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Donate Now
Donations can be made in honor or in memory of friends and family. |
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Upcoming Events
NOVEMBER
Monday, November 19th
Gathering Change, Inc.
Fourth Annual Meeting
7 PM
Lynnfield Meeting House
See article below for more details.
Thanksgiving Day
Football Game Fundraiser
Lynnfield vs. North Reading
More details to follow.
DECEMBER
Wednesday, December 12 and Saturday, December 22
Gift wrap for Change
Barnes & Noble in Burlington, MA.
More details to follow.
Contact: dgoodwin@gatheringchangeinc.org
if you can volunteer a few hours to wrap!
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Your Change Makes A Difference
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Shirley Samson, Coordinator of the Servant's Heart Food Pantry holds the check donated by GCI, which was made possible by the Madison Ave of Melrose fundraiser fashion show.
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This month GCI will provide funds to the following food pantries:
Acord Food Pantry
(Serves the towns of Hamilton, Ipswich, Wenham, Essex, Topsfield and Manchester-by-the-Sea)
69 Willow Street
Hamilton, MA
Pantry of Hope
Faith Evangelical Church
200 Franklin St.
Melrose, MA 02176
Grace Ministries Food Bank
101 Main Street
Saugus, MA 01906
First Baptist Church
561 Main St
Melrose, MA 02176
7th Day Adventist Community Center Food Pantry
9 Gerry Street
Stoneham, MA 02180
Interfaith Social Services
Pantry Shelf
105 Adams Street
Quincy, MA 02169
Winthrop Community Food Pantry
222 Bowdoin Street
Winthrop, MA
Christian Community Service
Food Pantry
North Reading Town Hall
235 North Street
North Reading, MA 01864
Westborough Food Pantry
P.O. Box 502
Westborough, MA 01581
Worcester County Food Bank
474 Boston Turnpike
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
Beverly Bootstraps Community Services, Inc.
371 Cabot Street
Beverly, MA 01915
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Left-Right: GCI board member Judy Bousquin with staff of the Pantry of Hope Food Pantry; Reverend Damaris Cami-Staples and long time Executive Director Jessie Freda (holding the donation check from GCI). This donation was made possible by the Madison Ave of Melrose fundraiser fashion show.
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A Role Model at 11
Emma Nardone of Lynnfield Raises $136
For my 11th birthday this year, I decided that I wanted to collect change for Gathering Change instead of receiving gifts. I had heard about another girl doing this and raising a lot of money, so I was excited to try it myself! I invited eight girls and they all brought their spare change! In all, I raised $136.61. It feels great to know that I will help other people who need it!
"There never was any heart truly great and generous, that was not also tender and compassionate. "
Robert Frost
Emma we are so proud of you!
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"Ladies" Know How to Raise Money 
The Ipswich Country Club Ladies' Night out Committee has a tradition of using a number of fundraising tools over a period of many months to raise money for their annual chosen charity. This year Gathering Change, Inc. was the fortunate recipient of their tireless and effective fundraising efforts. In addition to a Gold Party, online silent auction, spare change collections and a "Closest to the Tee" contest held earlier this month, the ICC ladies held their annual fundraiser at the Ipswich Country Club on October 17th. The funds will be sent to the Acord Food Pantry which Serves not only Ipswich, but also Hamilton, Wenham, Topsfield, Essex and Manchester-By-The-Sea. The funds raised in or for your community stay in your community! Many thanks to these women who have not only provided much needed money for a food pantry that services a large area but also inspiration to us all who want to help our neighbors in need.
