​Meeting the Need Head-On
Lyndsey Haight, Executive Director
While COVID-19 has not directly affected the physical health of most residents in our region, the economic and emotional toll has been astounding. The average unemployment rate for our 12 cities and towns over April, May and June 2020 tops 14%, compared to 2.45% one year ago. Even at the height of the recession, local unemployment average for the region in 2010 was only 7.5%.
Families who were gainfully employed only 6 months ago now rely on stimulus checks, SNAP and programs like Our Neighbors’ Table. With your support, ONT has been able to meet the need head-on and has proudly supported our partners in school districts and councils on aging across the region in working creatively and collaboratively to get food to people every day. From January 1 to July 31, ONT’s grocery programs distributed 845,000 pounds of wholesome foods to 4214 people across the region (up 11% and 24% respectively over last year).
How can we keep up with this increase of demand? Because our community is committed to ensuring everyone’s basic needs are met, even in a global crisis. You are each proving the “Unity” in Community. In just the first 90 days following the shutdown, more than 900 new donors reached out to support ONT’s work. Collectively, as local businesses were struggling, individuals in every community stepped forward and contributed a record $300,000 to keep food on the table for ONT’s guests.
“Uncertainty” seems to be the guiding principle for the near future. But there are 2 things I know for certain: 1) As this crisis continues, need for food assistance will continue to increase; and 2) ONT and its supporters will be here to respond. September is Hunger Action Month. I ask you to continue your resolve, reach out to friends and neighbors who need help, support our efforts by raising awareness, hosting virtual food drives, and, when you can, making a donation. We will continue to win this fight as we work in unity to keep our neighbors food-secure.

STAY CONNECTED

• Join ONT’s email list
• Follow ONT on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
• Watch a Hunger Action Month Facebook live

JOIN US

• Register for virtual Volunteer Orientation by filling out a Volunteer Application
• Purchase a ticket to the Annual Breakfast broadcast
• Make a donation
• Become a Breakfast Club member with a recurring donation

BRING YOUR FRIENDS

• Start a virtual food drive
• Host a virtual Table to Table event

​When Heather McPeake sat in ONT’s community room for volunteer orientation in the summer of 2018, she never imagined she would be in the same room; packing grocery orders in a face mask.  Heather and her daughter came to ONT because she wanted to give back her community and do something meaningful with her teenage daughter.  The two enjoyed volunteering together stocking shelves in the Market.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Heather found herself working from her home in Amesbury 4 days a week for a law firm. “I hadn’t volunteered for awhile and I was feeling like I wanted to do something help during the crisis,” Heather said. And help she is! Heather has answered the call and is helping in 2 crucial areas of ONT’s program operations.  On Wednesdays, she helps pre-pack the dry goods for the Newburyport pick-up orders. Heather she loves the organization of checking off the packing list and making sure the guest gets everything they ordered.
Heather is also part of our remote support team, helping guest with their customized grocery orders over the phone if they don’t have internet access to place their order. “I love talking to the guests on the phone,” she said. “Everyone is so nice, you can tell how appreciative they are for ONT.” Despite the programmatic changes, Heather says that the ONT atmosphere is still the same. She loves the team spirit and working side by side (from a safe distance!) with her neighbors to help each other.
Heather and her husband have called Amesbury home for 15 years. When not at ONT, she loves to cook, do yoga and go for nature walks with her 15-year-old daughter. If you see her out walking her yorkie, Elsie, be sure to wave hello!

​Thank you for making food security a priority in 2019, for elevating food insecurity as a real issue in our community and for putting the investments in to address this fixable problem. Thank you for making it possible for us to serve more than 4,500 of your neighbors, providing them with fresh, wholesome foods when and where they need it. The year ahead holds ambitious goals to spread food security across our region and I hope you’ll stick with us.
 
The USDA defines Food Security as consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle. Our work, to-date, has been laser-focused on:
1. Enough food. ONT’s approach leaves behind the traditional food pantry model and replaces it with the traditional grocery store model – you come in weekly, you pick out the foods you like to and can eat, and you get as much of it as you need to feed your family. In 2019, ONT distributed 1.38 million pounds of food, two-thirds of which were high quality produce, meats, fish, and dairy.
 2. Food to support a healthy lifestyle. Walk into any ONT market and you will immediately notice that fresh fruits and vegetables take center-stage. Guests shopping in our markets have long told us that they want to eat more fresh foods, but they simply can’t afford it. ONT is proud to partner with more than 2 dozen local growers and community gardens to bring fresh produce to our markets. Our partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank and local food rescue partners have ensured that every shopper has year-round access to these foods. Foods they need and want to live an active, healthy lifestyle. 

