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Natick Town Election buzz: Town Meeting nomination papers; contested races; letters to the editor

February 6, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

New candidates for Town Meeting must return their nomination papers to the Town Clerk’s office by Tuesday, Feb. 7, with the required 10 signatures from registered voters in their precinct. Here’s the most up-to-date candidate report by the numbers.

Natick Town Meeting has 180 members—18 from each of the 10 precincts. Every year one-third of the Town Meeting members are up for re-election, and if there are additional vacancies those will also be on the ballot.


Contested races

Natick’s Annual Town Election will take place on Tuesday, March 28. Natick has 10 boards and committees that are served by elected members. Out of the ten boards and committees, there are three contested races:

Select Board (2 for 3-year terms)
  • Richard Sidney (candidate for re-election)
  • Kat Monahan
  • Kristen Pope
  • Roger Scott

School Committee (2 for 3-year terms)

  • Donna McKenzie  (candidate for re-election)
  • Matthew Brand
  • Kate Flathers
  • Leigh Preston Hallisey

Morse Institute Library Trustees (5 for 5-year terms)

  • Kathleen Donovan  (candidate for re-election)
  • Carol Gloff  (candidate for re-election)
  • Gerald Mazor  (candidate for re-election)
  • Sally McCoubrey  (candidate for re-election)
  • Thomas Hourihan
  • Anna McMahan

Letters to the editor on Natick Report

Natick Report accepts letters to the editor. Letters must be of general local community interest and must be signed. Community shout-outs are also accepted (example: a non-profit may thank an organization for a donation received).

The next deadline for letters to the editor is Wednesday, Feb. 8, noon.

Letters to the editor appear on Fridays.

See guidelines for letters to the editor here.

Send letters to the editor to natickreport@gmail.com


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Filed Under: Election



Save the date: Maple Magic pancake breakfast at Natick Organic Farm, March 4

February 2, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Don’t miss the Natick Community Organic Farm‘s Maple Magic Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 4, 8am-10am, at the Memorial Elementary School cafeteria, 107 Eliot St., Natick.

Load up on all you can eat pancakes with all the fixins, and plenty of real, local maple syrup made from sap collected from area maple trees and boiled down in the farm’s sugar shack. Vegan and gluten free options will be available.

There will be live music, a raffle, and more.

Members $10/adults, $5 child under 12. Non-members $12/adult, $6 child under 12.

Natick Community Organic Farm, sap buckets

 

Natick Community Organic Farm, Natick

Take a sweet tour

Freezing nights in the 20s and warm days in the 40s trigger the sugar maple sap run, which starts the farm’s sugaring season. Learn the science and history of “sugaring” during tours at the NCOF that start Feb. 11 and run through March 11.

Visitors will learn Indigenous people and Colonist historical techniques for making maple sugar. Learn about tree identification, qualities of sap and syrup, how to tap, and more at the farm’s outdoor displays and tapped trees. If the weather’s just right, tour groups will watch sap dripping into buckets and boiling in the sugar shack.

Even though Mother Nature can’t guarantee the sap run (and boiling) on any given day, tours are still interesting and fun, and offer visitors a fascinating view of this enduring New England tradition.

Tours are one hour long and are open to the public for a $10 fee per person. Babes in carriers are free.


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Filed Under: Education, Environment, Food, Outdoors, Weather



Natick Family Promise welcomed the community to tour its new family shelter: We took them up on it

January 24, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Maybe you’ve noticed the red house with the funky windows in the downtown Natick area and wondered what its signage—Family Promise Metrowest (FPM)— means, exactly.

Hope and safety are what FPM means to families who are experiencing homelessness, yet do not qualify for emergency state shelter. Maybe they’re “over income” by state standards but still fell behind on rent, and were evicted. Maybe they’ve been doubling up with family or friends, and thus aren’t technically considered homeless, so do not qualify for state aid. Whatever the reason, when families are experiencing a housing crisis an FPM program might be the right fit for them.

The signature red building, which made the seismic change last summer from a day center to a shelter that can now house up to three families at a time, could be these families’ temporary place to land.

Family Promise, Natick

Between the completion of the building’s major renovations and the hiring of a new executive director, Danielle Conti, the staff of FMP decided a celebration was in order. So the charitable organization hosted an Open House last week, a rare opportunity for community members to tour the facility and meet staff and volunteers. The resident families had recently achieved their goals of transitioning to permanent housing, so neither their privacy nor peace were compromised by the event.

Here are some pics of the renovated space:

Family Promise Metrowest, Natick

Families have access to a large, shared kitchen. At dinner, all gather in a spacious multi-purpose room where volunteers provide the main meal as well as companionship. Family Promise Metrowest has been a presence in Natick since 2008. The non-profit partners with religious and spiritual congregations and for over 10 years used a rotation model to house families among 19 area organizations. Families would live for one week at one congregation, typically in large basement rooms, one per family, plus one room for overnight volunteers. At the end of the week, families would move on to the next host.

The Shelter Program’s congregation rotation model no longer worked once COVID hit, and FPM had to place families into hotels. It was a short-term solution at odds with the community-driven mission of FPM, and one that forced a reckoning about how core operations should run going forward. During the pandemic, “We weighed all the options, talked to the families, talked to the congregations,” Amanda Elkin said. Those conversations led to a decision to make big changes. The red house would transition from a day center model and become a shelter.

Back when Family Promise started in Natick in 2009, “we needed the congregations and the space they could give us to get Family Promise off the ground. Without tons of very committed volunteers, making food and all of that, we wouldn’t have been able to get the organization started. But COVID shut that down,” Elkin said.

