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Interfaith has received a $50,000 grant from the Boston Foundation’s Safety Net Grants program, which supports social service organizations meeting the essential needs of vulnerable communities and people in Greater Boston, with a priority on the cities of Boston, Chelsea, Lynn, Salem and Randolph.

“Randolph is one of the communities that utilizes our services the most,” said Interfaith’s Executive Director Rick Doane. “Last year our food pantry distributed more than 78,000 pounds of food to Randolph residents. This grant will allow us to serve the increasing number of people from Randolph, and greater Boston, in need of assistance. We are very grateful for the Boston Foundation’s investment in our community.”

For the past 75 years, Interfaith Social Services has been providing South Shore families and individuals in need with food, mental health counseling, homelessness prevention services and initiatives that bring joy to children.

“For decades, Interfaith Social Services has provided critically-needed food, rental assistance, mental health and other services to thousands of people in Quincy and the South Shore,” said Orlando Watkins, Vice President and Chief Program Officer at the Boston Foundation. “As a community-based, collaborative, volunteer-driven organization, they provide a platform for creating a more equitable, stronger community for all South Shore residents.”

Funds for this Safety Net grant come from the Boston Foundation’s Fund for Boston’s Future, an endowed pool of funds built over more than a century by generous contributors who want to help the Greater Boston community thrive. Each year, the Boston Foundation distributes more than $15 million in discretionary grants and other resources from the Fund, which are largely awarded through a competitive process open to nonprofits serving the Foundation’s catchment area, stewarded by the Foundation’s Program Department staff and approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Superheroes, princesses and zombies were back at Interfaith last weekend, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. We invited children served by our food pantry to a Halloween Costume Distribution event on Saturday, October 15, and each child was able to select a brand-new Halloween costume at no cost.

For local families having trouble putting food on the table, “extras” such as Halloween costumes can seem out of reach. Our seasonal initiatives, like the Halloween distribution and Help for the Holidays gift program, help ease these costs for South Shore families in need and bring joy to children in difficult situations.

Generous individuals and businesses donated hundreds of new Halloween costumes through our Halloween Drive. We’d like to thank O’Connor & Drew, P.C., Have a Sammi Kinda Day, Dan Minton and the Quincy Police Department, Emergent BioSolutions and DanceWorks for running costume drives at their businesses and organizations. DPS Insurance Group donated a tent for the event and Stop & Shop donated hundreds of sugar pumpkins for the children to take home.

Dozens of volunteers helped sort incoming donations, prepare for the event, and assisted clients during the costume distribution, including corporate volunteer groups from IntelyCare, Peapod Digital Labs, Retail Business Services, and SIGNET Electronic Systems. THANK YOU!

A big thank you to the Patriot Ledger and WBZ for the wonderful media coverage of the event!

For more information about Interfaith’s holiday initiatives, please contact Seasonal Program Coordinator Natalie McMenamin at natalie@interfaithsocialservices.org.

Enjoy some of our favorite photos from the event, by Gary Higgins Photography:

After having to scale back our Halloween program for the past two years due to the pandemic, we’re excited to start up the Halloween Costume Drive again!

Each year in mid-October, we invite our food pantry client families with young children to a special day of “shopping” where their children can choose a Halloween costume. The programs gives families experiencing hardships a bit of normalcy, allowing their children to enjoy trick-or-treating and other Halloween activities with their peers.

HOW TO HELP

We need your help to ensure that we will have enough costumes to provide one for every child aged 12 and under. Donations of new costumes and accessories can be dropped off at our building, located at 105 Adams St., Quincy, Monday-Friday, 12:30-3:30pm, and until 7pm on Tuesdays.

Costumes can also be purchased from our online Amazon Wish List and shipped directly to Interfaith. Monetary donations are also welcome. More information about both options can be found at https://interfaithsocialservices.org/halloween.

Costume donations need to be received by Friday, Oct. 7. Questions about the program can be directed to Seasonal Program Coordinator Natalie McMenamin at natalie@interfaithsocialservices.org or 617-773-6203, ext. 26.

More than 900 local students received free backpacks and school supplies thanks to you!

Backpack Drive

We distributed backpacks filled with school supplies to our food pantry clients with school-age children during the month of August to lighten the burden of back-to-school expenses for South Shore families in need.

THANK YOU to the generous donors and local businesses who provided backpacks and school supplies for more than 700 children whose families utilize our programs. Another 200 backpacks filled with supplies went to Quincy Public Schools to be distributed to children that may need them.

“We’ve seen prices going up on just about everything,” said Natalie McMenamin, Interfaith’s Seasonal Project Coordinator. “Our food pantry clients are really struggling with the rising costs of food and other necessities. It’s wonderful to be able to help them with some of these back-to-school expenses. It’s our hope that all the children we serve will start the school year prepared and that their parents have one less thing to worry about.”