Now, 2020 will be the year we focus on tying it all together with the most important factor that separates temporary relief of hunger from true food security: Consistency.
 
Access to food today means you’re not hungry now. Reliable, consistent access to enough, quality food every day means you are food secure. From expanding our community markets, to providing tools to our pediatricians and educators to connect people to food, to shuttles from the Salisbury and Groveland Councils on Aging to the Amesbury market, we’re breaking down barriers so people can have access to food every day.
 
As we work together toward the goal of a food secure region, can you help us build consistency? This year, we are seeking to build our Breakfast Club, those giving across 12-months a year, ensuring our resources are ready and available whenever our neighbors need us. Last year, the Breakfast Club grew to nearly 100 members. Our goal this year is to get to at least 150. Is this the year you can build food security into your everyday life?
 
We’re ready to make the promise of food security. As I personally celebrate a decade here at ONT, I’m looking forward to the possibilities our future holds.
 
Wishing you a happy, healthy and food secure 2020,
Lyndsey Haight
Executive Director

​Did you know you can volunteer at the ONT Market with your children? ONT’s WEE Can Help! program provides a wonderful opportunity for children ages 4-10 to come in for a Market Stocking shift! WEE Can Help! volunteers perform the important task of restocking our shelves after the Market has closed on Wednesdays from 4-5pm. This is a great chance for parents to teach their children about giving back to their community in a kid-friendly space. Find out more information here! 
If you’re looking for an opportunity that is suitable for both individuals and groups, consider Fill ‘Em Up Bags! The goal for each person participating in Fill ‘Em Up Bags is to raise $30, which provides dinner to a child for a whole month! Each participant decorates their Fill ‘Em Up Bag, then ask friends and family to help fill the bag. Learn more about how your child can make a difference! 
If you have any questions about family opportunities, please email Melanie or call her (978) 388-1907 x21. ​

Meet Rose Cole, a volunteer who wears many different hats at Our Neighbors’ Table. Rose heard about Our Neighbors’ Table through word of mouth, and first got involved in 2015 when ONT was headquartered out of the Main Street Congregational Church. Now, Rose volunteers every Thursday at the Newburyport Market, as well as every Friday doing check-in for the Amesbury Market, and Rose serves on the Volunteer Appreciation Committee. Rose says one of her favorite things about ONT is the camaraderie among volunteers, “When there’s a volunteer who has something going on in their life-- others help out. It feels really good to be a part of that.”
Rose was key in helping to start ONT’s Newburyport Market in 2018. ONT’s Mobile Market Manager Tracy Kane says, “It took a lot to get the Newburyport Market off the ground, and more importantly to show new guests coming to it that they were welcomed and safe. Rose was extremely helpful and patient while we got all that going, helping to demonstrate ONT’s core values.” Read more about Rose in this month's Volunteer Spotlight! 

The community's collective hard work continues to reach more neighbors, including more seniors and more children, than ever before. Our Annual Report will be out next month with more  highlights, but in the meantime here are some key 2019 figures: 

​Save the Dates!
Planning your 2020 calendar? Be sure to pencil in these ONT events so you don't miss them! ​

Imagine a community where every child starts the school day with a nutritious breakfast, where their bodies and minds are nourished and their hearts are raised up by the village around them. The truth right now is that 1 out of 8 children in our region live in a food-insecure home. Their parents are struggling to make ends meet, trading heating bills for groceries or gas to get to work. And every day, our children are thinking about being hungry instead of focusing on learning.

Hunger feels like an insurmountable problem, but we’ve seen the difference we are making. This year’s Annual Breakfast gave us a glimpse into the future. We heard from Josh and Jill, who both turned to ONT – Josh as a teenager living on his own, Jill as a single mom seeking a better future for her sons – and who are now flourishing and paying it forward. We learned from their stories that it wasn’t easy to ask for help. But what a lesson it was for us to witness Jill sharing her experience with Dr. Lars Lundgren from Children’s Health Care. Fifteen years ago, Dr. Lundgren was Jill’s family pediatrician. Today, Dr. Lundgren is leading his practice as a Medical Home, partnering with ONT to integrate food security into health care.

