Homes with Hope president and CEO Helen McAlinden, and board chair Becky Martin, nominate this week’s Unsung Hero. They write:
This honor perfectly reflects Katharine Murray’s extraordinary contributions to Homes with Hope, and the broader Westport community.
Katharine recently earned a well-deserved promotion to chief of staff. This newly updated title and role formally recognizes the leadership, strategic insight and operational excellence she has long brought to our organization.
Katharine Murray (center), with Homes with Hope president and CEO Helen McAlinden (left), and vice president and chief operating officer Paris Looney. (Photo/Dave Matlow)
As chief of staff Katharine plays a pivotal role in overseeing key departments, including Development, Marketing, Grant Writing, Community Relations, and the Food Pantry.
She works in close partnership with the leadership team, as well as the entire staff she collaborates with daily. She builds trust, fosters collaboration, and supports teams across the organization.
Katharine joined Homes with Hope as a marketing and development professional in 2022, but her role quickly evolved as her willingness to step in wherever needed became impossible to overlook. Over the years she quietly and effectively took on responsibilities spanning Marketing, Development, Grants, Operations, Events, Agency Data Management, and Pantry Program Oversight.
Her promotion to chief of staff is a formal acknowledgment of the role she has long fulfilled with grace, intelligence, and tireless dedication.
With Katharine’s steadfast partnership and leadership, Homes with Hope has grown into an agency that serves more than 3,000 individuals annually.
Katharine’s impact is evident across every corner of the organization. She assumed full coordination of recent renovations to the Gillespie Center and Susie’s House. She helped source furniture and décor to ensure residents would experience not just shelter, but a beautiful, welcoming and dignified place to call home. Her thoughtful, creative and cost-effective design choices are apparent when entering either facility.
Katharine Murray (far left), with volunteers and Westport Police officers at the Homes with Hope food pantry, following a donation drive.
Her leadership is especially visible at the Gillespie Center Pantry. Last year the pantry recorded 9,150 visits, served 1,199 registered households, and supported more than 3,000 individuals.
Despite increased demand, the environment feels less like a pantry and more like a thoughtfully curated community market providing choice, quality, and dignity.”
Katharine leads by example. She drives the van, picks up food, carries supplies, stocks shelves, checks inventory, places orders, and steps in wherever help is needed. Bilingual. she regularly supports Spanish-speaking pantry participants.
Behind the scenes, she quietly delivers groceries to elderly or ill neighbors.
Katharine has significantly elevated Homes with Hope’s fundraising and community presence, helping lead events like Gather Round the Table and Stand Up Comedy Night.
Katharine Murray, at a Rotary Club/Police Department food drive.
Katharine is a familiar presence at food drives led by Sunrise Rotary, Westport Rotary Club, the Westport Police Department, and countless community organizations, faith groups and schools. Her warmth, approachability, and genuine care for others embody the spirit of Homes with Hope.
Katharine arrives early and stays late. She is present, accessible, and deeply committed to both the mission and the people who carry it forward.
We wish Katharine continued success as she partners with Helen, Paris, Jacque, Katie and the entire Homes with Hope team to move the agency forward—stronger, more resilient, and more impactful than ever.
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