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Sponsors
Thank you to our many supporters:
Baubles Fine Jewelry, Lynnfield
The Book Oasis, Stoneham
Century 21, Wakefield
Christine's Cafe & Confections, Lynnfield
City Cycle, Stoneham
Cranney Home Services
Dr. Bruce Goldman, DDS, Saugus
D'Amicis, Wakefield
Deborah Capuano's Holistic Massage & Health Therapies
Ernst & Young
Falcon Global Edge, Boston
John Hancock
Liberty Mutual
Louise's Skin Care, Lynnfield
Lynnfield Teachers Association
Madison Ave. of Melrose
Mary Briggs Physical Therapy
Melaleuca
Microsoft
Mobil Gas, Post Office Square, Lynnfield
Moderno Salon, Melrose
Natural Food Exchange, Reading
Nokia
Pawtucket Red Sox
Pinnacle Private Wealth, Woburn
Rada Boutique
Rich DelRossi
SalemFive Charitable Foundation
Saugusbank
The Savings Bank
Second Congregational UCC, Beverly
Silver Clay, Wakefield
Stop and Shop Supermarkets
Supino Insurance, Lynnfield & Malden
TaggArt Studios, Wakefield
Unitarian Universalist Church of Reading (UUCR)
Vital Emergency Medical Servces, Worcester
Village Pharmacy, Lynnfield
Wakefield Physical Therapy Associates, Wakefield
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Board of Directors
Yvonne Blacker
Creative Director
Judy Bousquin
Publicity Committee Co-Chair, Nominating Committee Co-Chair and Cofounder
Susie Cleary
Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair
Stacy Dahlstedt
Interim Secretary
Dorothy Goodwin
Founder and President, Grant Writing Chair, Web Site/Newsletter Co-Chair
Cindy Z. Hanshaw
Website/Newsletter Committee Co-Chair
Donna Hegan
Fundraising Committee Chair
Marianne Snow
Nominating Commitee Co-Chair, Publicity Committee Co-Chair, Volunteer Committee Chair and Cofounder
Marianne Supino
Board Secretary
Mary Taggart
Donation Committee Chair
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We'd love to hear from you.
 Catch up with us on facebook
Send Newsletter suggestions, questions or comments to chanshaw@gatheringchangeinc.org
Send general inquiries to
dgoodwin@gatheringchangeinc.org.
Join Our Mailing List |
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President's Spotlight on Hunger
Dear Friends,
A few years ago Rich DelRossi started the Grace Ministries Food Bank located at 101 Main Street in Saugus in memory of his late wife Cheryl. With the help of many volunteers, including his daughter, Ann Marie Ward, they have grown from 35 clients to serving between 130 to 160 clients on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. They also deliver food to 6 clients who are housebound. What makes this food pantry different is that each client is treated like family. Most clients walk in with their eyes to the ground because they are embarrassed...but after a few minutes with the volunteers joking around and making them feel comfortable they walk out looking up and are grateful for the food they have been given. There are always sweets for the children and something hot to eat. Last week a client said "I love this place." According to Rich, this is the greatest compliment they have ever received.
Grace Ministries is supported in part by the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, but because private donations are down they are struggling to support the area food pantries. Rich was worried about supplying enough food to his clients through the upcoming holiday's. Thanks to the funds raised at the Pinnacle Invitational Golf Tournament, all their clients will have enough to eat.
When I asked Rich if I could say what great work he was doing, he asked me not too, he just said: "I supply the boat but God supplies the wind." Gathering Change, Inc. is honored to help fill the Grace Ministries boat with food and hope!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sincerely,
Dorothy Goodwin, President
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About Hunger and Resilience
PHOTOGRAPHY/AUDIO EXHIBIT BY MICHAEL NYE
After 22 months of planning, Gathering Change, in collaboration with Endicott College, is so proud to have brought this powerful array of 35 portraits and autobiographical monologues to Massachusetts. The powerful exhibit honoring the individual's stories was an amazing and powerful experience for all who witnessed Michael Nye's installation. Below are highlights from opening night on October 10th.
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Sandy Carriker of the North Reading Food Pantry listens to one story of hunger. |
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GCI Board Members pose with Michael Nye and Kathleen Moore of Endicott College on opening night. From Left to Right: Judy Bousquin, Yvonne Blacker, Cindy Hanshaw, Donna Hegan, Dorothy Goodwin, Kathleen Moore - Endicott College, Michael Nye, Mary Taggart, Marianne Snow and Susie Cleary. |
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Many students from all over the North Shore visited the exhibition. |
Thank You Again to Our Partners and Sponsors!
