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At A Place to Turn in Natick healthy food is for everyone

November 4, 2021 by Deborah Brown 1 Comment

Although there hasn’t been a hard freeze in Natick yet, the kind that turns basil leaves black and makes the last of the tomatoes inedible, the cold temperatures are coming. This much every gardener knows and accepts. Successes are noted—the celery and kale reveled in the 9-inches of rainfall that splashed down in July. Failures are mourned—the peppers moped all season, pining for a sun that remained stubbornly hidden behind clouds for summer days on end.

A Place to Turn, Natick

Garden plot dramas aside, A Place to Turn, an emergency food pantry in Natick that serves Metrowest community members in need, has given thanks all summer for the fresh produce that has come its way. I stopped by to talk to Joanne Barry, Executive Director of A Place to Turn, to find out how the nonprofit helps its clients meet the healthy-eating US Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines. It’s no easy task. According to the USDA, for optimum health half your plate at each meal should be made up of fruits and vegetables.

“We are a food pantry that has aligned our offerings to the USDA MyPlate. Our clients can leave here so they can eat according to that for a week. That’s a lot of fruits and vegetables. We work hard to provide clients with fresh produce.”

It doesn’t hurt that the food pantry receives donations from a neighbor. A literal stone’s throw from the pantry is The Reverend Eric Markman Community Garden, renamed as such earlier this year in a proclamation put forth by the Natick Conservation Commission. Markman served as the pastor of the Hartford Street Presbyterian Church for ten years. Under his leadership, the church leased a portion of its 8-acre property to the Natick Conservation Commission for the purpose of creating and maintaining a community garden. The garden beds were put together in an interfaith effort involving the congregations of area Presbyterian, Jewish, Muslim, Episcopal and Unitarian houses of worship. A portion of the garden’s 50+ plots have from the start been reserved for the Church’s use. The Church, as part of their mission, donates the bounty to A Place to Turn.

Markman Community Garden, Natick

Barry speaks in reverent tones of Markman, who recently answered the call to serve an out-of-state parish. “He had the vision, and he made it happen, and I think about what he did all the time.”

It’s a sunny weekday, and the food pantry’s distribution tables are set up outside, farmer’s-market style, under tents. The area has the advantage of privacy. Neither distribution tables, clients, or their cars can be seen from busy Hartford Street. The open-air system allows not only a COVID-safe environment, but a shopping atmosphere in which the pantry’s 1,100 monthly clients (450 families) choose what they want. The fresh fruits and vegetables are always popular. “What we offer, nobody must take if they don’t want it. But everyone loves the fresh produce,” Barry says.

Markman Community Garden, Natick

Barry has worked at A Place to Turn for 23 years, first as a volunteer. Back in the 1990s and before, it was the rare food pantry that provided fresh produce to its clients. “We were one of the first, and the Sudbury Foundation was the first organization to fund us. Because what we saw was people not taking the canned non-perishables. And many people would take nothing canned. We didn’t want to be a non-profit that says you’re ‘poor’ you’re ‘hungry,’ this is what you’re getting.”

She says the grant money A Place to Turn receives has had an enormous impact on what kids are eating. Barry gets a little frustrated by those who don’t work in the trenches of food insecurity issues, yet feel free to criticize what others put on their tables.

“So someone says to me, ‘why do all those families feed their kids macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets, that’s ridiculous.’ Well, if our families went out and bought brussels sprouts and pork loin and their kid didn’t eat it, their kid would go hungry,” she explains.

Markman Community Garden, Natick

At A Place to Turn, volunteers encourage clients to take unfamiliar food items home, things they might hesitate to spend money on in the grocery store. If a novel item from the food pantry doesn’t work out for a family, it’s not a financial hit. “Our volunteers love hearing about how people are going to use the yucca, plantains, mangoes, kale, and other vegetables that we have, and how kids are trying new things.”

Although the Markman Community Garden plots are an important community initiative, they can’t come close to fully providing the pantry with fresh produce year-round. A Place to Turn purchases much of their produce from wide-ranging sources.

Powisset Farm in Dover, and Stearns Farm in Framingham are two of their local partners. The pantry also purchases from Johnny’s Produce in Brighton, Katsiroubas Produce in Hyde Park, and Boston Area Gleaners, which harvests surplus farm crops. “We have CSAs donated to us. We get that on a weekly basis. We get knocks on the door all the time. People donate stuff from their own private community plots and gardens,” Barry says.

