In what daughter Erin called a fitting tribute to her father, Elgin Street Mission’s kitchen has been named after Michael Vagnini.
“He always really took pride in gathering over food,” she said, noting that in addition to the annual No One Eats Alone Christmas dinner Vagnini organized, he undertook various other unpublicized efforts to help those in need.
During a luncheon in her father’s honour at Elgin Street Mission on Friday, she shared a story wherein her father asked her to help him out by buying groceries for someone in need.
The former city council member died earlier this year of unspecified medical causes. The case was well-publicized due in part to a large-scale two-week search taking place for him, which ended when his body was found at a seasonal residence.
Although he’s perhaps best known for his longtime role as Greater Sudbury city council member for Ward 2, the loved ones who gathered on Friday noted that he frequently donated money and volunteered his time toward helping those in need.
“He was a friend of the mission,” Elgin Street Mission director Amanda Labreche told Sudbury.com during Friday’s luncheon. “He had a heart for the vulnerable population.”
On one occasion, she relayed that Vagnini was the first phone call she received after a fire took place next door, to ask how he could help them serve food to the city’s vulnerable population.
The Elgin Street Mission currently serves approximately 350 people per day, she said, including 150 at breakfast time and 200 at dinner.
Friday’s luncheon saw numerous people who loved Vagnini deliver speeches about the man, with a common thread being his charitable, caring nature.
“He had a huge heart,” friend Fred Slade said, adding that Vagnini followed the piece of advice to “do the right thing to the best of your ability.”
Although the “right thing” to do is frequently a matter of debate, Slade said that Vagnini stuck to his convictions and “threw everything at it.”
“He believed in everybody being equal, and you should respect everyone on the basis of being equal no matter what their station in life, no matter what their religious beliefs,” friend and political advisor Tom Price said.
Although Vagnini would say he doesn’t deserve the recognition he received on Friday, Price said that he does.
“A person is not really dead until their name is not said anymore,” friend Gerry Lougheed said. “As long as you and I have a Michael story, he stays part of our community and part of our lives, and I think that’s the best thing Michael would want from all of us.”
Alongside the kitchen re-named in Vagnini’s honour is a photograph of the area’s new namesake.
Included with the photograph is the inscription, “With Michael’s commitment to No One Eats Alone, this kitchen is dedicated to always feed people’s stomachs and souls. May God Bless the cooks, the diners and Michael.”
During Friday’s luncheon, Lougheed said the annual No One Eats Alone dinner would continue.
Earlier this year, Greater Sudbury city council unanimously voted to name a hall at the T.M. Davies Community Centre and Arena the Michael Vagnini Community Hall. A ceremony commemorating the name change is forthcoming.
Article by: Tyler Clarke
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
