Hellenic American Academy in Lowell collects for Merrimack Valley Food Bank
in In The News
Read More »
in In The News
Read More »
in In The News
LOWELL — The John Harrington-Mary Costello family owned The Sun for more than 100 years and were always mindful of being good corporate citizens
The Sun was founded in 1878 by John H. Harrington and his newspaper was to be the voice for Irish Catholic Democrats.
He had one daughter, Mary Harrington, who married a man named Costello, who was a major plumbing contractor in the rapidly growing city of Lowell. Her husband died at a young age, leaving her to raise three young boys.
Her sons Thomas, John and Clement joined the family business, but Mary Costello was involved for many years and felt The Sun should be a major supporter of community causes and families in need.
She privately took on many personal cases when she heard of a family who needed help with medical bills or basic needs.
When The Sun got the franchise to run the Golden Gloves in New England, the company created Lowell Sun Charities to begin a formal structure in helping individuals and community causes.
All the net proceeds were deposited to Sun Charities and distributed to community groups.
Between Sun Charities and The Sun Santa Fund, we estimate that $14 million has been donated.
The fourth generation of the Costello family continued the tradition of Sun Charities until they sold the newspaper and charities has continued under the MediaNews Group ownership.
Last year alone, Sun Charities donated to 65 community organizations and helped hundreds of families enjoy the Christmas holidays.
Lowell has a strong history of companies giving back and The Sun is proud to join with folks like Enterprise Bank, Lowell General Hospital, Trinity EMS, The Lowell Five, Watermark, the Demoulas Foundation, Anton Cleaners, the Behrakis Foundation, Eastern Bank, the O’Connors, McCallums, Pride Star, Washington Savings and so many others who continue to make good things happen.
The Gloves have been a winter tradition in Lowell for 70 years. We all owe a lot to loyal fight fans who for decades have come out in freezing weather, some times in snow storms, to enjoy some good boxing and raise a lot of money for charity.
Several local businesses are helping to boost the Gloves this 70th anniversary year, by being a “Sponsor for the Night”. Some of the sponsors will be linked to a charity and the sponsor and the charity will have tickets for 100 fans to attend the Gloves.
Some of the agencies supported by Sun Charities this year include: Boys and Girls Club of Billerica, Lowell High School scholarship fund, Chelmsford July 4 parade committee, Lowell Festival Foundation, Nashoba Valley Technical High School, Lowell General Cancer Care Walk, Lowell Community Charter School, Community Teamwork, Lowell Catholic High School, Caring Partners Inc., Grotonfest, Lowell Humane Society, Merrimack Valley Food Bank, the Lowell Plan, The Paul Center, Women Working Wonders Fund, March of Dimes.
Also, Ironstone Farm, Middlesex Community College Foundation, Salvation Army, House of Hope, LGH Auxiliary, UMass Lowell, LHS Distinguished Alumni, Special Olympics, Middlesex 3 coalition, Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council, St. Patrick’s School, Lowell Community Health Center, Greater Lowell Family YMCA, the American Textile Museum, Girls Inc., Chelmsford High School, Open Pantry, Dracut Scholarship Foundation, We Share a Common Thread.
Also, Westford Charitable Foundation, Catie’s Closet, Central Food Ministry, the MRT, Lowell Historical Society, Pollard Memorial Library, United Teen Equality Center, Lowell Latin Lyceum, Immaculate Conception church, Lowell Summer Music Series, Whistler House, Renaissance Club, New England Quilt Museum and Table of Plenty.
in In The News
Fred C. Church Inc.’s 2015 charity of choice was the Merrimack Valley Food Bank with more than 80 employees contributing through a payroll deduction program. For many years Fred C. Church has offered its employees a payroll deduction program for charitable giving. In recent years, the agency has supported individual local charities such as The Wish Project and the Boys & Girls Club of Lowell. Mike Reilly, president and chairman of Fred C. Church said MVFB was chosen because of its focus not only on Lowell but throughout the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. Fred C. Church Insurance, headquartered in Lowell, is one of New England’s largest privately-owned, independent insurance agencies.
Read More »in In The News
The credit union hired Mark Cochran. Cochran, by everyone’s account, has filled Mayotte’s shoes, and then some. As its leader, he has overseen impressive growth, including a new five-story, state-of-the-art corporate headquarters at Tremont Yard in Lowell; new branch offices in Methuen, Dracut and Westford; a new main office on Merrimack Street in Lowell; asset growth from $600 million in 2007 to more than $1.1 billion today; and membership growth edging towards 70,000.
