Jennifer Sammons

What a night! On Friday December 9, 2016 over 500 guests filled Granite Links’ Ballroom in Quincy Massachusetts to set another fundraising record for Interfaith Social Services. Over $300,000 was raised to provide food, mental health counselling and emergency assistance to South Shore residents in need! Accounting for one-third of Interfaith’s overall annual budget, this Gala is incredibly important to our organization. We couldn’t keep our doors open without the support we receive on this special night each year.

We know that many people wanted to attend the event but were unable to because the Gala sold out. So, for those of you who couldn’t be there in person here is an overview of an evening filled with food, fun, libations and breathtaking generosity.

As guests arrived some were lucky enough to enjoy a ride in courtesy Tesla vehicles which brought people from their cars to the ballroom. After checking in everyone was greeted with a signature cocktail crafted by Boston Harbor Distillery. Then the tastings began…

Chef Ming Cao from Fuji prepared an amazing selection of Japanese makimonorolls. The crew from Island Creek Oysters worked hard all night shucking oysters for guests. Chef Greg Jordan and his team from The Quarry Restaurant & Lounge whipped up a delicious Provencal Cassoulet. Chef Sam Cabral-Curtis from The Corner Stop Eatery made a scrumptious dish of tuna, avocado, cilantro & lime with corn tortilla chips.

Gala attendees were privy to the next big thing opening in Quincy in early 2017. Chef Garner Blume from Belfry Hall prepared Benton’s country ham with homemade biscuits and gravy. Chef Frank Van Overbeeke from iCater gave us all a treat with Mississippi pot roast and smashed potatoes. Our dine-around reception wouldn’t be complete without Chef Paul Wahlberg of Alma Nove. His dishes are always a crowd pleaser.

At the end of the evening Pastry Chef Kate Holowchik from The Townshend whipped up some homemade S’Mores Brownies. Paired with these desserts, the crew from Coffee Break Cafe treated all of the Gala guests to some specialty coffee selections. To top it off, Granite Links served their sinfully decadent gourmet hot chocolate.

This amazing dine-around and dessert receptions were just two of the many festive activities guests enjoyed at this year’s Feed the Hungry Gala. Carnival style games kept everyone competing for fantastic prizes all night. Games included: Wine Ring-toss, Hole-in-One, Polar Pong, Snowball Toss, Giving Tree, 50/50 Raffle and the guest favorite Blinky Light Game.

In between playing games guests rocked out to the musical stylings of the very talented Mark Greel Band. Master Illusionist Darren Yong amazed attendees with his sleight of hand.

Not only did guests enjoy amazing food, games and live entertainment they were treated to an assortment of adult beverages as well. There were two incredible wine tasting stations courtesy of Bin Ends Wine. Spirit tastings were scattered throughout the venue thanks to Bradford Distillery, Bully Boy Distillers and Boston Harbor Distillery. For the nondrinkers, like Interfaith’s executive director Rick Doane, Simpson Spring set up an array of their unique soda samplings from the oldest bottling plant in the United States.

Using BidPal’s technology guests bid on an amazing variety of silent auction packages including signed sports memorabilia, getaways, exclusive experiences and other one of a kind items.  Yes, it is too late to bid on them but at least you can take a peak to see what kinds of packages to expect for next year…when you buy your tickets extra early before they sell out again 🙂

Almost all of the items in our silent and live auctions were donated by local businesses. Please support all of the wonderfully generous businesses who donated. Tell the managers that you heard about them at the Feed the Hungry Gala, show our community that supporting local nonprofits is important to you as a consumer.

Emcee extraordinaire Latoyia Edwards of NECN/NBC Boston did an amazing job guiding guests through the evening’s program. Before the live auction began everyone got an update on Stephanie, a food pantry client who had spoken at last year’s Gala. Click here to see how she is doing today.

After hearing from Stephanie the live auction began. Guests had the opportunity to bid on exclusive theater premiere tickets, a vacation getaway courtesy of JetBlue, a Tesla for the weekend, one of a kind dining experiences, an amazing backyard transformation package and more.

As bidding wound down Latoiya brought Priscilla, a food pantry client, to the stage. Struggling with emotion, Priscilla told her story. She explained how she and her husband John, both in their 40’s, were surprised with a baby son born in September 2015. They had been living paycheck to paycheck when John fractured his elbow. With a baby and medical expenses, groceries were running low and Christmas seemed impossible. That is when Priscilla walked to Interfaith’s offices. She talked about the joy and humility she felt as Interfaith’s volunteers offered her fresh vegetables, diapers, Christmas gifts for her son and more. Priscilla spoke on behalf of the thousands of clients who visit Interfaith every year.