ONT is excited about the new partnership with Children’s Health Care. Seeded with a 3-year grant from the Mary Alice Arakelian Foundation, this partnership gives families like Jill’s a trusted partner in their pediatrician where they can work together to connect the whole family with ONT’s programs. This is a growing practice in health care and ONT is proud to be leading the way.

Today, we don’t have to just imagine a community where every child is fed. We’ve created that here in Amesbury. Through our growing partnerships and by sharing our stories, we will soon have a food secure region. As we enter this holiday season, give thanks to those around us. Your local businesses, your elected officials, your teachers, your girl and boy scouts, your friends, and your neighbors. I thank you for being so bold to make this imagined place a real place right here.
​
Gratefully,
Lyndsey Haight
Executive Director

SNAP is a monthly allowance provided so that you can purchase your groceries in any local grocery store. The money is put on a special card that works just like a debit card and is accepted at all of the local grocery store chains. ONT is now a SNAP Outreach Partner so you can process your SNAP applications and recertifications right in our Amesbury office! Our Food Resource Advocate Tress Ricker is new to our team but has many years of experience to help you navigate the often confusing process. To schedule a time with Tress for help with SNAP, please call 978-388-1907 x18 or pop into the intake office during Market hours. Read more about SNAP and ONT's partnership here. ​

​Check out the complete list of events, hours and holiday programming!

Together, we are turning traditional “charity” on its head, bringing local residents, educators, health care providers and elected leaders together to stand in solidarity with our neighbors who have been struggling in the shadows, worrying if they’ll have enough food for their children. Back in February, I shared how fired up I was after a strong year of reaching more than 4,000 of our neighbors. And, you told me just how fired up YOU are too! Here, I share a couple quotes that have really stayed with me.
“Being blessed with more than enough, I live by the maxim ‘to whom much is given much is required.’"
“Living on one income again is not something I planned on. You never know when your circumstances could change. There are days I go without to make sure my son does not…Pride sometimes stops a person from asking for help. ONT makes it a bit easier. They are welcoming and allow you to keep your dignity while getting through the struggles…I cannot give money but I can give time. No one can do it alone it takes a village. If you need a hand, take it. If you can give one then do it! I appreciate ONT being a part of my village.”
These sentiments keep the ONT mission moving forward, guided by our values: Service with Dignity, Community, Respect, Quality, and Confidentiality. After 27 years, our ripple continues to spread. You may have heard our recent good news. We received a 10-year investment from the Cummings Foundation, putting $500,000 toward creating a food-secure region by 2029. Next week, we’ll compete with 7 other leading organizations for United Way’s Venture Fund to build city-wide change to ensure every Newburyport child AND parent is food-secure. These investments are important. But, the truth is, we can’t do any of this without the resolve of our local neighbors and businesses.
You’ve likely already received a letter from me in your mailbox and, over the next month, you’ll see more emails in your inbox than usual. We are in the throws of our Spring appeal as we head into the busiest season at ONT: Summer. Traditionally, we have all thought of Thanksgiving and Christmas as the time to reach out to our neighbors in need. But, today, families struggle every single day. And, every day, ONT is here for them, thanks to your generous spirit. To those of you joining the Breakfast Club  – thank you for ensuring our children and our seniors start every day right. To those digging deep for an extra gift in the Spring, to those who give their time and their voices – thank you for standing in solidarity with your neighbors to say “No one goes hungry on our watch.”
Gratefully,
Lyndsey Haight
Executive Director

​ONT was thrilled to be awarded a $500,000, 10 year sustaining grant from the Cummings Foundation! This investment of $50,000 a year for the next decade will help create a food secure region. Read more about this exciting investment. 

If you spend any time in the ONT Warehouse, you’ll be pleased to encounter the “dynamic duo” of Steve Ventola and Gary Arsenault. Both got involved in the ONT warehouse for their first shift and Steve jokes that “now they won’t let us out.” Their service in the warehouse, including picking up donations from food rescue partners, unloading food from our trucks, and stocking the warehouse shelves is crucial to our grocery program operations. "I love that I get to keep busy, give back something to the community, and get a positive feeling every day,” Gary, an Amesbury resident, says about volunteering with ONT. Steve, who like Gary is retired, said “I’ve been very blessed in my life and I want to repay that in some small way.” Read more about the dynamic duo in this month’s Volunteer Spotlight!