In terms of the partnership, Cochran is ubiquitous, representing JDCU at dozens of local events. Now he has another to add to his busy calendar: The Merrimack Valley Food Bank will honor Cochran, of Dunstable, at its 22nd-annual golf tournament on Monday, September 14, 2015 at Indian Ridge CC in Andover.
“For over a decade, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union employees have contributed significantly to the success of the food bank’s mission. Dozens of the credit union employees have served on our board of directors, fundraising committees, and in our food distribution center,” said food bank Executive Director Amy Pessia. Through the We Share a Common Thread Foundation, the food bank has also received financial support enabling it to distribute more nutritious food to families throughout the community, Pessia said.
“I am deeply honored by this recognition from the Merrimack Valley Food Bank,” Cochran said in a statement. “The Food Bank does incredibly important work to help those less fortunate in the region and I am happy Jeanne D’Arc is able to provide assistance through volunteer efforts, food drives, and monetary donations. Credit unions are all about people helping people, and the Merrimack Valley Food Bank certainly lives that same mission. We are proud to be involved in their efforts and I am humbled by this honor.”
The food bank provides food for nearly 70,000 people monthly in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, through a network of member food pantries, shelters, day and residential programs in over 30 communities.
Cochran was recently awarded Community Teamwork Inc.’s Community & Volunteering Award at the organization’s 50th Anniversary Gala. He is also a board member and treasurer for both the Lowell Plan and D’Youville Life & Wellness Community and is a member of the board of governors of Lowell General Hospital. He also serves on the Supervisory Committee of Eascorp, a corporate credit union, and is vice-chair of Octant Business Services, a jointly owned credit union service organization. Additionally, Cochran is president and CEO of the Credit Union’s We Share A Common Thread Foundation.
Golf registration begins at 11:00 and a shot gun start at 12:30. Non golfers can enjoy the awards dinner at 6:30pm. Contact Debbie Callery at 978-454-7272, or via e-mail at dcallery@mvfb.org, for more information.
Read More »
in In The News
LOWELL — As it is in almost every household everywhere, so it is with the Merrimack Valley Food Bank; the cupboard shelves do not replenish themselves.
But if the past nine years are any indication, Thursday night’s 10th Annual Grape Expectations, which will be held at Lenzi’s in Dracut, promises to help immensely.
“There will be lots of wine, lots of food and lots of fun,” said MVFB Community Relations Coordinator Deb Callery. “This event gets bigger and bigger every year, which we love. We are all passionate about what we do at the food bank and that is to try and feed as many people as we can.”
Close to 400 people attended last year’s popular fundraising event. Donations come in from sponsors too numerous to mention, Callery said.
This fiscal year, which ends on June 30, the food bank is on target to distribute more than 3 million pounds of food. The MVFB serves 120 feeding programs in 34 cities in towns in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Through that network, food is provided to approximately 65,000 a month.
“We don’t have families coming here, we have all the food pantries. We are kind of like the supermarket to all the pantries,” Callery said.
But back to Thursday night’s event, which costs $60 to attend. Callery said. While guests are sampling the myriad of merlot, chardonnays, cabernets and more, which come from close to a dozen local wineries, they can feast on delicacies from The Chowder Factory, Love & Quiches, and of course, Lenzi’s.
“Lenzi’s is coming up with a special macaroni and cheese dish that we can’t wait to see and taste,” Callery said, adding a silent auction will feature close to 100 items and a raffle that offers the winner round-trip airfare for two donated by Southwest Airlines.
Guests can also try their luck by participating in a wine bottle ring-toss game.
“Ring the bottle and it’s yours,” Callery said. “The thing that blows me away every year is that everything is donated. We depend on donations, which come in throughout the year. Anywhere from five- and 10-dollar donations to $2,500. We appreciate them all but sometimes, when you see a $10 donation, you almost appreciate it more because you know it probably came from someone who couldn’t afford much more. We cherish that.”
All this takes place while the Mill City Rockers, formerly the FunRazrs, provide a backdrop of popular tunes.
The benefit takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lenzi’s on Route 110 in Dracut. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased by calling Deb Callery at 978-454-7272 or by visiting www.mvfb.org.
Read More »
in In The News
Friday morning, several state legislators pledged their support for increasing state funding to the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) at a legislative open house hosted by the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.
“You had me at hello,” said Sen. Eileen Donoghue (D-Lowell). “The work you do is so important and MEFAP is critical. I support increasing funding and you can quote me on that.”
While indicators point toward the state’s economic recovery being in full swing, with unemployment dropping, Donoghue added we are also facing a state budget shortfall and the fact that for many Massachusetts residents the recovery hasn’t yet become a reality.
