Jennifer Sammons

The Arbella Insurance Foundation and Walmart Take Lead in Sponsoring Interfaith Social Services’ 18th Annual Feed the Hungry Gala

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QUINCY, Mass. – July 14, 2015 — Interfaith Social Services, a multiservice center for South Shore families in need, today announced that the Arbella Insurance Foundation and WalMart have each committed to $25,000 sponsorships of the 18th annual Feed the Hungry Gala. This is the second year in a row both companies have served as the Gala’s Presenting Level sponsors.

“We are incredibly grateful to Arbella Insurance and Walmart for their partnership with Interfaith Social Services as we work together to help local families in need,” said Rick Doane, executive director of Interfaith Social Services. “While last year’s Gala was a record-setting fundraiser to support Interfaith’s programs, we also saw increased demand from our community for food, counseling and emergency assistance. We hope that more local businesses than ever will join with Interfaith, Arbella Insurance Foundation, Walmart, and our other partners as we fight against hunger here on the South Shore. We need everyone’s help in serving our neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet.”

This year’s Feed the Hungry Gala will be held at Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy on Friday, December 4. Proceeds raised at the Gala allow Interfaith Social Services to feed, clothe and comfort more than 20,000 local residents each year through programs that include budget counseling and homelessness prevention, mental health counseling, professional clothing for low-income job seekers, and one of Greater Boston’s largest emergency food pantries.

“We are so proud to support the 18th Annual Feed the Hungry Gala, and to honor Interfaith’s outstanding service to so many of our South Shore neighbors,” said Beverly Tangvik, president of Arbella Insurance Foundation. “As a long-time supporter of Interfaith Social Services, the Foundation is thrilled to offer our support both financially and through our employee volunteers, to do our part to help our neighbors in need.”

“Walmart is proud to support Interfaith Social Services and the incredible work that they do to help families in our communities,” said Chris Buchanan, director, Public Affairs & Government Relations at Walmart. “Working with organizations like Interfaith to end hunger is a priority for Walmart, and we look forward to our continued work with this and other deserving organizations.”

In addition to Arbella Insurance Foundation and Walmart, this year’s Gala sponsors include: JetBlue Getaways, Neighborhood Health Plan, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, Law Offices of George G. Burke, Quincy Mutual Group, The Lombardo Companies, Bin Ends Wine, Boston Beer Company, Granite Links and South Shore Living magazine. Businesses or individuals who are interested in adding their names to this list can visit the Gala website at www.FeedHungryGala.org to learn more about the various sponsorship opportunities that are available.

About Interfaith Social Services
Founded in 1947, Interfaith Social Services is dedicated to improving life for South Shore families and individuals in need. Their unique approach relies on a team of volunteers, donors and community partners to deliver compassionate, client-centered programs focused on hunger, mental health and emergency assistance. Services include a food pantry, one of the largest in Greater Boston; budget counseling and homelessness prevention; community gardening; free professional attire for low-income job seekers and life skills workshops. Other programs include: The New Directions Counseling center, offering mental health counseling for adults, children, couples, and families; and The Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop, operated entirely by volunteers with all sales benefiting Interfaith’s programs. Clothing and food donations from the community are always welcome.

Shop at Whole Foods in South Weymouth on June 30th – Support Interfaith

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The Whole Foods in South Weymouth is donating 5% of the store’s proceeds from June 30th to Interfaith Social Services.

On Tuesday June 30th The Whole Foods in South Weymouth is partnering with Interfaith to help feed our neighbors in need. Whole Foods’ team members are passionate about supporting the local causes that are important to their shoppers and neighbors. Several times a year Whole Foods holds community giving days (otherwise known as “5% Days”) where five percent of that day’s net sales are donated to a local nonprofit, Interfaith is very proud to have been selected as the recipient!

So……

Are you planning a 4th of July party? – stop by the store on the 30th and feed your guests right!

Is your empty refrigerator quietly pleading with you to fill it with some delicious food? – silence that metal box and fill your fridge on the 30th!

Were you planning on donating some food to Interfaith’s food pantry? – buy it from Whole Foods in South Weymouth on Tuesday the 30th and make that donation even more impactful!

There are many reasons to go, whatever motivates you to get there, we are grateful for your support.

Interfaith’s staff members will be at the store from 11:30am-1:30pm and 4:30-6:30pm. Stop by and say hi, then stock on some delicious groceries; or grab some lunch at the store and take it back to the office. Every dollar you spend on Tuesday June 30th at Whole Foods in South Weymouth will support Interfaith as we help to feed, comfort and uplift our neighbors in need here on the South Shore.

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Stock-up for your 4th of July party at Whole Foods in South Weymouth.

Food Pantry Garden

The garden at Interfaith is growinSeedlingsg!  We expect to harvest peas, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers and squash as the summer lazily moves on. Volunteers from Arbella Insurance planted the garden on June 5th with seedlings donated by Keohane Funeral homes. Each summer Keohane Funeral Home, Interfaith Social Services and the Weymouth Food Pantry team up for our Harvest Helpers program. We plant gardens, raise vegetables, distribute them through our food pantries and encourage our community to do the same.

Our garden here at 105 Adams Street in Quincy is a great place to bring your little children to see how their food grows.  Right now the squash have lovely orange blossoms. Stop by often, seeing them transform from leggy green plants to edible food is magical to grown-ups; imagine what it must be like for a child. It is wonderful to offer fresh, locally-grown veggies to our food pantry clients.

