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Hundreds of kids select Halloween costumes thanks to your donations

Girls in Halloween Costumes

Trick or Treat! Thanks to the amazing outpouring of generosity from our community, the children we serve in our food pantry will get to shout out these three words as they knock on doors tonight hoping to fill their little bags with tasty treats.

On Saturday, October 19, Interfaith’s staff and volunteers distributed costumes to more than 250 children whose parents are struggling to keep food on the table. For many of them, the extra expense of a Halloween costume is considered a luxury they just cannot afford. Because of the kind donations from our community, these children will be able to dress up and celebrate the Halloween festivities just like their peers.

The support for our Halloween Costume Drive over the last six weeks from individuals and community groups has been overwhelming. Hundreds of costumes were dropped off here during the drive. Thank you to Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, East Coast Printing, FoxRock Properties, Signet Electronics, and St. Joseph Church for their wonderful costume donations. And a very special thank you to Stop & Shop! They not only donated costumes, they also gave us 250 sugar pumpkins and enough candy to fill 250 goody bags for each child that attended the event.

Thank you Milton Girl Scout Troop 76176!
This amazing group of girls and their troop leaders assembled 250 goody bags. They even donated candy and Halloween-themed tattoos, rings and glow sticks to go in the bags. Thank you Girl Scouts!

Thank you to our Halloween Costume distribution “dream team” of volunteers who gave us hours of their time assisting the children we serve in finding the perfect costume.

Volunteers from the Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop set up our “spooky wall” photo backdrop. Before heading out with smiles on their faces and treat bags in hand, the kids were able to try on their costumes and take a photo. Thank you so much!

The Patriot Ledger sent a reporter and photographer to the event and we thank them for their wonderful coverage. Read the article here.

Thank you Gary Higgins Photography for capturing all of the precious moments from the event. Check out more photos on our Facebook page.

One of the children knocking on your door this evening might just be wearing a costume that you donated. Happy haunting!

Brett Dixon – New Directions Counseling Center Therapist

Brett

Brett Dixon earned his B.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Salve Regina University and his M.A. in Clinical Mental Health at Lesley University. Brett works with clients of all ages and specializes in depression, anxiety, PTSD, grief and substance abuse. Brett has experience working with children in both hospital and community settings and with adults with dual diagnosis who are currently experiencing homelessness.

Brett utilizes a holistic and client centered approach to counseling, often combining mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy, existential therapy and narrative therapy to help clients better understand their symptoms and find an individualized and meaningful approach to healing. He believes that healing develops through building positive relationships and works to create a safe, comfortable and open environment for all his clients (He also doesn’t mind sharing a good laugh or talking about the Red Sox either).

In addition to counseling, Brett is also trained as a mediator, has served as a meditation coach and is a published writer.

Caitlin Kaake – New Directions Counseling Center Therapist

Caitlin

Caitlin joined the counseling staff at New Directions Counseling Center in 2019. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and Religion at Amherst College, and her M.A. in Counseling from Northwestern University. Caitlin works with clients of all ages dealing with issues that include depression, anxiety, OCD, low self-esteem, social anxiety, grief, perfectionism, and miscarriage/infertility. She utilizes an integrative approach, drawing from cognitive-behavioral, strengths-based, narrative, and play therapy, always with a focus on helping clients understand their symptoms in the larger context of their lives. Caitlin also uses Christian counseling for those who want to include their Christian faith in their therapy. Her focus is on creating a comfortable space for clients to be themselves, have their thoughts and feelings respected, and feel fully involved in the treatment process. She believes that humor makes life better, that children’s books are for adults too, and that both are best enjoyed with good people and good tea.

We did it! Capital campaign fully funded

Interfaith Staff Photo
Our new larger-capacity refrigerated truck.

We’re excited to announce that our 2018 Capital Campaign has been fully funded!

Our generous donors contributed more than $165,000 to help us expand capacity in the food pantry and New Directions Counseling Center.

In the past decade, the number of food pantry clients we’ve seen in need of food assistance has climbed from 10,000 per year to more than 23,000. In the same time period, the New Directions Counseling Center went from providing 1,900 counseling sessions to more than 2,500 sessions per year. As programs have expanded, the need for facility improvements became apparent.