“So many people you serve have a dire need,” she said addressing Food Bank staff and staff and volunteers from member agencies. “It is easy for us to overlook that when we focus on the data and the big picture, but the need remains great. There are sad situations that without you would be tragic.”
One in nine Massachusetts residents are hungry. They do not know from where their next meal will come.
Thirty-seven percent of those people do not qualify for government benefits. They rely on more than 800 food pantries, feeding programs and shelters supported by the four non-profit food banks across the state to feed their families.
Those food banks (The Merrimack Valley Food Bank, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, The Greater Boston Food Bank and the Worcester County Food Bank) rely on the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MFAP), which provides staple items like eggs, milk, meat and fresh produce, many of which are grown or produced right here in Massachusetts.
During FY14, Massachusetts food banks distributed more than 64.9 million pounds of food, 29.8% (19.3 million pounds) of which was purchased through the MEFAP program.
The Food Bank Coalition of Massachusetts is requesting a $6 million increase in state funding of the program from $14 million to $20 million, with $1 million (just 5%) used to cover administrative costs. The additional $5 million in direct funding will provide 700,000 more nutritious meals in FY 16 than are available this year.
Support for increasing MEFAP funding was also pledged by State Rep. Tom Golden (D-Lowell), State Rep. Rady Mom (D-Lowell), State Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut), who attended the open house.
“I know what it is like to not have food or know if I will survive another day,” said Mom, who fled the Cambodian genocide. “I have been through that, and I support the increased funding.”
Golden pointed out that in some parts of the state 1 in 4 children are food insecure.
“That is heartbreaking,” he said. “I am in full support (of increased MEFAP funding); whatever it is we can do we will.”
Although MEFAP funding is a state issue, Lowell Mayor Rodney Elliott promised support from the local government level.
“You serve a population that is always in need,” he said. “Whatever we can do on the local level we will do to support you and the work you do.”
Dave Dumaresque, better known simply as Farmer Dave, noted that MEFAP is about more than just handing out food. It is an economic driver.
Last year, Farmer Dave donated 80,000 pounds of food from his Dracut farm and sold another 160,000 pounds of food to the Greater Boston Food Bank and Merrimack Valley Food Bank through the MEFAP program.
“If we can produce food locally, we can create jobs while providing food,” he said, adding he employs 50 people at his farm who without that work would likely be clients at local food pantries. “We are saving money by giving money through MEFAP.”
Greater Boston Food Bank Executive Director Catherine D’Amato echoed Farmer Dave’s sentiments, explaining Massachusetts is one of only a few states with a program like MEFAP and that it is a crucial economic development tool.
“It helps to sustain farmers and food manufacturers, then goes to the food banks and is truly feeding Massachusetts on the other side,” she said.
“So many families and individuals are counting on this state program for help with food. The increase we request from the legislature, as the Food Bank Coalition of Massachusetts would be used directly to purchase nutritious food,” said MVFB Executive Director Amy Pessia. “We strive to provide this food so that adults may work- or look for work, seniors may take their medications properly, and children may learn, thrive and grow.”
Friday’s open house was also attended by several representatives from member agencies including the Dracut Food Pantry, St. Vincent de Paul of Dracut, the Westford Council on Aging, Presidential Gardens of Haverhill, the Point After Club of Lawrence, the Lowell Transitional Living Center, Table of Plenty of Chelmsford, as well as Craig Richov from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and Don Siriani, Legislative Director for Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester).
The Merrimack Valley Food Bank is invested in documenting and discovering opportunities and funding for food banks.
Read More »
in In The News
We are so honored and humbled to be included in the Patriots Celebrate Volunteerism events this season. Congratulations to our long time volunteer Debbie Grimard! You truly are a “Difference Maker”!
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (December 28, 2014) – Though the spirit of volunteerism will continue beyond the 2014 football season, the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation (NEPCF) celebrated the ongoing Celebrate Volunteerism initiative in a special halftime ceremony at the Patriots’ regular season finale versus the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Dec. 28, at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft announced grants of $5,000 to 14 nonprofits in the name of each of the “Patriots Difference Makers of the Week” selected throughout the season. Kevin Watson from Pine Street Inn was announced as the grand prize winner, receiving a $20,000 grant made to the nonprofit in his name. Kraft was joined by President of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation Josh Kraft Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Famer and Executive Director of Community Affairs Andre Tippett for a surprise check presentation during halftime.
“These volunteers have shown a genuine commitment to bettering our communities,” said Kraft. “Each of them saw a need and have been steadfast in their dedication to helping others. It is incredible to hear their heartwarming stories of volunteering and we are pleased to once again honor them at our season finale. It is our hope that these grants will allow their respective nonprofits to continue to serve children and families across New England.”
