​As I write to you, the Amesbury Market is bustling with shoppers picking out their turkeys and bagging up their squash and potatoes and all the other essentials that they’ll prepare for a Thanksgiving feast with their family and friends. Volunteers are cheerfully meeting and greeting and holiday spirit is alive and present!
Now is always a busy time of year, this year being no different. In fact, when we opened our doors yesterday, we had already pre-registered 900 households for Thanksgiving and Christmas groceries (100 more than we served last year) and more are registering each day. But thanks to the more than 100 volunteers working this week and the continued support of a community always ready to rise to the challenge, every guest at our door will leave with arms full of groceries for the week and all the fixings needed for a holiday to be thankful for.
It may feel like magic, but the truth is happy Thanksgivings start with YOU. For all this, for your support, I extend my heartfelt thanks and share sincere gratitude on behalf of the Board and staff, and most importantly our guests. If you’ve made your gift this year, know that your generosity is already at work. And if you’re thinking about what or how much to give this holiday season, know your donation not only puts meals on your neighbor’s table today, it wraps her in a community that feeds her hope for tomorrow.
 
We wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.
 
Warm Wishes,
Lyndsey Haight
​Executive Director

​ONT is excited to officially announce the opening of a weekly market in Newburyport. The program opened in June thanks to a partnership with Community Service of Newburyport and is currently serving residents of Newburyport, Newbury and West Newbury every Thursday, 11:00am – 2:00pm. After years of partnering on referring local residents to each agency’s services, CSN’s move to their new location at St. Paul’s Church in 2018 was the catalyst to bring ONT and CSN’s strengths and resources under one roof. The soft opening in June allowed both organizations to get settled in and work out any challenges. CSN officially welcomed the community at their ribbon-cutting on October 22nd, and both organizations are now looking forward to getting the word out. Read more about what impact ONT is making in Newburyport.

This year's Annual Breakfast was an inspiring morning celebrating the collective impact of the community joining together to create food security. Dr. Gail Fayre of Anna Jacques Hospital, volunteer Bob Murciak and board member Kellyn Nahas bravely shared their own stories with the group. (pictured here right to left with emcee Dana Marshall)
Read more about the breakfast and 2018 impact. #whatsyourstory

ONT is excited to officially announce the opening of a weekly market in Newburyport. The program opened in June thanks to a partnership with Community Service of Newburyport and is currently serving residents of Newburyport, Newbury and West Newbury every Thursday, 11:00am – 2:00pm. After years of partnering on referring local residents to each agency’s services, CSN’s move to their new location at St. Paul’s Church in 2018 was the catalyst to bring ONT and CSN’s strengths and resources under one roof. The soft opening in June allowed both organizations to get settled in and work out any challenges. CSN officially welcomed the community at their ribbon-cutting on October 22nd, and both organizations are now looking forward to getting the word out.
 
Contrary to public perception, Newburyport has the most residents struggling with food insecurity of the 12 cities and towns served by Our Neighbors’ Table. Based on data from the Greater Boston Food Bank, more than 1300 people living in Newburyport do not have a reliable source of food every day. What’s also staggering: of those in need, only about 40% are actually accessing help through public or private organizations. “The need is there, but it’s out of sight. It’s hiding in the shadows,” shares ONT Executive Director Lyndsey Haight. ONT guests often report feelings of shame or embarrassment for needing help, a feeling ONT works to break down through our focus on hospitality and a dignified shopping experience. “We’ve been focused on treating each other with kindness and respect for 26 years. Providing service with dignity is the right thing to do, and it’s also the most effective way to bring people out of the shadows and get them the help they need,” says Haight. “Our markets might be bright and pretty, but we still understand that no one wants to have to shop here. So our priority is to make it as enjoyable as possible and to ensure that we offer the food selections that our guests tell us they need most.”
 
For the last five months, ONT has been working with Newburyport residents and leaders to build an infrastructure to ensure no one has to go hungry. Building on the success in Amesbury, which was declared a Food-Secure City earlier in 2018, ONT is focused on partnerships, raising awareness of the need and reaching out to residents in need. Drawing from the data provided by GBFB, ONT has partnered with the Councils on Aging in Newburyport and Salisbury, Anna Jaques Hospital and Children’s Health Care to conduct a local needs assessment to understand where, for whom and why food insecurity persists. The first 30-day survey phase was completed in September and revealed that, of 250 respondents, 1 out of 4 (25%) reported experiencing food insecurity in the last year. Survey participants cross all ages and gender. Employment was cited most often as their primary source of income, yet the vast majority of respondents identify lack of enough money as their primary barrier to accessing food.
 
