Humble Servant: Tom Leto

Tom passed away in March of 2025, serving the hungry until his last breath. With a heart for service and a generous soul, Tom touched the lives of many of our clients, volunteers and members of the Catholic Charities Board of Directors and team.

He first came to the Catholic Charities Food Pantry as a volunteer after talking with his priest. He shared in a podcast interview with Bishop William M. Joensen, Bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines, that volunteering at the food pantry was a very eye-opening experience. He felt called to stay at the food pantry and served as a team member before becoming the Catholic Charities Food Pantry Program Manager in 2022.

As program manager, he fostered a great time of growth at the food pantry to better assist those in our community dealing with food insecurity. He built strong relationships with the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC), the Food Bank of Iowa, Iowa Gardening for Good, and many other community partners to help feed our clients. He also started a community garden and went out of his way to uplift all who came to the food pantry in need of help.

Tom worked hard to create a vibrant and fun atmosphere at the Catholic Charities Food Pantry. It was clear he took great joy in his work. He made sure everyone felt welcomed and greatly enjoyed getting to know the clients we serve and the volunteers who generously give their time to help operate the food pantry. Tom had immense gratitude for the dedicated team of volunteers he was grateful to work alongside every day. He strived to make sure our volunteers knew how much they were appreciated and valued each one of them. The friendships and relationships he created will not be forgotten.  

In this Year of Jubilee, we are invited to renew ourselves as “Pilgrims of Hope.” Tom was a true Pilgrim of Hope, instilling this virtue in those he served. Over the last few years as food insecurity continued to rise in our community, Tom looked for new ways to serve this ever-growing number of clients. A connection Tom would often make is that the food pantry was like the feeding of the 5,000 in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 14:13-21). Even though more and more people were coming in need of food, we were able to make sure all were fed. Tom’s faith, determination and example inspires us to join in this year of reconciliation and pilgrimage to serve our neighbors in need by becoming Pilgrims of Hope ourselves.

Tom has left his mark at Catholic Charities and his legacy will continue to shape the work we do. Shortly after his death, the food pantry experienced another tragedy. A car accident at the food pantry, which caused significant structural damage, has temporarily halted part of our operations. During this time of regrowth, we follow in the example Tom left behind and continue to feed the hungry with what we have. As we rebuild, we look forward to honoring Tom’s vision of serving more of God’s people at the Catholic Charities Food Pantry.

For information on how you can help support the Catholic Charities Food Pantry or to make a gift in honor of Tom, please contact Catholic Charities Director of Development and Marketing, Bobbi Jo Smith at 515-237-5064 or bsmith@catholiccharitiesdm.org.