Each week throughout the season, the Foundation focused on different volunteer areas, including education, mentoring and military. As part of each week’s focus, the Foundation announced the “Patriots Difference Maker of the Week” award, which aimed to recognize one deserving volunteer in the corresponding weekly focus. Each recipient was recognized with an honorary medal and autographed football during a presentation with current and former Patriots players on Patriots Community Tuesdays. Each of the Patriots Difference Makers of the Week named throughout the season was a special guest of the Kraft family and recognized during Sunday’s halftime ceremony.
As part of the initiative and Patriots Community Tuesdays, current and former Patriots players made more than 400 appearances in New England communities throughout the year, participating in activities that included reading books to students, visiting patients in hospitals, giving back to children and families during the holidays and encouraging children to exercise 60 minutes a day through the NFL PLAY 60 campaign.
The Patriots Women’s Association and Patriots families also joined the Celebrate Volunteerism initiative by participating in book, coat and toy drives throughout the season. They also joined more than 20 current and former Patriots players to distribute 220 complete Thanksgiving meals to families in need, prepared for the annual Children’s Holiday Party for 250 children and served lunch to women in homeless shelter programs in Boston.
The Kraft family and Patriots Charitable Foundation will continue to Celebrate Volunteerism during the post-season, off-season and seasons to come. The Celebrate Volunteerism initiative aims to share examples of dedicated volunteers, build awareness of the need for volunteering, identify and educate others about volunteer opportunities and inspire New Englanders to follow the Kraft family’s example of becoming lifelong volunteers.
For more information about the Celebrate Volunteerism initiative, including resources and information about volunteering, the “Patriots Difference Maker” award, and to join the Celebrate Volunteerism movement by pledging volunteer hours, visit www.patriots.com/community.
ABOUT celebrate volunteerism AND THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation is the 501(c)(3) non-profit entity created by the Kraft family to support charitable and philanthropic agencies throughout New England. This support comes in the form of direct grants, the donation of signed memorabilia to a variety of charitable causes, and from Patriots players who offer their direct support by appearing at charity functions throughout the year. The Foundation’s primary goal is to support programs that aid the youth and families of New England while underscoring the Kraft family’s deep commitment to philanthropic activities in the community. Over the past 20 years, the Foundation has made millions of dollars in donations to thousands of nonprofit organizations throughout New England and has partnered with numerous community groups, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, the United Way and a host of other New England charities. The Foundation actively supports nonprofit groups focusing on health, education, youth fitness and community enrichment while also implementing its own programs in those areas of focus. In seasons to come, the Foundation’s Celebrate Volunteerism initiative aims to recognize deserving volunteers and inspire others to follow the Kraft family’s example of becoming lifelong volunteers. For more information about Celebrate Volunteerism, visit www.patriots.com/community.
–PATRIOTS–
Read More »in In The News
The Lowell Sun
LOWELL — While most people are receiving gifts for the holidays, the Lowell High School Air Force Junior ROTC cadets are helping those in need.
LHS’s ROTC program, well-known for the myriad of community-service activities the students perform throughout the year, recently concluded two important efforts, both of which focused on the values of giving back to the community during the holiday season.
The cadets assisted Toys for Local Children, a nonprofit organization that provides toys for children in need throughout Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk counties. Last year, Toys for Local Children provided toys for almost 11,000 children throughout the community.
On a recent Saturday, the cadets sorted and catalogued toys for the holiday and assisted organization staff in preparing orders for delivery to children who otherwise would have no toys for the holiday.
The students saved the organization hundreds of hours of work in preparation for Christmas.
The cadets also recently concluded its 2014 holiday food drive to support the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. The LHS cadets were able to collect, sort and package almost 4,400 food items weighing more than 3,683 pounds. Over the last four years, the LHS ROTC unit has collected and donated 15,373 pounds of food for those in need throughout the Merrimack Valley.
The Lowell High School JROTC cadets raise more food during their holiday food drive than any other single food drive for the Merrimack Valley Food Bank,” said Debbie Callery, the community-relations coordinator for the food bank.
Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_27217999/lowell-high-jrotc-cadets-go-above-and-beyond#ixzz3O4ZKpQNz
Read More »in In The News
Food distribution is the major operation of the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. Through this program, 3 million pounds of food are distributed annually through a network of member agency programs that include food pantries, shelters, meals programs as well as day and residential programs. Food distribution helps us eliminate hunger and maintain good health for our neighbors in numerous communities in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.
The MVFB receives food to distribute through donations along with federal and state emergency food assistance programs. The Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) provides food to qualified food banks, and the Federal Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP/USDA) allows federal bulk purchasing of food to qualified food banks.