​Speaking of families, ONT's Fill Em Up Bags returns this spring as a way for kids to help their peers struggling with hunger. Kids will decorate their Fill Em Up Bag, then ask friends and family to help fill the bag. The goal is to collect $25, which provide breakfast and lunch to a child for a whole month! This a wonderful opportunity to instill the value of giving back and helping others in your children. Read more about Fill Em Up Bags here. 

​These Great Neighbors are making a big impact on hunger. Join their ranks and become a Great Neighbor today! 

​Our Neighbors’ Table is thrilled to be one of the local nonprofits sharing in Cummings Foundation’s $25 million grant program in 2019. We are honored to have been awarded a $500,000 Sustaining Grant, to be disbursed in $50,000 increments over 10 years.
 
In 2018, ONT declared Amesbury a Food-Secure City. Through years of building awareness of need, normalizing asking for help, and establishing a flexible, community-based network of food resources, ONT has been able to create and sustain universal access to nutritious food for all Amesbury residents. This 10-year partnership with Cummings will enable ONT to replicate this model across the other 11 towns we serve, reaching over 6,000 individuals each year throughout the second half of the grant term and ensuring food security in our region.
 
“To be able to project a vision for 10 years out was kind of cool,” said Lyndsey Haight, Executive Director. “When we thought out that far, we realized that by 2029, every one of our communities could be food secure. This grant will allow us to have the resources upfront so we can respond quickly and address needs as they are given to us by the community.”
 
Lori Townsend, Program Director, and Alice Tonry, Development Associate, represented the nonprofit at a May 2 awards night at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn with the other sustaining grant awardees. There the Foundation shared the following feedback from the Sustaining Grants Selection Committee about ONT.
 
“The staff and volunteers at Our Neighbors’ Table are knowledgeable and passionate about food insecurity and have an innovative approach to help families and individuals. Its strategic approach is impressive, and its model is replicable. It’s at the forefront of reducing stigma that prevents people from seeking and accepting food assistance. The staff is passionate about their mission, results driven, and willing to think outside the box to reach the people who need them the most. We left the site visit sufficiently wowed.”
 
The Sustaining Grants initiative builds on Cummings Foundation’s $100K for 100 program. First offered in 2012, $100K for 100 annually awards $10 million through multi-year grants of $100,000 each to 100 nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk counties. Grant recipients that received their final grant disbursements in 2018 were automatically considered for $15 million in Sustaining Grants.
 
 “We introduced Sustaining Grants to help alleviate the constant burden of fundraising so nonprofit professionals can spend more of their limited time and resources on actually providing services,” said Christina Berthelsen, grants manager at Cummings Foundation.
 
Cummings Foundation has awarded nearly $250 million to date in Greater Boston alone. Funds are generated through commercial properties that are owned by, and operated for the sole benefit of, Cummings Foundation. All of its buildings are managed pro bono by Woburn commercial real estate firm Cummings Properties.
 
Sustaining Grants winners were selected primarily by a 33-member volunteer committee, which included former state legislators, CEOs of local companies, and a retired justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, among many others. Committee members met with each nonprofit twice to learn how the $100K for 100 funds helped to advance its mission, and how it might put a 10-year grant to use.
 
“We are grateful to the Sustaining Grants Selection Committee, Bill & Joyce Cummings and the Cummings Foundation for this investment in service with dignity and food security,” Haight said.
 
About Our Neighbors’ Table
Hunger comes in many forms. Our Neighbors' Table's innovative approach to food assistance is aimed at providing flexible, personalized programs to individuals and families living in northeastern Essex County. Guests of Our Neighbors' Table have access to fresh, wholesome food and dignified experiences when and where they need it. ONT’s services include a weekly meal, a weekly market, four community-based mobile markets, a home delivery program, 24/7 emergency food assistance, a summer lunch program for children and their families, and three holiday grocery programs. The ONT grocery programs provided groceries, fresh foods, and toiletries to more than 4,100 individuals in 2018. Every summer, we provide breakfast, lunch and snacks to 1,000 children; each holiday season, we distribute special groceries and turkeys to more than 900 families.
 
