Julie and Todd McDonald have been clients of Steve Larson, Managing Partner at Larson, Potter, Stratton, and Cote Financial, for over 20 years. Julie was born and raised in the Worcester area. After graduating from Notre Dame Academy and Syracuse University, she and Todd settled in Paxton, Massachusetts, where they have raised three sons.
Julie has always had a heart for helping others in her community, with a keen awareness of those less fortunate. Her passion for giving back grew even stronger while volunteering at Elm Park School in Worcester, where many students come from low-income households. She witnessed firsthand the struggle children faced in accessing food outside of school and was moved to action to create a meaningful solution. This calling led her to establish the Juniper Outreach Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and maintaining food pantries in schools with the greatest need.
The Juniper Outreach Foundation is a 501(c)3 founded in February 2020. Their mission is to build, supply, and maintain food pantries in schools and ensure that the food gets directly into the hands of the children who need it most. Many students enrolled in the Worcester Public Schools will eat their last meal when they leave school and have limited or no food access when leaving the building. While some schools keep a supply of snacks on hand, the oversight and maintenance of a food pantry is a burden on schools with limited resources.
The benefits of this program for the children extend beyond the physical. In an article published by The Journal of Nutrition, it was found that food insecurity and insufficiency are associated with adverse health and developmental outcomes in U.S. children. Among 6 to 12-year-old children, food insufficiency was associated with poorer mathematics scores, grade repetition, absenteeism, tardiness, visits to a psychologist, as well as anxiety and psychosocial dysfunction.
Beyond her role as a founder, Julie has established partnerships with local businesses, government agencies, and other nonprofits, fostering collaboration that has significantly amplified the foundation’s impact. Over the past four years, the foundation has established and proudly operates seven school-based pantries in Worcester, ensuring that students have access to food they can bring home for nights and weekends.
Over 90% of the students in the schools they have identified are considered “low-income.” With the help of private donations and volunteers, they stock and maintain food pantries in the following schools: Elm Park Community School, Burncoat Preparatory School and Lincoln Street Elementary School, City View Discovery School and The Gerald Creamer Center, South High Community School, Vernon Hill Elementary School. The foundation's long-term goal is to expand and build pantries in schools where the need is greatest. They will continue to rely on generous support from community partners, volunteer groups, and individuals to achieve this. Visit their website to learn more.
The LPSC Financial Team hopes to raise $10,000 for Juniper Helps. As part of this initiative, The LPSC Team will match all donations dollar for dollar up to $5,000.
Donate Directly at the Juniper Helps Donation Portal.