The information gathered is being used to drive further research and to implement creative programming and strategies to eliminate barriers between people and food. The weekly Newburyport Market is a first step. Partnerships with Newburyport Public Schools and Children’s Health Care are helping to reach people where they are, break down the stigma and shame, and help people get the help they need. Since just last year, ONT has already seen a 70% increase in the number of Newburyport residents accessing their market programs.
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November and December are a busy time at Our Neighbors' Table! Please check out our upcoming important program dates.

Community Events:

• Saturday, 11/17: Fill a Cruiser at Stop & Shop (Amesbury) and Crosby's Marketplace (Georgetown) thanks to the hard work of the Amesbury, Georgetown, Merrimac, Salisbury and West Newbury Police Departments! 
• Thursday, 11/22: Booster Food Drive at Amesbury v. Newburyport football game
• Saturday, 12/1: Look for us in the Amesbury Holiday Parade!
• Sunday, 12/2: Watch for us in the Merrimac Santa Parade!

Market Updates:

• The ONT Office and the Market will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 22 - 25. There will be no grocery programs Nov. 22 - 25. 
• The ONT Office and all programs are closed Dec. 24 - Jan. 1, re-opening on Jan. 2, 2019. There is no Wednesday Meal on Dec. 26.

Thanksgiving Holiday Food Distribution (by appointment):

• Tuesday, 11/13: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
• Wednesday, 11/14: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
• Thursday, 11/15: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
• Friday, 11/16: 9:00am - 12:00pm
• Saturday, 11/17: 9:00am - 12:00pm

Christmas Holiday Food Distribution (by appointment):

• Tuesday, 12/11: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
• Wednesday, 12/12: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
• Thursday, 12/13: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
• Friday, 12/14: 9:00am - 12:00pm
• Saturday, 12/15: 9:00am - 12:00pm

Wednesday Meal:

• There will be a meal the day before Thanksgiving on Wednesday, 11/21. Join us for pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes, fresh vegetable and soup of the day.
• The Christmas dinner with Santa will be Dec. 12, featuring free pictures with Santa, musical entertainment and lots of holiday cheer! 

This year's Annual Breakfast was an inspiring morning celebrating the collective impact of the community joining together to create food security. 2018 has seen ONT continuing to grow and serve more people than every before. Guests have walked through our market doors - at our central market and at our mobile markets - 20,450 times in 2018. More than 1,000 people - children, seniors, adults with disabilities, working adults and parents - who have not received help before are finding the help they need. 

The theme of the morning was "Food Security Starts With  You." None of ONT's impact would be possible with the volunteers, donors, and community partners that work together daily to ensure that none of our neighbors have to go hungry.  In this spirit, ONT honored our 2018 Community Champions for their contributions. Sue Ranshaw and Betty Elliott were honored as individual champions for their over a decade of service to the organization and their role in starting and maintaining a mobile market in Merrimac. The Amesbury Council on Aging was honored as the organization champion for being a critical partner in creating a Food Secure Amesbury and ensuring that none of our Amesbury seniors have to worry about getting their next meal.

But perhaps the highlight of the morning was a conversation with 3 community members as to what ONT and food security means to them. Dr. Gail Fayre, Chief Medical Officer at Anna Jacques Hospital, Bob Murciak, an ONT volunteeer, and Kellyn Nahas, owner of the Barking Dog Ale House Group and ONT board member, each shared their powerful personal stories in a discussion monitored by emcee Dana Marshall of 92.5 the River. 

In a true connection of the theme, the over 200 event attendees rose to the challenge giving $25 or more to provide someone with 1 meal a day for a month.  Over $26,000 was raised by the breakfast, enough to provide 40 people with 3 meals a day for an entire year!  Check out the Newburyport News article covering the breakfast.

Table Sponsors:

• Amesbury Industrial Supply
• ARC Technologies
• Barking Dog/Ale House
• Children's Health Care
• Dolan Financial Services
• Harmon Weston Photography
• HealthCare Compliance Network
• Koya Leadership Partners
• Provident Bank
• Twin Lanterns Dairy Bar

If you ask Emily White volunteers, she’ll tell you that she likes to be “part of a local solution.” Emily volunteers in the ONT office and organizes home grocery delivery bags every week. “It’s my favorite day of the week,” Emily says about her Wednesdays with ONT. She also helps with special projects like ONT’s Easter baskets, bags for homeless men and women, and food drive sorting. A mom of 4, Emily has brought her children to volunteer with her to teach them about giving back to their community (pictured here with her son).
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Emily moved to Amesbury in 2006 and began teaching Italian with ONT’s neighbor, the Sparhawk School. She was involved with volunteer activities with ONT through the school, but always thought it would be nice to get more involved if she had extra time. Now a stay at home mother, Emily has carved some time out of her busy schedule to volunteer at ONT every Wednesday. Emily also volunteers in the library at the Amesbury Middle School where her middle son is a student. Emily brings a host of skills and experience to ONT, and will be our on-call Italian interpreter if the need ever arises. Emily says that she enjoyed the fulfillment of volunteering when she began last fall, but it has grown into something greater as she realized how special the Our Neighbors’ Table community is.

