A community service
One of Boston College’s most enduring and meaningful community partnerships began with an undergraduate’s curiosity.
In 1972, David Manzo was a first-year student at the Heights who was interested in the Catholic Worker Movement. Founded in 1933 by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin and rooted in social justice, the movement created a network of decentralized communities, known as Catholic Worker Houses, that welcome people in need of housing, food, and resources.
Manzo wanted to know if Boston had a Catholic Worker House, so he asked James Halpin, S.J., who was then director of BC’s Program for the Study of War and Peace.
“Fr. Halpin said ‘Sure, it’s called Haley House,’ and got a car and took me there on a Friday night,” recalled Manzo, who graduated in 1977.
That visit would set the stage for an affiliation between Haley House and BC’s PULSE Program for Service Learning that will mark five decades in 2026—PULSE’s longest running continuous community partnership.
A group photo from the late 1970s includes, at far left, David Manzo '77, standing beside Haley House co-founder Kathe McKenna.
Founded in Boston’s South End, Haley House is a multifaceted nonprofit offering a soup kitchen; permanent affordable housing; urban agriculture; education and training, including the Life Foundations Training reentry program; and a social enterprise restaurant. PULSE connects students with marginalized communities and social justice organizations like Haley House, pairing hands-on service with academic study in philosophy and theology.
That Friday night when he accompanied Fr. Halpin, Manzo met Kathe McKenna, one of Haley House’s founders. In 1966, inspired by activists like Day and Maurin, McKenna and her husband and co-founder, John, opened their apartment to men they saw sleeping on the street by their South End apartment. This laid the foundation for Haley House, which soon grew into an official nonprofit initially offering a soup kitchen run by a live-in volunteer community.
It was exactly what Manzo was looking for. Animated by Matthew 25—a parable central to the Catholic Worker Movement emphasizing compassion and faith through action—he began volunteering regularly.
“I’d get there around six in the morning, letting in 50 or 60 guys who had been sleeping on the street or at the Pine Street Inn. It was basic in those days, a cup of coffee, something to eat,” he recalled.
Four years later, Manzo, by then a PULSE student and part of the leadership council, was given a goal alongside other leadership council members to find new community partners for PULSE that aligned with Matthew 25. He didn’t have far to look.
“I was already volunteering at Haley House,” said Manzo, who is now a lecturer in PULSE. “PULSE gave me the opportunity to be proximate to people who are struggling, and to go from concerned to committed.”
That year, PULSE officially began its partnership by sending two students to volunteer in the Haley House Soup Kitchen. This year, nine students in the yearlong course are serving in a variety of roles, from preparing food to eating with Haley House guests.
Each of PULSE’s community partnerships—of which there are now over 65—is distinct. Students spend the first month of the program engaged in a mutual selection process where they explore different partnerships.
PULSE students help create a welcoming atmosphere where guests feel respected and seen, says Haley House Executive Director Reggie Jean. "The Boston College students who serve at our Soup Kitchen quickly learn that service at Haley House is about community, not charity."
The community feel and emphasis on relationship building to erase divisions make PULSE’s partnership with Haley House unique, said PULSE Program Cooney Family Director Meghan Sweeney.
“Students learn how food can build community. They see the value of simple acts of kindness. Haley House also helps students think about justice issues in a personal, friendship-based way,” Sweeney explained.
Caroline Oswitt ’26, a former PULSE student who served at Haley House, says the program’s combination of service and in-class reflection helped her see that while service is important, the interpersonal relationships built through it are just as valuable.
“I learned the importance of showing up for those one-on-one connections because over time, they build a broader sense of community,” said Oswitt. “There was a guest at Haley House who would come to breakfast often and was also working a couple of jobs and getting his GED. He was always excited to see me, and sometimes we would go over his math homework and just talk about life.
“It was nice to build that relationship with him and to see how everyone’s life has so many layers, but even with those differences there is always something you can connect over.”
Mary Lou Bozza ’03, a former PULSE student who is now a part-time faculty member in the Theology Department, chose Haley House as her community partner after a friend suggested it. That recommendation changed the course of her life in many ways, she said: Bozza would return as a live-in volunteer and later work as the organization’s director of development for seven years.
“I still remember my initial discomfort walking into the noisy and chaotic Soup Kitchen,” she said. “But starting on that first day, I was immediately welcomed by the guests. That sense of radical hospitality, embodied by everyone at Haley House, continues to be something that I strive to put into practice in my own life today.”
The PULSE students’ impact is felt daily because they help create a welcoming atmosphere where guests feel respected and seen, said Haley House Executive Director Reggie Jean. “The Boston College students who serve at our Soup Kitchen quickly learn that service at Haley House is about community, not charity. They don’t just serve meals—they share meals, listen deeply, and form genuine relationships with our guests, many of whom are navigating homelessness, food insecurity, or social isolation.
“Our guests look forward to connecting with the students and sharing stories—it’s that mutual exchange that reinforces the idea that everyone has something to give and something to learn,” said Jean. “Together, we’re cultivating a generation that sees service not as an act, but as a way of being.”
That’s been the case for Manzo. After graduating from BC, he joined the live-in Haley House volunteers before serving as board chair from 1980-1991. He’s now returned to the board, connecting PULSE students to Haley House. And while a lot has changed over 50 years, he says the partnership still holds the same values.
“It can be uncomfortable to talk to someone experiencing homelessness. Placements like Haley House are powerful and really stretch students,” said Manzo.
“But by welcoming the stranger and seeing the value in every person’s life, you might be welcoming the divine in your presence.”
Learn more about the PULSE Program for Service Learning at bc.edu/PULSE. Learn more about Haley House at haleyhouse.org.