To the editor:

While there are many who seek recognition for the good works they do, some deserved some not, there are a few who go about their work because it is a calling. They seek no awards, no pat on the back, no dinners in their honor. They do what they do because it brings them more fulfillment then the people they help.

Esther Harris is one of those people. A fixture at the Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless for years, she has finally retired. My right-hand person during my tenure as Director, she always made me look good. I loved working with her and want people to know how valuable, how important she was to those in the County in need.

Before the Pandemic, the SCFH, without question the most important agency for food, was the only place for many to get a hot meal on a daily basis. Giving hundreds of thousands of pantries, serving breakfast and lunch, helping those with HIV, and trying to find housing for those who might otherwise be left in the cold, Sister Esther as she is affectionately called, was in the middle of it all.

I want to thank her and give her the recognition she deserves but never seeks. Sullivan County is lucky to have had her here.