Want to join Emily as a volunteer? Fill out a volunteer application today!

In our last issue, we celebrated Amesbury as a Food-Secure City. Through partnerships with schools, city services, social service partners, and hundreds of private citizens, ONT has helped raise awareness of food insecurity in Amesbury and has created and sustains a network of resources to provide food for all residents in need. Today, I am thrilled to report that ONT is well on its way to mobilizing neighboring communities to do the same. Over the last eight months, ONT has convened the Food Security Advisory Group and its Assessment Working Group to develop a plan to better understand where and why food insecurity persists in our region. We launched this assessment in July and will issue a first round of findings later this Fall.
 
While we work with our partners to gain this knowledge, we are simultaneously piloting new programs and projects, building new partnerships and using our experience, lessons from national leaders to strengthen the existing network of food resources across our region.
 
The thought of declaring our entire region as food-secure is both incredible and entirely possible. Our experience in the City of Amesbury, and in just the short time of engaging community members in Newburyport has demonstrated that one of our region’s greatest strengths is the motivation of its citizens to mobilize and take care of one another. ONT experienced that eagerness first-hand in 2016 when we raised $1.1 million to open the Jardis-Taylor Center, and again this June. With 10 days left in our Spring Appeal, we put out a call to community members to meet a $10,000 challenge match. Well, the community answered and raised the bar – raising $21,000! ONT secured it’s $10,000 matching gift and finished the Spring Appeal well over its goal, having raised $113,000! To everyone who made a donation, helped spread the word, or volunteered in our programs putting those dollars to work, I thank you. I thank you on behalf of the thousands of guests, particularly the 900 children who have come to know that their community will be here to keep their bodies nourished and nurtured.
 
I am personally excited at the potential we hold to ensure every one of our neighbors never has to worry about going hungry. And I hope – I know – you are too. I look forward to sharing our ongoing progress with you and invite you to get involved – volunteer in our programs; take a tour of our groundbreaking market; join us at Fill ‘Em Up Fest September 8, and at our Annual Breakfast in October; and become a sustaining donor. You’d be amazed at what we can accomplish with just $25 a month.
 
                                                                                              Here’s to a Path to Food Security!
                                                                                                             Lyndsey Haight
                                                                                                            Executive Director

​​Over the last 8 months, the Food Security Advisory Group (FSAG) has convened and declared food insecurity an important issue in our region. More importantly, the members of the group have agreed that time and resources need to be dedicated to understanding and addressing hunger and food security for all residents. Working through its Regional Assessment Working Group, member agencies and municipalities have launched the first phase of our regional food security assessment. Surveys are being administered at Anna Jaques Hospital, Children’s Health Care, local Councils on Aging and online to start to understand where and why local residents experience barriers to getting enough food and getting enough nutritious food.

We need your help to Run Out Hunger! Runners (or non-runners!) of all abilities are invited to support ONT and get a VIP experience for the Newburyport Half Marathon on October 21. Each runner commits to raising a minimum of $500 to support Our Neighbors' Table, which will provide more than 500 meals to the community. Personalized online giving pages are available to easily collect donations from your family, friends, and co-workers.
Never run a half marathon before? No problem - we have you covered! Studio Five in Rowley is offering coaching to support your training to get you across the finish line.

​Thank you to these Great Neighbors for making a big impact on hunger. Join their ranks and become a Great Neighbor today!

ONT’s 2020 Strategic Plan lays a Path to Food Security, focusing on the communities of Newburyport, Salisbury and Merrimac, where current data demonstrates greatest need. The core component of ONT’s success in creating a food-secure Amesbury and expanding regional food security is its strategic partnerships with public and private institutions and with private citizens. ONT has convened local leaders to form the Food Security Advisory Group. Members include Anna Jaques Hospital, Children’s Health Care, Mayor Holaday (Newburyport), Mayor Gray (Amesbury), superintendents and school personnel from the Newburyport, Merrimac, Pentucket and Triton school districts, the Merrimac Police Department, Pettengill House, Newburyport and Salisbury Councils on Aging, and the Greater Boston Food Bank.
 
Over the last 8 months, the Food Security Advisory Group (FSAG) has convened and declared food insecurity an important issue in our region. More importantly, the members of the group have agreed that time and resources need to be dedicated to understanding and addressing hunger and food security for all residents. Working through its Regional Assessment Working Group, member agencies and municipalities have launched the first phase of our regional food security assessment. Surveys are being administered at Anna Jaques Hospital, Children’s Health Care, local Councils on Aging, libraries and online to start to understand where and why local residents experience barriers to getting enough food and getting enough nutritious food.
 
