Donna Fanelli receives gratitude letter for Catholic Charities service

Donna Fanelli, an operations manager at Catholic Charities of Philadelphia, has kept a letter of thanks from a parent for nearly 25 years as a reminder of her work in nutritional services.

The typed note, dated October 28, 2002, was sent by a parent named Augustinus to thank Fanelli for helping his daughter receive meals through a school lunch program. Augustinus, who was a new immigrant at the time, wrote that the program helped him provide a Catholic education for his daughter while she attended Thomas Aquinas School in South Philadelphia.

Fanelli has worked for the Archdiocese for 40 years, spending the last 30 years with Catholic Charities. During her earlier years in the nutritional development department, she determined family eligibility for federal income-based nutrition programs and sent out status letters to participants.