Century 21 Commonwealth’s Food Drive A Big Success

At their recent Holiday Food Drive, the staff at Century 21 Commonwealth collected over 100 Holiday Basket items for the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry to share with Wakefield residents in need. Some of the food supplies included turkey stuffing, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce and crackers. In addition, several large boxes of other urgently needed food items, toiletries and monetary donations were collected. “We’d like to thank Gene Mullen who helped coordinate this drive as well as the other members of the Century 21 Commonwealth team for their generous support of the food pantry,” said Maureen Miller, Director of Operations.

Caption: (from left to right) Jeanette Coombs, Carol Thibault, and Gene Mullen of Century 21 Commonwealth delivered much needed food items collected at their special Holiday Food Drive to benefit the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry.

Keurig Brings Food, Hope to Food Pantry

In the Gifts of Hope article series by the Wakefield Observer, one of the food pantry's largest corporate supporters is featured. Thank you, Keurig!

http://www.wickedlocal.com/wakefield/topstories/x874345325/GIFTS-OF-HOPE-A-most-helpful-delivery#axzz1hAfqsHwf

The Referral Connection's Drive for WIFP Featured in The Boston Globe North

The Referral Connection, a Wakefield chapter of Business Network International (BNI), is supporting the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry this holiday season by launching its “Food for Friends” drive. Their efforts to raise at least $500 in food donations by chapter members plus a $100 cash contribution was featured in the Boston Globe North section! Check out the link below.
http://bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/north/2011/12/15/salem-healing-abuse-agency-seeks-help/MSXxWut8yauoFg2mJZNDBP/story.html

Holiday Food Drive at Future of Dentistry

During the month of December, Future of Dentistry is hosting a food drive to benefit the WIFP. Please drop off your non-perishable food items at their office, 968 Main Street in Wakefield. Items most needed include: canned chicken, canned tuna, shelf stable milk, boxed cereal and peanut butter. Thanks to Dr. Gerry Casazza for helping out our neighbors in need!

Meet Some of the Food Pantry Volunteers

Did you ever wonder how the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry stocks and gives out food to our neighbors in need? The amazing volunteers are the ones that make it happen, day in and day out, year after year. Meet a few of these wonderful people through the Wakefield Observer Gifts of Hope campaign.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/wakefield/topstories/x1856672865/Meet-some-of-the-Wakefield-Interfaith-Food-Pantry-volunteers#axzz1gKdmr5E2

Need at Food Pantry Up 20% Over Last Year

The Wakefield Patch reported today about the continuing need for families in Wakefield to get some help putting food on the table, and that need is only increasing.

http://wakefield.patch.com/articles/need-at-food-pantry-up-20-over-last-year

Gifts of Hope Articles from the Wakefield Observer

The Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry was selected this year by the Wakefield Observer for their Gifts of Hope campaign in which our organization is featured each week during this holiday season. We truly appreciate the efforts of the Observer to keep the community informed about the food pantry! Keep a look out for the pantry related articles in the newspaper each Thursday during December. Below are also links to several recent stories in case you missed them:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/wakefield/news/lifestyle/x1517592203/Wakefield-Interfaith-Food-Pantry-Serving-the-needs-of-the-community#axzz1flcIh2Bx

http://www.wickedlocal.com/wakefield/topstories/x337217013/Gifts-of-Hope-We-all-need-a-helping-hand#axzz1flcIh2Bx

“Food for Friends” Drive Launched by Local BNI Chapter

The Referral Connection, a Wakefield chapter of Business Network International (BNI), is supporting the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry this holiday season by launching its “Food for Friends” drive.

Through “Food for Friends,” the Referral Connection is committing to at least $500 in food donations by chapter members plus a $100 cash contribution. Referral Connection members are also contacting clients, associates, friends and family, encouraging them to support the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry (WIFP).

“The people who run the food pantry do great work and provide an important service to the community,” said Kelly DeFelice, president of the Referral Connection. “We are a group of small businesses in and around Wakefield, and we’d like to pitch in. The holiday season seems like an appropriate time to start.”

The volunteer-run WIFP, which is entirely funded through donations, provides food for needy families and individuals in Wakefield. Each month, approximately 349 households are served. The pantry is located on the lower level of Americal Civic Center, 467 Main Street, and accepts non-perishable food donations in the drop-off box there.

For a list of preferred food items and additional information about the WIFP, see http://www.wifoodpantry.org/.

“We are grateful for the generous donation from the Referral Connection and BNI,” said Maureen Miller, Operations Director of the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry. “Our community pantry works because of the tremendous support we have from local businesses, congregations, schools, organizations, individuals and volunteers. It is through this team effort that we are able to help our neighbors in need.”

The Referral Connection is a networking group for small businesses and individuals in the greater Wakefield area. It meets weekly at the Americal Civic Center. For further information about the Referral Connection and BNI, see http://www.bnimass.com/ or contact Kelly DeFelice at 781-662-0100 or k.defelice@easternbank.com.

Two “states” -- Editorial from Wakefield Item, November 30, 2011

Another story from the “recession is over” front.

Project Bread, the state’s leading antihunger organization, released numbers from its upcoming annual Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts 2011. The report is the state’s annual report card on hunger, and the grades are not good: it reveals that over 700,000 people in the Commonwealth are struggling to make ends meet — the highest rate recorded in Massachusetts since this data was first collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1995.

The report demonstrates that Massachusetts suffers from a dramatic and increasing income gap. Over the last 10 years, the number of high-paying technology jobs has increased in the Commonwealth, while the number of manufacturing jobs has dwindled, leaving Massachusetts with one of the greatest income gaps in the nation. From 1979 to 2008 (the latest year for which data are available), the median income of the poorest families went from $22,452 to $22,688. During this same period, the median income for the most affluent families, increased 43 percent, from $136,099 to $194,899.

With 10.8 percent of Massachusetts families identified as food insecure, the report notes that many families who were once considered “middle-class” are now struggling to make ends meet.
Among the solutions suggested by Project Bread are food co-ops, community dinners, cooking and nutrition classes, market-based solutions, which engage local grocers, and urban agriculture.
The organization correctly points out that there are two “states” of Massachusetts. Some people are doing better than ever while thousands of others continue to struggle.
As seen in the Wakefield Daily Item, November 30, 2011