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Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we are especially grateful for YOU.

A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER

It has been an incredibly tough year for everyone. Here at Interfaith Social Services we just wrapped up our annual Thanksgiving distribution.

Last year we handed out about 900 Thanksgiving meal packages to our food pantry clients. This year we had close to 1,500 families sign up to receive holiday meal packages. The amount of need in our community is ASTOUNDING.

A THANKSGIVING MIRACLE

On Saturday, we were prepared to distribute more than 1,000 meal packages. Logistical issues caused a severe delay, leaving us empty handed with hundreds of families lined up waiting. Traffic stretched for blocks as we scrambled to find ways to assist each family.

Our director, Rick Doane, put out a plea for prayers and assistance on social media and our supporters came through in a big way. Within the hour, volunteers and donors arrived with turkeys, gift cards and monetary donations.

Just like Interfaith is there for people in their time of need, YOU were there for us on Saturday. It was nothing short of amazing. Thank you!

Several media outlets covered our plight!
Read all about it:

Boston Herald
Boston Globe
NBC 10 Boston
Hingham Anchor

NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS

The generosity continued Sunday as dozens of churches, organizations and individuals brought thousands of pounds of nonperishables, diapers and personal care items to Interfaith for our Fall Food Drive. The items collected at this annual drive help keep our food pantry shelves stocked through the next few months – the busiest time of year for our pantry.

We worried that the food drive would be significantly smaller this year, since many houses of worship and businesses are no longer meeting in person. But our community came through for us once again and we are ever so grateful.

THANK YOU

We hope you are able to relax a little this weekend and enjoy some time with those you are thankful for (even if it has to be virtual!). We cannot express how grateful we are for your support – this weekend, this year and always. We can’t provide our programs without all you and this community do for us.

Happy Thanksgiving from the team at Interfaith!

Thank you volunteers for putting in extra hours during this busy period!

Thank you Quincycles for organizing your annual Cranksgiving food donation!

Our shelves are replenished!

Weekly volunteer shifts are open now in our Food Pantry and Thrift Shop!

All volunteers must be able to commit to one 3-hour volunteer shift per week and be 16 years of age or older.

Food Pantry Volunteering

If you can commit to a weekly shift in our food pantry, please fill out this questionnaire. PLEASE NOTE: This form is to collect info only. If you are selected to fill one of our shifts, we will reach out to you.

One of Greater Boston’s largest food pantries, Interfaith Social Services’ Pantry Shelf has been providing emergency food to families and individuals since 1975. Last year volunteers distributed more than 800,000 pounds of food to hungry families.

Food Pantry job descriptions and responsibilities:

Morning Pantry shift (9:15am – 12:30pm):
A crew of 9 pantry volunteers are tasked with checking in clients outside while clients stay in their cars, bagging groceries and bringing groceries out to clients’ cars.

Afternoon Pantry inventory shift (noon-3pm):
A crew of 4-5 inventory volunteers are tasked with unloading our food pick-up truck, re-stocking pantry shelves, fridges and freezers and maintaining general cleanliness of pantry. Heavy lifting is required.

Take our Food Pantry Volunteer Recruitment Questionnaire

Thrift Shop Volunteering

If you can commit to a weekly shift in our shop, please fill out this questionnaire. PLEASE NOTE: This form is to collect info only. If you are selected to fill one of our shifts, we will reach out to you.

Our Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop is an important fundraising source for Interfaith. It is our second largest fundraiser, typically bringing in more than $100,000 per year to support our food pantry, mental health counseling center and homelessness prevention program.

Thrift Shop job descriptions and responsibilities:

Morning Shop inventory shift (10am – noon):
A crew of 3 volunteers will organize the shop, moving inventory from the sorting room to be put on the racks and shelves in order to get the shop ready for opening at 12:30. This crew will also be accepting incoming shop donations and helping to sort and organize as needed. Heavy lifting is required.

