Melo E. Jones, Jr. of Mount Vernon, New York is a retired Educator who taught in the Halifax, N. C. and Mt. Vernon, N. Y. schools for a total of 39 years before retiring in June 2000.

A Halifax, N. C. native, he received his BA Degree in Education from Shaw University of Raleigh, N. C. and a MS Degree in Education from City University of New York.

Melo is an active member of Trinity Church of Mt. Vernon where he is a Lay Eucharist Minister tending to the needs of the elderly, sick and shut-in. In 1999, recognizing the need, he coordinated the opening of the Trinity Food Pantry which currently serves a weekly average of 70 households. As Director of the Food Pantry, he volunteers his time to ordering, maintaining and distributing food to the needy and shut-in and to writing and securing grant monies to help sustain the purchase of food.

Upon retiring, he became a volunteer tutor for the After-School Program of the Boys & Girls Club of Mt. Vernon. In recognition of his service, in June 2001, he was inducted into the Boys & Girls Club’s Hall of Fame for his outstanding Leadership in Community Service.

For 19 years, Melo has been active with the Youth Bureau of Mt. Vernon teaching and mentoring the youth and is currently Vice-President of the Board of Directors.

Melo is a member of the Advisory Board of Food Patch of Westchester County where he has advisory responsibilities for 11 agencies. He is a member of the Westchester Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless.

At Trinity, he is also a member of the governing board of Trinity Place Community Center and is chair of the Building and Grounds committee where he oversees the coordination of outreach activities including the neighborhood basketball team, AARP, Mt. Vernon Community Action Group, Mt. Vernon Youth Shelter, Urban League’s Programs of Asset Building Leads to Employment (A.B.L.E.) and Employment Assistance Resource Network (E.A.R.N.) plus many other community activities.

Melo is an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., New Rochelle–White Plains Alumni Chapter and serves on the Scholarship Committee. He enjoys singing and is a member of Trinity Choir and the Male Chorus Sons of Thunder.

He and his wife Jeanette have been married for 27 years.