In an amazing display of generosity guests then raised their bid numbers and, in a matter of minutes, donated over $70,000 to help all the families served by Interfaith!

After this emotional outpouring of support Interfaith’s Executive Director Rick Doane recognized another key component of Interfaith’s service model – our volunteers. Last year volunteers gave over 23,000 hours of service within Interfaith’s programs. One volunteer was honored at the Gala as this year’s Community Hero of the Year, Charlene Manning.

Charlene volunteers in Interfaith’s Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop. She serves in the shop almost every day of the week. She is there early in the morning and into the evening, sorting, organizing, planning sales and getting the shop ready for customers. Charlene looks for any opportunity to bring a little joy to the children sitting in our food pantry waiting room. She is constantly thinking about ways that she can support Interfaith’s various programs. The qualification for being selected as the community hero is “one who inspires others through selfless service.” Charlene absolutely embodies that ideal.

If you didn’t know it, Interfaith has best Thrift Shop anywhere! All sales fund our programs. The shop is entirely run by volunteers. Donate to us and shop with us. Stop by and you’re guaranteed to run into Charlene and many of our other amazing volunteers.

After the program many guests danced the night away during the dessert reception. When they finally dragged themselves away from the dance floor, attendees received these awesome gift bags packed with treats from Gala sponsors and friends.

The evening was fantastic, raising more money than any other fundraiser in Interfaith’s history, but it takes a lot of work to make it all happen. Interfaith’s Feed the Hungry Gala committee is an incredible group of local volunteers who show their compassion and dedication by working overtime collecting auction items, sponsorships, organizing volunteers and more. They are amazing!

2016 Feed the Hungry Gala Committee

Want to see more photos from the event? Check out our album on Facebook (photo credit Pierce Harman Photography.)

It takes a team to get the venue ready for the Gala every year. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers from Arbella, they transformed Granite Links Ballroom into a winter wonderland.

Charlene Manning of Quincy will receive Interfaith Social Services Community Hero of the Year award at our Feed the Hungry Gala on Friday December 9^th.

Since 1947 Interfaith Social Services has been a safety net for South Shore families in need. Our programs are focused on hunger, mental health and emergency assistance. Interfaith presents the Community Hero award each year to an individual who inspires others through selfless service.

 “We have an amazing team of volunteers here at Interfaith, they are incredible, but Charlene goes above and beyond the call of duty,” said Rick Doane executive director of Interfaith Social Services. “Our Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop is one of our organization’s most important fundraisers; the entire shop is run by volunteers.  Charlene serves in the shop almost every day of the week. She is there early in the morning and into the evening, sorting, organizing planning sales and getting the shop ready for our customers. She is constantly thinking about ways that she can support Interfaith’s various programs. She truly is a community hero and we are very pleased to honor her with this award.”

Charlene will receive the Community Hero of the Year Award at our Feed the Hungry Gala on Friday December 9, 2016 at Granite Links in Quincy. Interfaith’s Gala is one of the premiere social events for Greater Boston and Massachusetts’ South Shore region. The Gala features carnival-style games, door prizes, entertainment and an amazing variety of live and silent auction packages. Chefs from top South Shore restaurants host a Dine Around experience for guests while local wine and spirits distributors showcase their products. Many surprises and fun giveaways are being planned for this year’s event. All proceeds support Interfaith’s programs.

 Charlene Manning grew up in South Boston, her husband Joe is a retired Quincy Policeman. They raised their two sons in Quincy. For decades she shopped at Interfaith’s Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop before becoming a volunteer at The Shop three years ago. “For me volunteering is a self-serving reward,” said Manning. “Interfaith is one of the few places that I know where I can go and really make a difference in someone’s life, even if it is as small as giving a kid in the food pantry waiting room a stuffed animal.  I feel selfish volunteering because I get so much out of it.”

Click here to purchase tickets to Interfaith’s Feed the Hungry Gala.

Past Community Hero of the Year award recipients include: Ally Donnelly, Jennifer Reale, Cindy Lee, Ed Kelley, Paula Lombardo, Beverly Tangvik, Thomas F. Williams. Esq., Kris Larsen, Matti Lang, Jan Stewart, Mary Ann Walsh, Robert F. Taylor, Margaret Davidson and Andrew Scheele.