Funds will be allocated to:

  • A Walk-In Freezer – an energy-efficient walk-in freezer will replace a set of aging and inefficient freezers, cutting energy bills and doubling storage space for frozen meats and foods.
  • A New Food Pantry Truck – we’ve purchased a larger capacity refrigerated truck that doubles the amount of food we can rescue at local grocery stores. It also decreases the number of rescue trips needed, saving time and gas.
  • Office Reconfiguration – counseling offices will be soundproofed and moved to avoid distractions from the food pantry. Two larger offices will be divided to create more unique spaces for therapy sessions.
  • Facilities Improvements – flooring will be replaced in high traffic areas, light fixtures will be switched out with energy efficient fixtures, and adjustments will be made to the lobby to improve accessibility and flow.

HarborOne Bank President Joe Casey (right) presents Interfaith’s Executive Director Rick Doane with a $30,000 grant from the HarborOne Foundation for a new walk-in freezer in the food pantry.

Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation presented a $25,000 partnership grant to Interfaith Social Services for their 2018 Capital Campaign. Eastern Bank, America’s oldest and largest mutual bank, gives 10 percent of its net income to charity each year. Shown here, left to right, Eastern Bank Senior Vice President Don Uvanitte, Eastern Bank Branch Managers Donna Kelble and Terry Bellotti-Palmieri, and Interfaith Executive Director Rick Doane.

Jonathan Tetrault, left, Senior Director of Distribution Services at Greater Boston Food Bank, presented Interfaith with a $25,000 check in January to help us purchase a new larger, refrigerated food rescue truck.
Also pictured: Interfaith Executive Director Rick Doane, Food Pantry Driver Geoff Bowen and Food Pantry Manager Eileen Kelly.

Thank you so much to the following donors (and also to those who gave anonymously) who gave so generously to help us reach our goal:

Interfaith’s employees celebrate the success of the capital campaign in the back of their new food rescue truck. Purchased with the campaign funds, the new refrigerated truck will allow them make more efficient runs and collect twice as much food for hungry South Shore families. Shown in back row, Food Pantry Driver Geoff Bowen. Front row, left to right, Food Pantry Manager Eileen Kelly, Development Director Paula Daniels and Communications Manager Jennifer Sammons.

HarborOne Bank
Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund
Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation
Greater Boston Food Bank
James Cahill & Gillian Grossman
Kurt & Sarah Livermore
Lauren Payne & William Swanson
First Congregational Church of Milton
Sarah & Scott Alessandro
Mary & Thomas Dinneen
Rockland Trust
South Shore Bank
Holly & Joseph Andrus
Joanne Cormack
Bethesda Lodge No. 30 I.O.O.F.
Ethel Schow
Judith Gundersen
Justine & Ralph Palmieri
Jay & Gail Marvin
Maureen & John O’Donnell
Kevin & Cristina Duggan
George Rice
Elaine Joseph
Maggie Trudel
Karissa Colonel
Mary Ann & Robert Skjold
Evan Smith
William Carlson
Joanne Farrington
Cara Gallucci
Liz Tayne
Mark Pachelli
Michael Burke

Congratulations to Leighann Zemp, our February Volunteer of the Month

Leigh Ann

Leighann is a volunteer in the Bureau Drawer, where she helps out in the sorting room and assists in the shop. She’s been a wonderful addition to the shop since 2009 (nearly a decade!). You’ll recognize her by her distinctive laugh and her tiny Chihuahua, Chewy, who she brings to Interfaith once a month to have his nails trimmed by a fellow volunteer.

Cindy says:
“Leighann has been volunteering in the shop two days a week for 10 years. She’s hardworking and dedicated to our fundraising mission.

When she comes in the atmosphere totally changes. She’s friendly, busy and very outspoken. Customers, donors and volunteers love her so much and it’s noticed if she happens to be out on one of her days. They all ask where she is.

Leighann always has animated stories to tell and she helps everyone have a great experience when they shop. She helps them find the perfect outfit or anything else they never knew they needed! She puts her magic touch in the shop whether it’s a special display, dressing a mannequin or cleaning and making the shop shine. It’s always something.

Leighann has a big heart and we’re very grateful she’s a volunteer at Interfaith.”

Chewy celebrates his birthday with a doggie cupcake.

We asked Leighann 4 Questions:

  1. Why did you choose to volunteer at Interfaith?

A former volunteer, Chickie, asked me to volunteer with her. I did and I got hooked from there.