The Backpack Drive is made possible through the support of many individuals, businesses and organizations who donate backpacks, supplies and monetary contributions during the summer. Several local businesses and organizations supported the program this year with donations of backpacks and supplies, including Arbella Insurance, Black Rock Country Club Women’s Golf, the Braintree Council Knights of Columbus, Coastal Heritage Bank,  First Church of Squantum, First Congregational Church Randolph, FoxRock Properties, Hingham Congregational Church, and Paige Landscape Company.

Volunteer groups, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, South Shore Bank, and SIGNET Electronics Systems, helped sort incoming donations and fill backpacks with notebooks, pens, pencils, markers and other supplies.

THANK YOU!

Volunteers are the heart and soul of Interfaith Social Services’ programs! Each summer, we dedicate an evening to honor and celebrate all of our amazing volunteers.

At the Annual Volunteer Appreciation Night on August 2, 100 of Interfaith’s volunteers gathered at the Quincy Masonic Building to enjoy dinner, trivia and camaraderie. In addition, 17 volunteers were inducted into the Matti Lang Volunteer Hall of Fame. This honor is bestowed upon those who have served at Interfaith regularly for at least one year. The Hall of Fame is named after one of Interfaith’s most dedicated volunteers, Matti Lang, who gave decades of his life selflessly serving Interfaith’s clients. Interfaith considers all of its volunteers its heroes – they make sure that none of our neighbors in need go hungry or lose hope.

This year’s inductees:

Tricia Bertucci
Susan Bill
William Blackmer
Bernadette Connolly
Connie Corcoran
Therese Dolbec
Alan Howarth
Helen Irvin
Cathy Kennedy
Mary Kerrigan
Gene Lee
Heather Nolasco
Ann O’Brien
Jill Rupple
Debbie Stadnicki
Liz Tangusso
Jan Whalen

PARTNER OF THE YEAR

In addition to the Hall of Fame induction, Interfaith also honored our 2022 Community Partner of the Year, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. This award honors businesses or organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to volunteerism.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has been a loyal corporate partner of Interfaith since 2014. Blue Crew volunteers have donated more than 1,000 volunteer hours to Interfaith over the past eight years. In addition to sending monthly volunteer teams to Interfaith’s food pantry, Blue Cross has sponsored and participated in the annual Stop the Stigma 5K and Interfaith’s annual Feed the Hungry Gala. They’ve donated towards Interfaith’s seasonal programs and organized food and clothing drives.

During the critical pandemic period, when Interfaith’s client numbers continued to rise, Blue Cross also provided more than 10,000 meal kit packages for Interfaith’s food pantry. With a large percentage of their employees working from home due to the pandemic, Blue Cross brought back furloughed cafeteria staff to prepare hundreds of meal kits per day to donate to community members in need.

“We thank Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts for cultivating the philosophy of giving and service in their offices,” said Paula Daniels, Interfaith’s Director of Development. “We are deeply grateful for the time and service their hard-working teams have given to us.”

Several Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts employees attended the volunteer appreciation event and Pauline Murnin, Blue Cross Civic Engagement Manager, accepted the award on behalf of Blue Cross.

“Blue Cross is committed to creating more equitable, just and healthy communities,” said Jeff Bellows, vice president of corporate citizenship and public affairs. “We’re proud to partner with Interfaith Social Services and to engage our employees in supporting their vital work in the Quincy community.  We’re humbled to be recognized as the Partner of the Year and look forward to many more opportunities to work together to ensure community members have access to the resources necessary to support healthy lifestyles.”

VOLUNTEER WITH US!

Volunteers at Interfaith Social Services commit to a three-hour shift per week. Shifts are available Monday-Friday, between 9:30am and 7pm. Opportunities include working in the Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop, assisting in food rescue operations, filling orders for clients in the food pantry, staffing the front desk, and stocking and inventorying the pantry.

Those interested in volunteering at Interfaith Social Services are encouraged to contact Paula Daniels at 617-773-6203 ext. 28 or pdaniels@interfaithsocialservices.org.

MORE PHOTOS

We are seeking fun, unique items and experiences to include in our December Feed the Hungry Gala auction! This event is Interfaith Social Services premier fundraising event, bringing in a significant portion of the funds needed to run our emergency food, mental health counseling and homelessness prevention programs.

Can you help us secure auction items? Examples of what we’re looking for include:

• Tickets to sporting events
• Stays at vacation homes
• Fine wine or liquors
• Unique experiences such as hot air ballooning, race car driving, travel, etc.
• Interesting classes – can you teach someone a skill you may have? Cooking, fly fishing, etc.
• Donated airline miles
• Gift cards – any amount to any location!

Your donation will result in bringing in critical funds for our programs. Please contact our Gala committee auction chair Jennifer Sammons at jsammons@interfaithsocialservices.org for more information or to donate an item.

A big thank you to  Scavenger Hunts by Let’s Roam and Adventures from Scratch for their recent donations to our silent auction!