbursing the church for electricity, for the necessary lighting and refrigeration. One parishioner gave Nettie her stimulus check of $600. A grant of $1,000 was earned from the United Way, used to purchase diapers. Many parishioners also help out and teams of parishioners often go together to purchase supplies. A minimum of $1,000 to $1,500 per month is needed to sustain operations. Nettie is continually amazed at the generosity she witnesses—friends Donna Siscavage ’73 and Jacqueline Golletz donated an industrial freezer, diapers, wipes, toiletry items, pet supplies, and made monetary donations, for example. Her former PE teacher, Ms. Ev Maher has donated to Hinka’s Cupboard too, along with classmates and alums Patty Nettis Deegan ’73 and Holly Pizzini ’73.
Hundreds of items are donated via Mercy's National Honor Society’s Souper Bowl (canned food) drive. Community service has always been in her blood. Nettie recalls that while at Mercy she worked at Headstart at Snow School in Middletown for $1.00 an hour. She also served as Junior Class President, much to her own surprise. “People don’t know but I’m basically
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WOMEN OF MERCY Living Catherine’s Vision