We have been able to keep up with watering the garden, thanks to Mother Nature and the wonderful volunteers here at Interfaith, but we will need more folks to help us keep the beds free from weeds and harvest the veggies as the season progresses. The garden is on the right side of our building between 105 Adams and 101 Adams Street. Stop by and check out the garden when you get a chance, or let us know if you would like to help (info@interfaithsocialservices.org), we would love to have you join our team.
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Now Accepting Board Member Nominations

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Board members Jim Thorne and John O’Donnell help assemble a food order for a pantry client during the Board’s In-service day – March 2015.

Interfaith Social Services is now accepting nominations for our board of directors. We will have a few open positions beginning fall 2015.

Founded in 1947, Interfaith Social Services is dedicated to improving life for South Shore families and individuals in need. Our unique approach relies on a team of volunteers, donors and community partners who deliver compassionate, client-centered programs focused on hunger, mental health and emergency assistance.

Here is an overview of how Interfaith has served our community this past year:

  • 152 households avoided homelessness thanks to Interfaith’s HomeSafe program
  • 8,764 bags of clothing were donated to our Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop
  • 2,568 calls for assistance were logged by our mental health counseling center
  • 18,191 hungry individuals were fed through Interfaith’s food pantry, one of the largest emergency food programs in Greater Boston
  • 463,038 lbs. of salvage food was collected from local supermarkets and distributed to hungry South Shore Residents

These efforts, and many others, were made possible by leadership from Interfaith’s board of directors.

We recognize that many people want to use their talents to make a difference in their community. As such, we are looking for a diverse group of applicants with the skills and passion needed to lead one of the South Shore’s oldest nonprofit organizations. Serving on Interfaith’s board of directors gives you the opportunity to be a part of the organization’s management team. Board members are involved in the strategic planning process and determine the organization’s direction for the future.

Expectations for board members:

  • Share a passion and commitment to Interfaith's mission of delivering compassionate, client-centered programs focused on hunger, mental health and emergency assistance.
  • Attend nine board meetings each year held on the 4th Thursday of the month - except for July, August and November.
  • Assist in establishing priorities and ensure that plans and programs are implemented.
  • Board members’ main responsibility is to oversee the operation of the organization.

Qualifications:

  • Individuals who excel with team dynamics
  • Someone who listens well and is thoughtful in considering the various sides to every issue.
  • Desire to serve on committees and pursue further responsibilities on the board.

If you would like to nominate yourself or someone you know please email Interfaith’s executive director Rick Doane (rdoane@interfaithsocialservices.org) and tell us why you are interested. These responses will be forwarded to the board of director’s nominating committee for review. Applicants can expect to hear from a committee member regarding the status of their inquiry before August 31, 2015.

Volunteer profile of the week – Linda Greene of Quincy

Linda and Steve Greene
Linda is one of Interfaith’s dedicated volunteers, serving in both the Food Pantry and Thrift Shop every week. Here she is with her husband Steve as they served food pantry clients together this spring.

Linda Greene has been volunteering at Interfaith Social Services for the past few months. She volunteers on Wednesday of each week in Interfaith’s Food Pantry and our Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop. In the morning she assembles food orders for clients in the food pantry and in the afternoon she sorts, tags and displays donated items in the Thrift Shop. Linda also helped to assemble hundreds of Easter Baskets for Interfaith’s clients this spring.

Linda began volunteering at Interfaith when she saw various newspaper articles detailing the work that Interfaith does in the community. She stopped by their office to ask if she could be of any service.

Linda encourages people to volunteer because she believes that “…we all need to help out people in need.” She loves volunteering so much that she has even brought her mom once or twice as well as her husband, Steve, who helped in the Food Pantry during the Easter season. Even as a first time volunteer Steve felt comfortable and said it was a great experience.

When asked what she likes most about volunteering at Interfaith, Linda responded, “I like to be able to help the community. It’s a nice way to give back, and it’s a comfortable place to be. My favorite experience has been seeing the appreciation of clients.”

When she’s not volunteering or babysitting her two grandchildren, Linda enjoys teaching children as a literacy specialist and she loves to bowl.

Thank you for your service Linda, as well as the hundreds of other amazing volunteers who together donated over 19,000 hours of service at Interfaith last year!

 

Many Hats – Life in a Small Non-Profit

multiple-hatsAt small nonprofit organizations staff members traditionally wear many hats. Such is the case at Interfaith Social Services. Our fundraising person is also our volunteer coordinator. Our executive director is also our IT, HR, and PR person. There is no receptionist, everyone answers the phone. Everyone chips in and does what needs to get done. Most organizations do this because they need to – limited budgets, program constraints, reduced funding, etc. Interfaith, however, does this by choice.

The organization operates with a small number of staff members so that we can make sure as much  funding as possible goes back to our programs. We believe strongly in the principle of stewardship. We are stewards of the donations that we receive, our solemn responsibility is to make sure that the funds are used to help as many people as possible. One unique factor which makes this possible is our  VOLUNTEERS. In 2014 Interfaith’s volunteers donated over 19,000 hours of time serving their neighbors in need through Interfaith’s programs. They make the difference. They are the heart and soul of our organization. Corporate teams, individuals, churches, school kids – these are our volunteers – this is our community. It is inspiring to serve beside them. Their dedication is infectious. Our staff might might wear many hats but the burden is lighter, life is less frantic, because of our volunteers and the support we receive from our community.