In a 2021 video address, then executive director Sue Crossley said, “We came to the realization that having a shelter site where families live rather than rotating to the different congregations really made the most sense for everyone.”

Congregations are still involved and volunteering. But now instead of volunteers helping out at congregations, they go to the shelter to play with the kids, help with meal prep, and provide dinnertime companionship.

In addition to the Shelter program, FPM offers a SAIL Program that supports families as they transition from the shelter back into permanent housing; and a LIFE Program, which helps  families facing eviction remain in safe housing. Between the three programs, FPM last year served 64 families, including 101 children.

 

Family Promise Metrowest, Natick

 

Family Promise Metrowest, Natick

There are a couple hundred Family Promises throughout the country. Many of them run as “static sites,” which is the model FPM decided that they were now in a financial position to become. In 2009, the organization worked with a budget of $250k. After almost 15 years of courting donor partners from big local corporations to kids who donate their lemonade stand money, they’re now operating on a $1.2 million annual budget, money that has bought them the freedom to evolve how they provide services.

 

Family Promise Metrowest, Natick

 

Family Promise Metrowest, Natick

 

Family Promise Metrowest, Natick

 

Family Promise Metrowest, Natick

Families often describe the Shelter program as a lifeline. They do not describe the program as easy. Expectations are high. Families must be open to and accept long-term, intensive coaching that helps identify the root causes of their housing crisis as they set goals and work hard with a vision for their future. Coaches help with everything from applications for rental assistance, to bringing in specialists to help families improve life skills, to accessing employment opportunities.

The average number of days in the Shelter program is 146. During that time families focus on personal savings goals, repairing credit scores, and securing safe and affordable daycare of after-school care for their kids.

The ultimate goal of all three programs (Shelter, SAIL, and LIFE) is for families to move on to permanent, independent housing. 89% of families in 2021 achieved that goal, while 7% moved into a shared housing arrangement and 4% moved into transitional housing.

Staff members and volunteers agree that much is given, much is received, and there is much to be thankful for. Families concur, but it’s the small things that can bring them to tears. A Thanksgiving dinner basket. A gift card for a child who needs winter boots. A few words of encouragement on a downer of a day. The basket means their kids get a festive holiday, just like their classmates. The boots mean feet stay dry. Kindness gets paid forward, and a later squabble quickly de-escalates from intense to resolved.

Such is the power of community care.

Save the date—April 30: Walk to End Homelessness

Join FPM on Sunday, April 30, at 1pm for its first in-person Walk to End Homelessness since 2019. Food, friends, and fun for all ages. The walk will take place at Natick High School, and registration opens February 15. Check back here for more details soon.

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Filed Under: Charity/Fundraising, Community, Volunteering

Energy Assistance Fair in Natick postponed due to snow

January 23, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

1/23/23 UPDATE: Due to the forecasted snow, the Mon., Jan. 23 Energy Assistance Fair has been rescheduled to Monday, Feb. 6, 4pm-7pm at the Morse Institute Library.

Residents are also invited to attend the Framingham Energy Assistance Fair on Jan. 31. 4pm–7pm, at the South Middlesex Opportunity Council, 7 Bishop St.

Remind me what the Energy Fair is all about

At the fairs, learn about fuel assistance programs, discounted rates and flexible payment plans, no-cost Home Energy Assessments, and more. Many programs are not tied to income levels. More information here.

Representatives will also be available to share information and answer questions about other programs and services available, which may include property tax assistance, food assistance, social services and municipal electricity aggregation.

More information on available local resources can be accessed by calling the Human Services Department in Natick (508-647-6519).


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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Natick Martin Luther King, Jr. events— “Snacks for Students” drive & Jan. 16 celebration

January 9, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2023 Celebration Committee invites Natick residents to participate in a “Snacks for Students” drive to help create a community in which all children’s needs are addressed. Everyone also is invited to attend the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration on Jan. 16.

John F. Kennedy Middle School, Natick

Where to drop off donations of snacks

  • Elementary families/caregivers may drop off snack donations in the front lobby of their elementary school through Jan. 13.
  • Anyone may drop donations in the box in the lobby of Town Hall through Jan. 13.
  • Bring donations to the MLK Jr. Celebration on Jan. 16, 10am, at Kennedy Middle School.

Types of snacks needed

  • Peanut-free individually packaged snacks (dried fruits, pretzels, chips, goldfish)
  • Cereal bars
  • Healthy granola bars
  • Applesauce (single serving)
  • Fruit cups (single serving)
  • Juice boxes

All are invited to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2023 Celebration Committee invites everyone to attend a celebration of the life and legacy of the civil rights leader on Mon., Jan 16, 10am, at Kennedy Middle School. The program will feature performances from student groups, Middle and High School MLK Day Creative Contest winners, remarks from community leaders and partners, Interfaith Clergy representatives, a moving keynote, and more. A Community Connection Event will immediately follow the program at 11am, with special MLK Day activities for all ages, and time to meet student groups, community organizations, neighbors and friends.

Register to attend in person at Kennedy Middle School in Natick. You can also livestream through Natick Pegasus or watch through Natick Community Television channels: RCN 3, Comcast 99, and Verizon 29

The 18th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration + Community Connection Event is co-sponsored by the Greater Natick Interfaith Clergy Association, Natick Public Schools,  Natick METCO, Natick Is United, the Natick Board of Health & Natick 180, the Town of Natick, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and SPARK Kindness.

 


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Filed Under: Embracing diversity, Holidays, Schools

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