  1. What do you enjoy most about volunteering here?

I think all the friendships I’ve made. It’s like a sisterhood to me. I just love what Interfaith stands for.

  1. What’s the most memorable item you’ve seen come through the Thrift Shop?

There are several. I always remember that gorgeous plate we got. A crystal cake plate. We just loved it. And then it broke.

I got the most beautiful Christmas tree (from the Shop) two years ago. It was a 9 1/2 foot Christmas tree somebody donated. I walked in the shop and it was sitting there and it wasn’t even half up. I already had a Christmas tree at home. But I just loved that tree. This was on a Tuesday. And then Friday I come in and the tree was still there. I said, “Oh the tree is still here. I have to get it. I have to get it.” So I bought it. It’s gorgeous, and now I put it in my kitchen.

Also the unique people. There was a belly dancing girl. She’d belly dance in the shop in her bra and we’d all sit around and watch the show.

  1. Tell us something interesting about yourself that the other staff and volunteers may not know.

I really wanted to be an airline stewardess. Back when they were popular with the little outfits and everything. I even went to school for it down in Miami. But it didn’t work out.

I’ve also been married for 36 years. I’ve been with my husband since we were in junior high. He was my first boyfriend and I was his first girlfriend. I was a cheerleader and I used to cheer for him. He was a football player. He drove me home on his little Mongoose bike. We’re still together.

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Know someone who may be interested in volunteering? Have them reach out to volunteer coordinator Paula Daniels at 617-773-6203 ext. 28 or pdaniels@interfaithsocialservices.org.

Wastin’ Away

Now that we’re all stuffed full of Thanksgiving leftovers, let’s take a minute to talk about food waste. A UN study reported than nearly a third of food produced for human consumption never reached the table. That’s astonishing!

At Interfaith, one of our main goals is to rescue food from the waste stream and get it into the hands of those that need it most. We do this through our food rescue program, partnering with local retail stores such as Stop & Shop, Big Y World Class Market, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Roche Bros – Quincy, Roxie’s of Quincy, Target Braintree, Amazon and more.

Food from these stores that would otherwise be hitting Dumpsters is loaded into our rescue van on a weekly basis and sorted and shelved by volunteers at our food pantry.

With these partnerships, we rescued more than 325,000 pounds of food last year!

While we’re doing our part to minimize food waste on a larger scale, there is still much work that can be done by individuals. Here’s an interesting article from the The Boston Globe about trying to cut down on food waste at home.

What tips can you share on ways to reduce waste at home?

Host a Fall Food Drive supporting Interfaith!

The months of November and December are the busiest months for our food pantry. This time of year we struggle to keep basic necessities stocked for our clients.

Starting this week we kick off our fall food drive. This is not a drive for Thanksgiving food, but rather a time to restock our shelves and make sure that clients have meals on their tables for the entire holiday season. While we will provide Thanksgiving meal packages to more than 1,000 households over the coming weeks, this particular food drive is necessary to keep our shelves stocked with the essentials.

On Sunday, Nov. 18, from 11am–2pm, we will be hosting a special in-gathering of food at our office in Quincy.

We would sincerely appreciate it if you would organize a food drive for your church, business or organization for this drive. Our volunteers will be on hand Nov. 18 to help unload cars as they arrive here.

We depend on support from the community to feed the thousands of people who turn to us every year for assistance and we hope that you will join with us this Thanksgiving season to feed our neighbors in need. Can’t donate food? Monetary donations are also welcome: https://interfaithsocialservices.org/donate/

Food items that are needed:
Tuna
Canned meat
Cereal or oatmeal
Peanut butter & jelly
Healthy snacks for kids
Juice boxes
Shelf-stable milk
Rice
Canned soup
Mac & Cheese
Pasta & sauce
Canned fruit or vegetables
Dry or canned beans
Condiments (incl. salt & pepper)
Salad dressing
Gluten-free foods
Low-sodium canned items
Cooking oil / Olive oil
Diapers (size 4, 5 & 6), baby wipes
Personal care items: toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soap (unscented), shampoo, body wash

All items must have ingredient labels with current expiration dates.

Print a Food Drive sign (PDF) to hang on your collection box.

Halloween Costume Drive is a wrap!