When the MVFB receives food from these two programs, the food is stored and then distributed to our member agencies serving low-income individuals and families. Some of these agencies include Lazarus House, Alternative House, Girls Inc., Lowell Transitional Living Center, the Salvation Army and many more.
The Merrimack Valley Food bank is a 20,000 square foot warehouse located at 735 Broadway St. here in Lowell. It has three floors of dry storage space, two walk-in freezers, as well as a walk-in refrigerator approximately 1500 square feet with a vertical racking storage system. With this amount of space, and the amount of food constantly coming in and going out on a daily basis, the MVFB is certainly blessed to have Tony Luna as warehouse manager.
Tony is one of those all-around guys with an infectious smile and has a constant willingness to help. This is a tremendous quality he received from his parents, who emigrated from Mexico and didn’t have much but made people happy by helping, which had a great impact on Tony as a child.
As MVFB warehouse manager, Tony is responsible for scheduling pick-ups of donations from stores like Market Basket, Stop & Shop and other companies as well as making sure there is someone available to make the pick-up. He also handles the flow of our 120 member agencies coming in to shop. When MEFAP or TEFAP/USDA deliveries occur, Tony and his assistants unload the trucks and he designates where everything will be stored, and makes sure that the stock gets rotated.
Tony is a missionary minister and was once director of Central Food Ministry (CFM) in the Centralville neighborhood of Lowell. One of Tony’s fondest memories and inspirations was the late Kevin Meier, who was homeless. Kevin wanted Tony to assist him in starting a homeless ministry for everyone in need on the Merrimack River. For three years, Tony and Kevin filled bags and delivered on foot. To this day, Tony recalls Kevin saying “if you see the need and don’t do it SOMETHING is wrong with you!”
Dacey Zouzas is director of development for the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Inc. (MVFB), which operates eight food programs that benefit low-income individuals and families who lack the financial resources to purchase sufficient quantities of nutritious foods while struggling to pay other household expenses. For information about MVFB, call 978-454-7272 or visit www.mvfb.org
Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/lifestyles/ci_27255781/warehouse-manager-keeps-food-distribution-humming#ixzz3O4T0p4Pn
in In The News
By Dacey Zouzas
Imagine the child sitting next to your child on the bus who doesn’t have enough food to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Operation Nourish is a program of the Merrimack Valley Food Bank that addresses hunger among Lowell public schoolchildren by providing nutritious food for students to take home over the weekends and school vacations.
The program provides Lowell public school students with either a bag of food to take home twice a month or a box of healthy snacks and beverages to enjoy when hungry at school. These snacks include granola bars, fruit cups, pop-tarts, soups, peanut butter crackers, and plenty of other food items that have been generously donated.
The bags children take home over the weekends and school vacations include milk, cereal, juice, applesauce, fruit cups, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti with spaghetti sauce, and crackers that have all been purchased from Market Basket on Fletcher Street in Lowell.
More than 600 children benefit from MVFB’s Operation Nourish program. Seven schools receive drop-offs twice a month of bags for children to take home over the weekend and vacations. An additional seven schools receive 35 pound boxes once a month to provide children with snacks at school.
A total of 13 schools participate in our Operation Nourish program.
The Morey School receives 77 bags, the Robinson School receives 20 bags, Rogers School receives 70 bags, Washington School receives 5 bags, Lincoln School receives 149 bags, the Greenhalge School receives 90 bags and the Moody School receives 200.
Other schools included in our program are Stoklosa, Lowell High School Freshman Academy, Lowell High School Career Academy, which receives monthly drop-offs, B.R.I.D.G.E. program, and the McAuliffe and Literacy Lab.
MVFB team member Tammie Dubois is our Operation Nourish Program coordinator. Tammie is from Lowell, and first started at MVFB as a volunteer for nine months back in 2010. Now she is a full-time employee, single mother of three children, and recently became a young grandmother. Hunger was no stranger to Tammie. When laid off from her previous job, Tammie and her family struggled with food insecurity, and received help from several food pantries.
The hardships endured by Tammie and her family are a true testament of her perseverance to continue to help others, not only for the MVFB, but throughout the communities. When asked what inspires her on a daily basis, Tammie says she “feels from the inside, always wants to help others, and always knows that there is someone out there more in need.”
Dacey Zouzas is director of development for the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Inc. (MVFB), which operates eight food programs that benefit low-income individuals and families who lack the financial resources to purchase sufficient quantities of nutritious foods while struggling to pay other household expenses. For information about MVFB, call 978-454-7272 or visit www.mvfb.org.
Read More »