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SAVE THE DATE!
Gathering Change, Inc.
Fourth Annual Meeting
2011-2012
Location: Lynnfield Meeting House
Date: Monday, November 19th
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Light Refreshments will be served.
All are welcome!
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Stacy Dahlstedt Joins GCI Board
Gathering Change is happy to announce the addition of Stacy Dahlstedt to the Board of Directors. Stacy is currently a Stay-at-Home Mom, enjoying precious time with her 5-year-old son. Prior to leaving the work force, Stacy worked in the Financial Services Industry for 20 years, holding several positions at Bank of New York Mellon and Eagle Investment Systems. Stacy was President of the Board of the Friends of the Lynnfield Library (FOLL) in 2011 - 2012 and continues to be very active with the Board and their fundraising efforts. She enjoys volunteering her time with the Bethlehem Pre-School PTO and has been involved in fundraising efforts for the American Heart Association.
Education: BA Political Science from Clark University Worcester, MA
Why Gathering Change: I am so fortunate and thankful to have such fullness in my life; an amazing family, good health, a beautiful and warm home and a wonderful community in which to raise my son. There are others who are less fortunate and I want to do my part to reach out and help those in need. My hope is that my previous work experience and my love of community and people will enable me to help this amazing cause. I am looking forward to working with such a talented and selfless group of people to help raise awareness, and to raise "spare change" to be used to further help those in need.
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The Women of Bus 354
Cooking for a Cause
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From left to right Katie Hogan (Stoneham), Deb Hunt (Stoneham), Kim Trainor (Burlington), Romana Ciampolillo (Stoneham), and Fran Federico (Stoneham) |
Francesca Federico of Stoneham takes the bus to work everyday from Woburn into Boston. For the past 5 years she has traveled to work with several women who have all become friends. She saw information about Gathering Change, Inc., and decided her love of cooking could raise funds to feed the hungry. To her it was "an easy, fun reason to get together. People are more than willing to give where it's needed." She invited them all over, planned her menu and asked them to start saving their spare change to bring with them for Gathering Change, Inc.
Fran considered her party "cooking for a good cause" and she and the women of bus 354 raised $313.51, which will go to support the Stoneham Food Pantries.
Thank you Fran and friends for all your support.
You can see this article featured in the Stoneham Patch. |
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Fashion, Fun and Fundraising
Madison Ave of Melrose Raises over $1,500
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Models and Organizers of the Madison Ave. of Melrose Fashion Show (Left to right): Marissa DiPietro, Heather Dudley, Caroline Wright, Shae Soucy, Michelle Gallant, Madison Cotton, Katie Crespo (Exquisite Hair Salon, Melrose), Diana Brennen, Joanne Cotton (owner, Madison Ave. of Melrose), Nina Cameron, Laura Moynihan Avalino and Joanne O'Kennedy. |
Joanne Cotton is passionate about giving back to her community. It is not surprising that the owner and operator of Madison Ave. of Melrose, a consignment boutique on Main Street in Melrose, held a fashion show on October 18 to benefit Gathering Change, Inc. With approximately 100 big hearted customers, friends and family in attendance, the evening was full of conversation, laughter and designer clothes modeled for purchase.
Over $1,500 was raised at the fashion show and the money has already been given to the two food pantries in Melrose: the Servant's Heart Food Pantry at the Faith Evangelical Church on Franklin Street and the Pantry of Hope Food Pantry at the First Baptist Church on the corner of Upham and Main Streets.
Thank you Joanne Cotton, Madison Ave. of Melrose and all the guests and models at the fashion show.
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About Gathering Change, Inc.
We are a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization that collects spare change from our communities for distribution back into our neighborhood food pantries and social programs. Since our first collection in October of 2008 we have been able to donate food or funds to over 44 Massachusetts food pantries.
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