Una Armstrong received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Sociology from Emmanuel College in 1984. Following graduation she immediately started working for a software sales company. After working in the field of business for a few years she felt called to a different path. She enrolled at Boston College and earned a Master’s degree in Social Work. After graduation in 1991 she began working as a Case Manager for The State of Massachusetts’ Department of Children and Families. Una’s years of service working in child welfare fostered a deep interest in understanding the relationship between the various systems that serve to strengthen family life.

Una worked for five years as a case manager at the Braintree and Quincy Offices of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates where she was part of the behavioral health care team providing social support services to underserved populations. Una joined the counseling department of Interfaith Social Services’ New Directions Counseling Center in 2004. She provides counseling support to individuals and families dealing with issues of depression, substance abuse and grief.

Kerry MacDonald has a master’s degree from Simmons School of Social Work. She has been a therapist since 2001 and began seeing clients through Interfaith’s New Directions Counseling Center in 2010. Her areas of expertise include: working with adults who are experiencing anxiety and depressive disorders; working with women who are coping with issues surrounding childbirth, infertility, and postpartum depression; helping adults cope and adjust to chronic illness or disability. Her unique specialty of helping clients adapt to blindness and vision loss stems from her own life experience in this area.  Her motto as a therapist is: “Give each client the kind of individual attention and care they need to enable them to be empowered to reach their goals in life.”

Elizabeth Wagner is a licensed mental health counselor with a Master’s Degree in Family Counseling from Eastern Nazarene College.  She has been a counselor at Interfaith Social Services’ New Directions Counseling Center since 1988. Ms. Wagner is also a supervisor of both the YPS Program (Young Parent Support Program) and the Connecting Parents’ Support Program in the Boston office of MSPCC  (Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children).  Ms. Wagner works with adults, adolescents, families and couples.  She has extensive training with the Internal Family Systems method of counseling and also has many years of experience as a Christian counselor.  She currently sees clients on Tuesday evenings only; however, she is willing to set early morning appointments on other days of the week. She was formerly a high school teacher. Ms. Wagner is married with three children and one grandchild.

Clara Sparks has journeyed around the world two times. She reached the Arctic Circle on foot with a 12-person expedition. She has traveled 1,000 miles, by ship, up the Amazon River and organized a trek to Mt. Kilimanjaro. She has lived in India, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Switzerland, and various locales around the United States including Hawaii. She has battled cancer, passed through the pain of losing a spouse and is one of the most positive and upbeat people you’ll ever meet. Clara is a graduate of Boston University (B.S.), Andover Newton Theological School and Boston College Graduate School of Fine and Applied Arts (M. Ed.) with a concentration in pastoral ministry. She is a Board Certified Chaplain in the Association of Professional Chaplains and is ordained in the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches. A lifelong educator Clara has taught children around the world at numerous schools including right here at Quincy’s Middle School. Since 2008 Clara has been working as Interfaith Social Services’ Chaplain.

George Fahey is a licensed independent clinical social worker. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in philosophy from St. John’s Seminary, and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Boston College. George joined the New Direction’s team in 2015. Since 2004, George has also worked as a therapist and social worker with the Charms Educational Collaborative in Stoughton. This has involved meeting with adolescents and their families over issues that might be impeding their education such as autism, non-verbal learning disabilities, or emotional dysregulation. From 1975 until 2004, he was a school adjustment counselor at Norwood High School and from 1970-75 served in a similar capacity at Waltham High. George was a therapist at Boston Psychiatric Associates from 1970-76 and at George Hyland Associates from 1976-83. He integrated therapy with sports and games during his time employed by the Cutler Clinic Gym from 1989-2003. Before his career as a therapist George was a sports broadcaster at WCAS radio station, and he played baseball in the Boston Park League for 2 years in the 1960s. George is a Dorchester native but has called Quincy home for the past four decades. He is a proud husband, father and grandfather. George enjoys sports, particularly baseball and hockey. He loves to read and enjoys caring for his two dogs: Tony, a Keeshond, and Clifford, a Daschund.