A Place to Turn, Natick

In addition, ready-made meals get dropped off from Village Table, a community food service program managed by members of Wellesley Village Church.

Donations are always welcome. Due to COVID, the need has only increased. “I would say for us, probably an additional 100 families a month,” Barry says. “What we saw was so many retail workers and restaurant workers out of work. Even when people went back to work they’re working in a low-wage job, they haven’t paid their bills for 6 months to a year. It takes a while to come back from that.”

Barry looks back to the economic downturn of 2008. She says it took 2 years for families to get back to their previous levels of independence. She expects to see the same pattern post-COVID.

“We say to people, please don’t skimp on food. Please come here and use us. It’s such an important part of our mission that the clients see that.” She continues, “That they feel good about what they’re receiving, and know that most of it is fresh…it just warms my heart, it really does.”

Help area families with a donation to A Place to Turn.

How to get a community garden plot in Natick

The Town of Natick operates four organic community gardens for residents to grow food recreationally and supplementally during the spring and summer months.

Registration is open through Nov. 30 for those who currently have a plot.

New gardeners can register Dec. 1, 2021-Jan. 31,2022.

More information here.


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Filed Under: Charity/Fundraising, Community, Food, Gardens, Health, Uncategorized, Volunteering

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Natick Sons and Daughters of Italy yard sale, July 17th

July 13, 2021 by Admin Leave a Comment

All are welcome to the The Natick Sons and Daughters of Italy lodge’s Indoor Summer Yard Sale, luncheon, and raffle on Saturday, July 17, 9am-2pm, at 37 Washington Ave., Natick. Proceeds from the charitable event will go to support Family Promise Metrowest.

Raffle ticket options:

pasta night sons and daughters of italy

A $12 donation will get you a meatball sub, chips, soda/water and a free Ice Cream Basket raffle ticket.

OR

Purchase raffle tickets—20 for $10 —for a chance at the Taste of Italy basket. (The basket includes olive oil, fire roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar, Pinot Grigio, (over 21 required), pasta, sauce, breadsticks with rosemary and more.)

You can pre-order meatball subs and raffle tickets at the Lodge’s website, or purchase at the event.

To purchase a yard sale spot call 508-728-4227 for information.

Filed Under: Charity/Fundraising, Community, Entertainment, Food, Volunteering



Family Promise Walk for Change fundraiser will be May 1st & 2nd

April 14, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Family Promise Metrowest has tweaked the format of the non-profit’s annual walkathon to account for the continuing need for social distancing measures. The May 1 – 2 Walk for Change encourages individuals, families, or small groups of friends to walk together in their home towns to raise funds and awareness for families facing homelessness.

family promise metrowest

Walk participants will be asked to register, fundraise, and walk in their community on May 1 or 2 while wearing their Walk for Change t-shirts. Register for the Family Promise Walk for Change.

A 5k walk through Natick has been planned for Sat., May 1, 1pm. Email Ann Skipper for details. Please provide your cell number. awskipper@verizon.net

Throughout the pandemic, Family Promise has helped more families than ever before through its pre-eviction program, which includes shelter diversion services that allow families to bypass shelter entry altogether. Often all it takes to keep a family out of a shelter is help with moving expenses, or a safe place to stay for a few days until permanent housing becomes available.

This and other essential programs help Family Promise Metrowest to transform the lives of families with children facing homelessness by mobilizing a diverse community to provide shelter, education, and comprehensive support. It’s such programming that supports families on their path to sustainability.

Unable to participate in a walk? Donations are gratefully accepted.

MORE:

Natick-based Family Promise will no longer use area congregations to shelter families

Filed Under: Charity/Fundraising, Community, Kids, Volunteering

Natick to be part of the Stop Hate Rally route, March 27th

March 25, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Stop Hate Rally & Run, Natick

Demonstrators along the route will run, walk, and rally to condemn acts of violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and to display the unity, resilience, and strength of the Asian American community.

This event is organized by the New England Chinese American Alliance (NECAA).

Sign up link here for walkers, runners, demonstrators.

More information to come such as where along the route in Natick demonstrators will be gathered.