Afternoon Shop shift (12:15pm – 3:30pm):
A crew of 3 volunteers will staff the shop. One volunteer will be assigned to standing at the front entrance greeting customers and ensure that there are only 5 shoppers at a time in the store (these are the current COVID19 safety guidelines). One volunteer will assume the role of cashier, processing sale transactions with our customers. One volunteer will oversee the checkout line, be back-up to the cashier and help with accepting and sorting donations as needed.

Take our Thrift Shop Volunteer Recruitment Questionnaire

Interfaith’s volunteers are not only the heart and soul of our organization, they are our superheroes!

We are getting excited about reopening our Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop!! The Shop is an important funding source for Interfaith. It is our second largest fundraiser, bringing in more than $100,000 per year to support our food pantry, mental health counseling center and homelessness prevention program. Because of the pandemic we had to close shop on March 16. However, Governor Baker has now given the green light for retail to reopen, which includes the Shop. 

We are reopening SOON. That means we need volunteers! The Shop is 100% volunteer run, and without those positions filled, we are unable to open our doors.

We are looking for people who can commit to a regular, weekly volunteer shift. If you can commit, please read the job descriptions below and then click the link below to fill in your first and last name in the weekly slot that works for your schedule.

See below for job descriptions for each shift. THANK YOU!

 SIGN UP HERE FOR A WEEKLY SHOP VOLUNTEER SHIFT: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepOhoWWMl5emcMd6Bn4mvptbqg9zxcBf4yD3FGRFI3i7b98A/viewform?usp=sf_link

Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop – Volunteer shifts and responsibilities

 Morning Shop Inventory shift (9:30am – 12:00pm Mon- Fri): A crew of 3 volunteers will organize the shop, move inventory from the sorting room, put it on the racks and shelves, and get the shop ready for the afternoon. They will get in-season inventory from under the stairs and put it on the racks. This crew of volunteers will not be interacting with the public, however a crew of food pantry volunteers will be in the building distributing food to clients at the same time.  You must have the ability to be on your feet for the duration of the shift, climb up and down stairs and be able to lift up to 30 lbs.

Afternoon Shop shift (12:15pm – 3:30pm Mon- Fri): A crew of 3 volunteers will staff the shop. One volunteer will stand at the front entrance greeting customers and ensure that there are only 5 shoppers at a time in the store. They will also pay attention to approximately how long a customer has been in the store. One volunteer will run the register. One volunteer will oversee the checkout line – queuing people up in the back stairway if needed as they wait to checkout. This person will also be available to help customers as needed. You must have the ability to be on your feet for the duration of the shift.

Late Afternoon Shop shift (3:30pm- 7:00pm on Tues): A crew of 3 volunteers will staff the shop for our late evening on Tuesdays. One volunteer will stand at the front entrance greeting customers and ensure that there are only 5 shoppers at a time in the store. They will also pay attention to approximately how long a customer has been in the store. One volunteer will run the register. One volunteer will oversee the checkout line – queuing people up in the back stairway if needed as they wait to checkout. This person will also be available to help customers as needed. You must have the ability to be on your feet for the duration of the shift

Questions about volunteering? Contact Paula Daniels at pdaniels@interfaithsocialservices.org.

The therapists in our New Directions Counseling Center have shared the following resources about caring for your mental health during this public health crisis.

If you are in need of a counselor at this time, please reach out. We are accepting new clients and our therapists are conducting sessions over the phone. Please call 617-773-6203 ext. 12 to schedule an appointment.