Barbara Goodman joined the counseling staff at New Directions Counseling Center in 2002.  She earned her Masters of Education in Counseling Psychology at Cambridge College.  Barbara works with children, adolescents, and adults covering a broad spectrum of issues including self-esteem, bullying, peer pressures, parenting, trauma, abuse, loss and bereavement, depression, and anxiety.  Barbara uses a variety of treatment options such as strength based and cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, mindfulness and meditation, and Christian counseling. She volunteered for many years with Boston Medical Center’s Good Grief program, a program designed to assist families dealing with the loss of a loved one. This required extensive training in dealing with loss and grief. Additionally, Barbara has helped facilitate discussion groups at Senior Centers on a wide range of topics such as holiday stress, maintaining independence, and the mental health benefits of reminiscing. Barbara has a gentle, empathic approach which enables her to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds. She is an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys many outdoor activities, she also studies Tai Chi.

Anne Donovan has worked at Interfaith Social Services’ New Directions counseling since 2006. Anne is a licensed (LADC1) and certified (CADC) alcohol and drug abuse counselor with 30 years of experience. From 1989-1994 she completed the Alcohol/Chemical Dependency Program at UMASS Boston and the Project for Addiction Counseling Training (PACT) while working for Volunteers of America’s Project Rebound, an adolescent long-term treatment facility. During her time with the Boston Health Commission (1994-2008), Anne served homeless men and women who were affected by multiple challenges, including chemical addictions, mental health issues, HIV, extensive legal histories, and racial and sexual discrimination. From 2001 to 2010, Anne facilitated a bereavement support group in Quincy. She both volunteered and worked as a clinician at Maria Droste Services in Quincy from 2004-2007. From 2008-2011 Anne worked as the substance abuse/relapse prevention clinician at South Shore Mental Health’s Quitting Time, an Intensive Outpatient Program.

Anne has facilitated group therapy sessions focused on: Adult Children of Alcoholics, women’s issues, prescription medication misuse, and abuse among seniors. She has facilitated Interfaith Social Services’ Learning Pantry program for three years, educating food pantry clients about substance abuse, mental health, and other issues.

Her favorite quote guides her warm, empathetic approach to counseling and her desire to instill hope that clients can make change and heal: “There is no shame with addiction; the shame is not doing anything about it.”

Anne’s clients work with the Twelve Step Philosophy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Reality Therapy. Anne is comfortable doing Christian counseling and understands the connection between feelings, addiction, and the co-occurring disorders of PTSD, depression, anxiety, trauma, and other mental health issues. Addiction affects people on multiple levels: physically, mentally, and spiritually. Anne believes there is a way out and believes in the freedom of a new beginning.

 

Maureen Richardson is a Registered Nurse and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Maureen has been working at Interfaith Social Services’ New Directions Counseling Center since 2004. She will be the first to tell you that in her long and varied career, Interfaith is the most wonderful place she has ever worked. Although it is a nonprofit organization, it feels to her like a supportive, caring family. She very much enjoys and admires her colleagues in the Counselling Department as well as Interfaith’s other staff members and the amazing volunteers.

Maureen began her career when she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Niagara University. She practiced nursing both as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse as well as an Emergency Care nurse for about ten years. In 1981, Maureen began working as a Psychiatric nurse at various hospitals in the Boston area. During that time, she was privileged to work on the Affective Disorders Research Unit at New England Deaconess Hospital. Later, she was a member of the team that set up the Trauma Unit at Westwood Lodge Hospital. She studied Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) with Diana Dill, Ed.D and worked on a CBT Unit at Westwood Lodge. Additionally, she studied and completed a program in Somatic Reeducation with Joel Ziff, Ed.D as well as the MindBody Work Program for Clinicians under Herbert Benson, M.D. In 1992, Maureen received her Masters of Education in Counseling Psychology from Cambridge College. Her thesis was ‘The impact of trauma on the Clinician’.

Maureen went on to work as the Program Director for the Adult Partial Hospital Program at the Arbour Hospital in Jamaica Plain, later as a member of the Arbour Outpatient Counseling Department. In 2004, she began working as a therapist at Interfaith Social Services’ New Directions Counseling Center, while also working part-time as a counselor at Bay State Community Services.

Maureen’s clinical focus has been spent helping others recover from Trauma. She is certified as an Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist. Her primary focus is with adults suffering from trauma, anxiety, panic, and depression. In addition, she helps clients to develop their coping skills using the Tapping (Emotional Freedom) technique.

Maureen is married and has two grown children and two granddaughters. She enjoys the ocean, films, reading, and music. She lives with her husband and their puppy on Boston’s South Shore. One of her favorite quotes is from Mother Teresa: “Do small things with great love.”