From hunger to feeding the hungry

By Bruce Cooper and Chris Peterson

Zoe Pestrivas grew up in a small village in Greece where her family knew hunger firsthand. Often, shoes were a luxury, and food was never certain. She felt the struggle of poverty at a very young age. 

"This is the one my mother had," Zoe said, holding up a thin and badly worn shoe with a big hole in the sole. "She wore this in Greece, because we didn't have money to buy new shoes."

Despite the hardships, Zoe's spirit and hopes for better times remained high. As the years moved forward, Zoe was presented with an arranged marriage. 

"My father said, I'm not going to push you. My brother said the same. But my mother said, 'Marry him. We can have one mouth less at the table.' I didn't have to be hungry anymore, so I married not for love. I married for food," Zoe said.

"I didn't have to be hungry anymore, so I married not for love. I married for food."

Despite the circumstances, it didn't take long for love to completely overwhelm their marriage. But their love was accompanied by the devastation and heartache of five miscarriages. As grief threatened to consume them, a relative living in Cleveland, Ohio, reached out and offered them a place to stay with the promise of better pre-natal care in America.

They made the difficult choice of relocating their whole lives, and after a few years of settling in America, the couple was able to get back on their feet. Eventually, the couple moved to Phoenix in 1972. Zoe got a job working as a seamstress with her husband landing a job at Holsum Bakery. They were married for 55 years, becoming the parents of two children. 

In 2016, Zoe's husband passed away, but before he died, he asked Zoe to promise that she would help people.

Zoe has made good on that promise by delivering Panera Bread loaves to the main campus of St. Vincent de Paul every Tuesday for the last 10 years. 

"God has ways of putting things together," Paulina Watson, daughter of Zoe, said. "An opportunity was presented for her to be the collector of bread from Panera, through our church. She has such a zeal to give back because she lived it. 

"She has such a zeal to give back because she lived it."

Zoe means life!," Paulina continued. "All of us have life in us, and we need to be reminded. To have a role model like Zoe is a way to say how can I give back."