General Resources

Coronavirus Anxiety: Coping with Stress, Fear and Worry
Fears about COVID-19 can take an emotional toll, especially if you’re already living with an anxiety disorder. But you’re not powerless. These tips can help you get through this stressful time. (HelpGuide)

‘There’s no wrong way to feel’: The grief of the coronavirus pandemic
Some have noticed that life during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused them to feel some sort of way. Maybe thinking about visiting the gym causes a profound sense of longing. A song from high school sparks an intense pang of nostalgia. The cancellation of a relative’s high school graduation triggers sobbing. What is that feeling the pandemic is causing?.. (Today)

Coping with the coronavirus pandemic for people with anxiety disorders
These days, we all have to accept the anxiety inherent in living in the time of the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19. If there was a way to dispel all anxious feelings, I’d tell you, but there isn’t. The one exception might be someone who could summon such a degree of denial that they carry on as if everything was normal. And that, as I’m sure you can see, would prove to be very, very unwise… (Harvard Health Publishing)

Five Ways to View Coverage of the Coronavirus
New reports about COVID-19 are becoming more widespread and are making some people anxious. Here are some tips to help you manage your anxiety, put news reports in perspective and maintain a positive outlook… (American Psychological Association)

Coronavirus self-isolation: a psychologist explains how to avoid cabin fever
People who suspect they may have come into contact with the coronavirus are being advised to self-isolate (stay at home) for 14 days. For some people, the idea of self-isolation may seem like a dream come true. For others, the idea of being cut off from the outside world, alone or with only a few close family members, will fill them with dread – ask any parent who has had to entertain two small children at home on a wet afternoon…

Caring for Your Mental Health Despite the Coronavirus
A virus that has spread across the globe, coupled with breaking news accessible to us at any time, has made many of us worried. It can be hard to stay calm when there is fear and unease in the media, stories of self-quarantines, and shortages of sanitizing products. Many people are feeling anxious, even if they rarely experience anxiety… (McLean Hospital)

Coping With Coronavirus: Managing Stress, Fear, and Anxiety
These are confusing, stressful times for all of us. As the coronavirus pandemic affects numerous facets of our society, it also impacts each person in different ways. The disruptions to daily life are already being felt by many, my family included—my son has been sent home from college, my place of worship has closed, and the comforting social gatherings that usually fill my weekends are off-limits. We are all feeling uncertain about what could happen in the coming weeks, as we hope to slow the spread of this pandemic. Feelings of anxiety and uncertainty are completely normal during times like this… (National Institute of Mental Health)

Five Ways to View Coverage of the Coronavirus
New reports about COVID-19 are becoming more widespread and are making some people anxious. Here are some tips to help you manage your anxiety, put news reports in perspective and maintain a positive outlook… (American Psychological Association)

How to Manage Anxiety During a Pandemic
Anxiety is so idiosyncratic that it’s difficult to pinpoint a “type” that’s most common. For some, it might feel like vines of dread roping themselves around you the night before a big work deadline, or maybe like a creeping cloud of unease that settles in during your morning commute. Maybe you cope by taking prescribed medication or going for a run; maybe you’ve gotten suspiciously into baking bread… (Vox)

Mental Health Wellness Tips for Quarantine
After having thirty-one sessions this week with patients where the singular focus was COVID-19 and how to cope, I decided to consolidate my advice and make a list that I hope is helpful to all.  I can’t control a lot of what is going on right now, but I can contribute this… (Simon Fraser University)

Resources for Children

Stress, Resilience, and the Role of Science: Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has the capacity to affect every person in the world—and how each individual responds can potentially affect everyone else. In addition to the efforts of courageous health care providers, first responders, and a wide range of workers providing other vital services, countless numbers of selfless individuals are leaping into action to meet the rapidly changing needs of people most affected by the economic, social, and health impacts of this crisis… (Center on the Developing Child – Harvard University)

What to Say to Help Kids Feel Calm When the World Feels Fragile
When their days come with spikes, our children will turn to us. We won’t always be able to fix the breakages, but we don’t need to. We don’t need to do very much at all. As the important adult in their world, you have a profound capacity to soften the sharp edges and bring their world back to safe enough… (Hey Sigmund)

The Child Mind Institute
This independent, national nonprofit is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. They are holding twice daily Facebook Live video chats with clinicians, daily social media posts on parenting, and houses media interviews with experts on COVID-19.

Boston University’s Children’s Center
BU has assembled a “Parenting During the Pandemic” website, offering parenting resources, at-home activities and guidance on talking to your children about the coronavirus.