Happy Halloween! Halloween kicks off a busy holiday season here at Interfaith  – not only do we see a significant uptick in clients, but we’re preparing for distribution of Thanksgiving meals, running food drives, prepping for holiday gift distribution and planning for our big fundraiser, the Feed the Hungry Gala.

With all these things going on, it feels good to check Halloween off the list! We had an amazingly successful costume drive this year. Countless individuals and businesses donated costumes or held drives at their organizations. It is because of these folks that this program is possible and the families that benefit are so thankful.

Our Halloween costume distribution day on Oct. 20 was a blast. We set up a tent in our back parking lot (donated by DPS Insurance Group – thank you!) and had racks and racks of terrific costumes available for families to browse.

Several of our regular volunteers spent weeks sorting through all the donations and organizing them so that distribution day would go smoothly. Thank you, volunteers!

We had about a dozen volunteer families assist with distribution day, including a whole bunch of kids. Volunteers stuffed goody bags, handed out snacks, and helped clients navigate the racks of costumes. This is one of my favorite volunteer opportunities and I love that our kids are able to jump in and give back to the community along with their parents. The kids love helping clients pick out costumes.

Volunteer families helped distribution day flow smoothly.

After clients chose their perfect costumes, they headed over to a decorated wall (thank you Charlene, from the Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop, for setting up a frightening display!) to take photos and pick up goody bags. Christine Hurley of Hurley Event Photography once again captured the joy and excitement of the day in her adorable photos.

Charlene sets up the photo wall and pumpkin patch with items from out Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop.

Stop & Shop’s Marketing department was also kind enough to donate 50 large pumpkins, which we displayed in a pumpkin patch. Client families were able to select one to take home for jack-o-lantern carving!

We want to thank everyone who participated in this year’s event, especially the following groups who help costume drives:

Carol Trombetta of South Shore Medical Center drops off one of several carloads of costumes from a drive she held.

And thank you to the Patriot Ledger, who did a fantastic article on the event with great photos!















 

Congratulations, Angela Ryan, our October Volunteer of the Month!

Angela Ryan, a morning food pantry volunteer and seasonal program helper, was nominated for her consistent willingness to go the extra mile.

Alongside preparing grocery orders for clients, Angela has also volunteered with several of our seasonal programs. This summer, she organized and separated supplies for Interfaith’s Backpack Program, which this year distributed backpacks and school supplies to more than 600 local children. She is also currently part of the team sorting and preparing costumes for our Halloween Costume Program, which will provide costumes to hundreds of children in need later this month.

Eileen had this to say about Angela:

“Angela has just been a delight to work with and is more than a valuable addition to our wonderful team of volunteers. She arrives every day with a generous smile, upbeat attitude, ready joke, a willingness to do whatever task needs to be done and that charming Scottish brogue is a winner.

We have had some staffing challenges over the course of Angela’s time with us – what with vacations, work, school and family commitments. Every time we have put out a call for help with staffing Angela has been there. Thank you Angela!”

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Know someone who may be interested in volunteering? Have them reach out to volunteer coordinator Paula Daniels at 617-773-6203 ext. 28 or pdaniels@interfaithsocialservices.org.

Congratulations to Sarah Fong, our August Volunteer of the Month!

Sarah, left, with fellow Friday volunteer, Kathy.

Sarah Fong, a morning food pantry volunteer since April 2016, was nominated by her fellow Friday volunteers for going above and beyond assisting our Chinese-speaking clients.

Volunteers Jean and Len had this to say about Sarah:

“As with all volunteer groups, there is always one who stands out demonstrating kindness, generosity, humor and a strong willingness to help others. This is Sarah Fong.

Her unselfish attitude is most evident when the Chinese clients of Interfaith, who don’t speak fluent English, come in to be helped.  All of the Friday crew rely on Sarah.   While we’re happy to fill the clients’ orders,  Sarah is the one who tells us what they want and don’t want.  On Friday morning, it’s not unusual to hear ‘Sarah,  I need your help.’  She will stop whatever she’s doing to help us and, most important, the Chinese clients of Interfaith.  She’s very good at juggling us!

Sarah’s unselfish contribution, along with the appreciation of the Chinese clients she helps, makes Sarah an outstanding Interfaith volunteer.  Simply put, Sarah is a joy to work with.”

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Know someone who may be interested in volunteering? Have them reach out to volunteer coordinator Paula Daniels at 617-773-6203 ext. 28 or pdaniels@interfaithsocialservices.org.