MORE:

尊敬的朋友:

新英格兰华人联盟(NECAA)联合Wellesley华协、Belmont 华协、Lextington华协、Winchester华协,Newton华协、Brookline中文学校、莱星文化中心、美国华人联合会麻州分会, 旅美科协波士顿分会、波士顿清华校友会、吕令子基金会、亚美会、Westar、Brookline 华人居民群 、美国中餐联盟、平世界基金、犇跑团、Needham华协将于3/27/2021在波马沿线的八个镇举行一场首尾相连的示威活动。

我们将在波马道路的沿线举行插牌、举牌活动;我们将在有人行道的镇举行接力跑;我们将有四队跑者在波马沿线的四个地点同时出发,共同完成一个马拉松赛程。同时,我们也将在Hopkinton和Boston Common举行纪念仪式。

我们希望,通过用此项活动,表达我们对逝去同胞的哀思;表达亚裔长期被视为“温顺胆小”的不满;表达主流社会长期对亚裔偏见的愤懑;表达亚裔社区日益增长的活力、团结和力量;我们也更想表达,一个团结、平等、多样化的美国才会是一个更安全、更美好、更值得期待的国度。

所有参加者都要求佩戴口罩,保持社交距离。若您想举牌表示支持,不胜感谢!

活动详情:
10:00-10:30 Hopkinton纪念仪式。
10:00-11:20 沿波马道路的插牌和举牌活动。
10:30-11:20 Hopkinton、Framingham、Wellesley 、Newton 4个地点同时出发,跑步。每段10公里。
11:20 最后一段的跑者抵达Boston Common Parkman Bandstand ,举行纪念仪式。

我们希望,活动结束后,在条件允许的情况下您能通过社交媒体分享您的经历和感受。

期待您的加入!

Partner organizations:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Boston Marathon, Community, Volunteering

Natick-based Family Promise will no longer use area congregations to shelter families

March 22, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Family Promise Metrowest Executive Director Sue Crossley in a video address announced that the Natick-based homeless prevention program would no longer use 19 area houses of worship as part of its shelter program to house its partner families. For over ten years Family Promise has worked with an interfaith network of congregations to help temporarily house families using a rotational model in which a congregation hosted as many as five families. Partner families would live at one church or synagogue for one week, then move to another for the next week, and so on as they worked with Family Promise toward the goal of permanent housing.

family promise metrowest

On the week their congregations were scheduled as hosts, volunteers would rally together. With the help of a congregation leader with a passion for the program and a talent for working a Sign-Up Genius, an army of volunteers would take on the tasks needed to ready the church for families and make them feel welcomed and cared for. Teams would set up and break down bedrooms; make meals and eat dinner with families; play games with the kids; do laundry; and more. It was a real “it takes a village” kind of experience.

In putting together its most recent 5-year strategic plan, however, Crossley said changing the model for shelter was a decision brought about not only by the pandemic, which forced the homeless prevention program last year to move their families from congregations to hotel rooms “to ensure everyone’s health and safety”, but also in response to focus groups. “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,” Crossley said.

That realization has come on the heels of a successful capital campaign that allowed Family Promise in 2019 to not only pay off its mortgage in full, but establish a building fund to handle future maintenance. The organization bought the 3-bathroom property in 2017 for $950,000. Without mortgage payments, Family Promise’s monthly expenses have been significantly reduced. Thanks to the pandemic, that new “found money” was immediately put to use—for example, the program incurred hotel costs once the churches could no longer host families due to social distancing measures. In addition, Family Promise has begun to help families who need shelter diversion services that would allow them to bypass shelter entry altogether, such as help with moving expenses, or a safe place to stay for a few days until they could move into permanent housing elsewhere.

As Family Promise searches for a shelter site where families will temporarily live, it is possible that the current day center on Mulligan Street in Natick could become a small shelter. It is expected that area congregations will continue to play a major volunteerism role in the program.

 

The Campaign for Change

Family Promise, Natick

 

Family Promise Metrowest’s mission is to transform the lives of families with children facing homelessness by mobilizing a diverse community to provide shelter, education, and comprehensive support. Their May 1st-2nd 2021 Walk for Change—self-guided walks in all of its supporting towns—will raise funds for programming that supports the families on their path to sustainability.

Register here.


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Filed Under: Charity/Fundraising, Community, Volunteering

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