At the height of the pandemic in 2020, Lori de St. Aubin made home visits to all the students in her class. When she asked them what they needed, most said food. When she received her stimulus check, she purchased groceries for them. When that money ran out, she turned to others for help to keep the grocery delivery going. “She literally had a pantry set up in her living room,” said Melissa Galletti, who nominated de St. Aubin for the award.

When de St. Aubin saw how great the need was, she started a nonprofit called Bridging Grace. To date, Bridging Grace and de St. Aubin have made 1,600 grocery deliveries. She has delivered to the same 55 families continuously for the past three years. Many mornings before work she shops at Costco, stores perishable food in her school’s staff room, and makes deliveries after work.

At one point she had saved up for a root canal but ended up using the money to buy groceries for families. She has helped provide unhoused families at her school who have moved into a new place with furniture and new beds. Last year, she rallied the community for donations to replace work tools stolen from a school family father’s truck. She has also “adopted” families during the holidays, gathering and delivering gifts from the community.

De St. Aubin, now in her 19th year of teaching, went through the process to become a foster parent and has taken in many former students who needed a stable place to live. At school, she volunteers during her prep or lunchtime to train students to help other students solve conflicts and express their feelings in positive ways.

Watch Lori de St. Aubin’s short video here. Read about the other Human Rights Award winners here.