Who is Skinny (Patrick Donovan) from The Risk Pool and what is their importance?

Skinny Donovan is the groundskeeper at Our Lady of Sorrows. He is a slightly lazy alcoholic in his mid-forties (when Ned is a child) who is no longer skinny. He looks like he's hiding a melon under his white T-shirt. Skinny lets Ned mow the lawn for him on the church grounds. Ned also sees Skinny often at the Mohawk Grill and other pubs around town after he stops going to Our Lady of Sorrows. Sam gets Skinny a job working on a road crew, and he tries very hard to get rid of the shakes before starting.