Paul Lostritto

Boston, Massachusetts, resident Paul Lostritto graduated from Southern Connecticut State University, located in New Haven, in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. He continued his studies there and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1986. A decade later, Lostritto received his Master’s degree in Divinity from Washington, D.C.’s Washington Theological Union. Today, Paul Lostritto works on behalf of the St. Anthony Shrine, as Director of the Franciscan Food Center. Lostritto founded the food center in 2008 with David Convertino in partnership with The Greater Boston Food Bank and the Mayor’s Office. He serves between 400 and 450 members of the center weekly, and nearly 1,800 members in all. Paul Lostritto oversees daily operations at the center, creates and organizes the pantry, and directs more than 150 volunteers. Members are welcome visit the center one day a week, where Paul Lostritto and his staff offer a wide array of foodstuffs that members select for themselves. A teaching kitchen is also available, where members learn how to prepare nourishing dishes on their own. In addition to his duties in the actual pantry, Paul Lostritto also manages fundraising efforts for the center, including receiving donations of food from a number of sources, such as members of the CEO Council on Hunger, The Greater Boston Food Bank, the church congregation, and the community as a whole. In addition, Paul Lostritto runs an annual campaign, which most recently funded both a walk-in refrigerator and freezer for the center. As a Roman Catholic Priest, Registered Nurse, and certified HIV/AIDS counselor, Paul Lostritto has devoted much of his time to charity work. Since 2002, he has coordinated hospice care, conducted HIV/AIDS clinical trials at New York City’s Columbia University, and served as Director of a men’s homeless shelter in the city. From 1989 to 2001, Lostritto served Franciscan ministry work in both New York and Bolivia, where he participated in a cross-cultural sacramental ministry and performed advocacy work for the underserved. When Paul Lostritto is not busy with his work, he engages in a host of activities. He enjoys bicycle rides and oil painting, and practices Bikram Yoga. In addition to working with animal rights groups, Lostritto belongs to Friends of Medjugorje, a religious organization that offers pilgrimages to Medjugorje—a community in Bosnia—as well as Rome and select sites in Poland. Lostritto loves to travel, and has visited South