Trinka and Sam: Fighting the Big Virus
A children’s picture book, intended to help young children and families talk about COVID-19 and the need to shelter in place. Available as a free download with an optional companion guide… (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)

How to Help Teens Shelter in Place
Parents everywhere are struggling to get their teenagers and college students to “shelter-in-place.” Teens are not made for isolation, which makes COVID-19 especially hard on them—and it makes them difficult to control… (Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley)

Resources for Those in Recovery

New England Region of Narcotics Anonymous Virtual Meetings List

Online AA Meetings Directory

Due to public health concerns surrounding coronavirus and recommendations against large gatherings, we’ve made the decision to postpone our annual Stop the Stigma 5K, which was originally scheduled for May 2, 2020. Please see the letter below from our race director:

Dear friends,

Today, I write to you not only as the Stop the Stigma 5K Race Director, but also as a fellow runner and someone who struggles with anxiety. The Stop the Stigma 5K is near and dear to my heart. Every year, I look forward to planning this event and seeing hundreds of people show up on that beautiful spring day to run in support of mental health. So today, it breaks my heart to let you know that because the current coronavirus crisis, we must postpone it. And I wish I could tell you the exact date that we can all get together in solidarity and run (or walk) for our loved ones who are suffering. But I can’t. The reality is we do not know when it will be safe to gather again.

Yesterday, I went for a long run. I needed it to work through what I have been feeling and to try to feel hopeful. I am struggling to make sense of this all, with mounting anxiety about what this means going forward. And during my run I thought about what I was going to say in this email. I know we cannot control much right now. We are in the “long run” of our lives right now. It may not be as soon as we would like, but we can stay hopeful that we will be able to gather again to stop the stigma. Just like during any long run, if you take it one mile at a time and stay positive, you will get through it and it will feel rewarding in the end.

Since we changed the focus of this event several years ago to stop the stigma of mental illness and addiction and to raise funds for our New Directions Counseling Center, the community support around this has been awe-inspiring. We have raised $186,000 to provide counseling sessions to those that are uninsured or cannot afford their high co-pays or deductibles (close to 7,500 counseling sessions!). This event has truly saved lives. But there is still much work to be done. There are still so many of our friends, family and neighbors that suffer in silence or suffer because they cannot afford the help they so desperately need. And this current state of affairs is only going to exacerbate fears and anxieties. However, our New Directions therapists are there to help. They are currently taking protective measures and conducting counseling sessions over the phone.

We need your continued support to meet the demand that is and will be put on our therapists. This year we have raised $36,000 for the Stop the Stigma 5K through generous sponsorships, donations and your registration fees. We were on the trajectory to make this a record-breaking year. Help us keep that momentum going to reach our goal of $55,000. Please donate.

On May 2, go for a run or a walk and share it with us! As soon as we know when we can all get together again in celebration, we will be shouting it from the roof tops. Until then, please stay safe and stay well.

Take care,

Paula Daniels
Director of Development ~ Interfaith Social Services

We’re in need of reusable bags for the food pantry

As Quincy moves to eliminate single-use plastic bags at retailers, we are seeking donations of reusable bags for use the food pantry.

Interfaith distributes more than 50,000 bags of groceries each year, and that adds up to a lot of plastic and paper bags!

Since the Fall, we’ve been encouraging food pantry clients to bring reusable bags on each visit, enticing those who do with a monthly raffle for a grocery store gift card.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the funds to purchase reusable bags for our clients. We hope that local business and organizations will consider donating their extra promotional bags so that we can go plastic and paper bag free in our food pantry.

Businesses and individuals are encouraged to donate bags during our business hours, Monday-Friday, 9am-3:30pm and until 7pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Smaller amounts of bags can be delivered off-hours to the donation bin around back of the building, at 105 Adams St. in Quincy.

Questions about the food pantry or our reusable bag initiative? Contact Executive Director Rick Doane at rdoane@interfaithsocialservices.org or 617-773-6203 ext. 17.