St. Francis House exemplifies the spirit of giving

Canton resident John McNeice said St. Francis House in Boston provides a foundation for homeless people to build on so they can get back on their feet.

Through their own kindness, McNeice and his wife of 51 years have helped make that foundation a little stronger.

John and Margarete McNeice were recently awarded the All the Way Home Award from St. Francis House, the largest day shelter and rehabilitative center in New England, in recognition of their extraordinary generosity to the homeless of Boston. The couple has consistently donated to St. Francis House since 1985, the year after the shelter opened.

They have been among the most generous and loyal supporters of the St. Francis House and they significantly increased their undisclosed donation this year, according to press materials provided by the shelter.

"St. Francis serves the homeless with a mission to 'return men and women who have lost themselves back to real life,'" John said during his acceptance speech at the Fairmont Copley Hotel on Oct. 24. "This is founded in the principle that homelessness is an experience and not an identity. It can be cured."

Margarete said she got the audience laughing as she tried to cut off her husband's remarks by telling the crowd his three minutes were up.

"It was very, very nice," Margarete said of the ceremony.

John mentioned St. Francis House's art program, which helps provide guests with a form of self-expression, as just one way the organization helps people get it back together.

<p style="text-indent: 0in">While the needy in Boston are happy the couple touched their lives, Margarete is happy John touched hers.

Margarete and her family were driven out of East Germany in the aftermath of World War II. She fled to Salzburg, Austria, with her young daughter. She met John, an American GI, in the deli where she worked.

"I made him good hamburger sandwiches," she laughed, adding she was 31 years old and John was 23 when they met.

"But she didn't tell me that," John quipped.

On Margarete's days off, the two would get together and go for walks.

"We walked a lot, talked a lot," Margarete said.