“Current research shows that 80% of illnesses and hospitalizations are tied directly to the food that we eat,” shares Dr. Gail Fayre, Chief Medical Officer at Anna Jaques Hospital. “Our joint efforts will help inform best practices to address local need.”
 
Over the next two years, ONT and the FSAG will focus on uncovering areas of unmet need and developing creative strategies to ensure no one falls through the cracks. “Our region is fortunate to have a number of food resources available. The challenge is understanding why people do not or can not participate in these resources and if the existing programs are best suited to meet their need,” states Lyndsey Haight. “But we are deeply encouraged by the interest and commitment of local leaders to solve this problem.”
 
For more information about the Food Security Advisory Group or how you can get involved with the regional assessment, please contact ONT Executive Director, Lyndsey Haight, at lyndsey@ourneighborstable.org.

Have you ever wondered how Our Neighbors’ Table gets all of its food? Well, a large part of it comes from the Greater Boston Food Bank located in South Boston. And thanks to Amesbury resident and ONT volunteer Mike Pollard, it arrives at our Market and into the shopping carts of our guests. Twice a week, Mike drives the ONT box truck down to Boston and brings it back to the Jardis-Taylor Center full of pallets of fresh produce, dairy, meat, and non-perishable items. Mike logs over 165 miles per week for ONT and we would be lost without him!

Mike has been volunteering for ONT for a long time—so long in fact, he can’t remember when he started! He thinks it’s been about four or five years. He began volunteering after he retired from his career as a self-employed chimney sweep. “I had a lot of time on my hands,” Mike said. “I liked the idea of driving. I was a little involved in social programs before but was frustrated not knowing if I was doing things effectively. Driving a truck is straight forward, and I know I’m doing it right.”
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Mike is also a key piece of the Merrimac Mobile Market. He drives the truck full of fresh produce and wholesome food to the Merrimac Senior Center one Saturday a month. Mike has a valued volunteerism for much of his life. He served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in 1970 with New Hampshire Legal Services. When he’s not volunteering with ONT, Mike enjoys exercising, reading, spending time with his wife and finding the best baked goods to satisfy his sweet tooth.
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When asked why he volunteers Mike says, “I like giving to the community. It makes me feel good and it’s satisfying. I like being reliable and I believe providing food to people is really important.”
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Want to volunteer like Mike? Complete our volunteer application and we'll get you started! 

Our Neighbors' Table's Summer Lunch Program has fed 541 so far this summer. This a 45% increase from the number of kids served in 2017! 

Now in it's 8th year, ONT's Summer Lunch Program is taking the fear of hunger out of summer and providing healthy meals and snacks to children across the region. Summer is a time of fun, a time to relax from the stress of school, a time to just be a kid. But for more than 2,400 children living in the Lower Merrimack Valley, summer means no school - and no school breakfast and lunch. 

Across the region, 1 out of every 8 school children lives in a food-insecure home. For these families, it is already a struggle to afford enough food to feed their children during the school year. At an average cost of $3/meal, the cost of feeding each child for the 9 weeks of summer vacation is $300. Compounded with costs of summer camp and childcare, the loss of school lunches quickly turns summer fun into summer angst.

ONT is proud to provide relief to these families, and to do so with wholesome, nutritious foods that children WILL eat! ONT's market serves families living in northeastern Essex County (see list of eligible towns below) with a genuine weekly shopping experience throughout the year featuring a full array of grocery staples, meats/fish, dairy, and LOTS of fresh produce. The Summer Lunch Program provides each enrolled family with even more groceries specifically for breakfast, lunch and snack foods - foods like fresh oranges, cherries, grapes, carrots, hummus, peanut butter and jelly, wheat bread, lunch meat, milk, eggs, and cereal. Families enrolled in the SLP get BOTH the program items and access to the complete market!

Parents from last year's program shared how the program helped them:
"Summer is hard financially because the kids are home and eat twice as much. God bless and thank you."
"Very helpful with two small children, especially most of the fresh food."
"[The program gave us] more options and stretched [our] food availability"
"My SNAP benefits didn't come this month so I needed everything!"

Whether kids are home for the summer, at daycare, or at summer camp, their parents can get them started with a wholesome breakfast and pack them healthy, nutritious lunches to keep their bellies full and their energy strong to run, jump, and enjoy the summer just like every other kid.

HOW CAN I SUPPORT:
Every $1 donated to the Summer Lunch Program provides 1 more meal to our kids. Make a donation now! Kids now have the opportunity to help their peers struggling with hunger by starting a Fill Em Up Bag! The $25 collected will provide breakfast and lunch for a kid for a howl month! Read more about how you can get your kids involved in giving back to their community.