By Laney Halsey
Contributing Writer
HUDSON – Dr. Patricia Kelly Luoto is at the heart of many of Hudson’s volunteer initiatives.
For over 20 years, Luoto has served with the Hudson Community Food Pantry, providing expertise from over three decades of nutrition experience.
To commend Luoto for her years of dedicated service to the community, State Representative Kate Hogan nominated her for the Commonwealth Heroine Award. The recognition, presented by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, seeks to honor women for their contributions across Massachusetts, even if they don’t often get the limelight.
“Dr. Pat Luoto is treasured by the Hudson community for her efforts to make Hudson a better place and to make a difference in the lives of her Hudson neighbors,” Hogan wrote to the Fifty Plus Advocate.
Hogan specifically highlighted Luoto’s work in making the Hudson Community Food Pantry, which also serves the towns of Berlin and Bolton, as “efficient and effective as possible.”
Luoto was “humbled” by the recognition, and made a point to commemorate the other volunteers who have worked alongside her. For her, volunteerism is a natural part of her life. The impulse to help others goes back to her upbringing, she said, when she made herself available to help others at church, school, and within her local community.
“I was taught to follow the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as others do unto you.’ It’s just kind of what I learned to do growing up,” Luoto said.
After moving to Hudson in the 1970s, Luoto and her husband, George, fell in love with the town and decided that it was where they wanted to stay.
“We raised our family here, we got to know people,” Luoto said. “We enjoyed the fact that it was diverse and especially enjoyed seeing its transformation over the years.”
Part of Hudson’s transformation has included evolving from a traditional “mill town” to a revitalized and growing community. That shift includes a greater need for food assistance.
Luoto is a professor emeritus at Framingham State University, focusing on food and nutrition. The former director of the John Stalker Institute, Luoto also worked as a dietitian and holds a background in food safety.
“I love food. It’s who I am. It’s my career,” Luoto said. “I have a real special place in my heart for anybody who has food insecurity.”
Since 2019, food insecurity levels in Massachusetts have jumped from 19 to 40 percent – a statistic that only adds to the importance of Luoto’s work. As a director with the Hudson Community Food Pantry, she helps coordinate with the Greater Boston Food Bank.
“I hope that I have been able to provide the pantry with an understanding of food insecurity at the state level and how it impacts us at the individual community level,” Luoto said.
She attributes much of the pantry’s success to the volunteers who unload 5,000-pound food shipments, label and place all of the items, ensure food and safety standards, and much more.
“Their volunteerism is extraordinary,” Luoto said. “These are people who are there every single Tuesday and Saturday morning. I mean, they really consider this to be their mission, to provide for the clients that come into the food pantry.”
Luoto previously served as chair of the Hudson Cultural Council. She now serves as secretary of the Hudson Cultural Alliance.
“I think there’s so many benefits that art and culture can provide to a community,” Luoto said. “It gives us the opportunity to gather together as a community in the same place and to experience the music or theater that’s being provided.”
After decades of volunteering, Luoto believes the Commonwealth Heroine Award recognizes something much greater than an individual achievement.
“The Commission on the Status of Women says that … it’s women who are the glue that are kind of holding the community together,” Luoto said. “There were 147 recipients of the Commonwealth Heroine Award, but there could have been double or triple that amount.”
For others looking to give back in their own communities, Luoto encourages people to simply take a look around.
“I think you can volunteer with the people that you know,” Luoto said. “Everybody knows somebody who is in need of a meal, telephone call, or a visit.”
RELATED CONTENT:
Hudson Veteran Follows Father’s Footsteps: A Legacy of Service
Hudson Man Paralyzed Over 30 Years Says It Was a Blessing
Hudson pianist entertains audiences with the music of the silent film era