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings and has grown to be one of the three largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Its largest single commitment to date has been to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org. 

2019 is up and running! Checkout our complete list of 2019 events and mark your calendar.I am fired up! Why, you ask? Well, it’s because of YOU! When you see your neighbors struggling, you act! When you know someone who’s plate is empty, you mobilize to fill it. Whether it’s your time or your donations, you are committed to making sure your neighbors are taken care of and that inspires me every day.
It’s not just me, you’re inspiring others to join in the fight to put food on the table for all of our neighbors. Last year, more than 800 of our neighbors signed up to volunteer or made a donation for the first time. That’s 800 more people who are now aware of food insecurity in our community and 800 more people who, like you, are ready to make a difference. Knowing that so many of our fellow community members agree that NO ONE should go hungry in our backyard is what tells me that creating a food secure region is a goal within our reach
No one of us can eliminate hunger on our own, but, boy, we are powerful together.
Last year, we launched new programs and partnerships across the region - from bussing for seniors in Groveland to shop for groceries at our Amesbury market, to creative strategies to help Newburyport teachers, nurses and school administrators better reach their struggling families, to our new Market in Newburyport. As a result, we put food on the table for more than 4,000 of the 6,000 neighbors who were worrying about where they’d get their next meal.
I hope you’re as fired us as I am for the year ahead. And, if you are, I want to hear you! Keep me going, keep our team going, and share with me what is energizing you. Please, will you take a minute and share your inspiration with us? Tell us why you invest in ONT. Tell us what it means to put food on the table for your neighbors. Tell us what will keep you fired up!
Let’s make 2019 an even stronger year and reach 5,000 neighbors! 

Lyndsey Haight
Executive Director

​P.S. Checkout our complete list of 2019 events and mark your calendars! 

Looking for a  way to give back as a group – either a group of friends, family, neighbors or colleagues?  ONT's Market and Meal Sponsorships offer the unique opportunity for group volunteer service.

Wednesday Meal Sponsorship:
Each week, ONT welcomes 150 guests to dine at our weekly Wednesday Meal. The chef prepared 3 course meal is open to any one in any community. Sponsors commit to a $500 financial contribution and bring a group of 8 volunteers to serve the meal. Dates are available on a first-come first-serve basis and are booking up fast!
​
Market Sponsorship:
Over 450 households shop for their groceries each week at the ONT Market. Sponsors commit a minimum of $800 and may send a team of up to 5 volunteers to work a shift in the market, assisting guests with their weekly shopping. Market shifts are available Wednesday—Saturday.
Email Lyndsey or call her at 978-388-1907 x11 if you’re interested in either opportunity. Our Meal sponsor dates are booking up fast already!

​We'll be growing our team in 2019! ONT has been approved to host an AmeriCorps *VISTA member for a year, starting in the summer of 2019. The AmeriCorps is a national service program (a domestic version of the Peace Corps) and members volunteer at an organization full-time for a year to build capacity. We know the AmeriCorps is a great thing, both Alice (Volunteer Coordinator) and Lesley (Development Manager) are AmeriCorps alums! ONT's AmeriCorps *VISTA member will serve as a “Community Engagement Coordinator,” focusing on building organizational relationships and participation with volunteers and community groups.  Stay tuned – we will be releasing more information and a job posting for this position soon.

 ​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

2017: 1 Million Meals, More than 3,400 Neighbors Served!
What a year! And it didn't just happen by chance. More than 600 volunteers dedicated more than 28,000 hours of service and thousands of you contributed more than $840,000 in funds and $558,000 in food and toiletries to ensure our doors opened every day and our neighbors were welcomed and served all year long.
Thank you to every single one of YOU! We have high hopes for the year ahead and the potential to serve even more neighbors in 2018. Watch for our official 2017 annual report that will publish in early March. In the meantime, stay involved, come visit us, and help us spread the word about food insecurity in our community.                                                                                                                                    Lyndsey Haight
                                                          Executive Director

How Can You Get Involved in 2018?
Every week, we register new neighbors and families who come to us for help. We expect to serve more than 3,500 people this year. But we can't do it without YOU. 

​Our Neighbors’ Table is proud to once again provide holiday food to local families during the season of giving. Over 600 families are counting on ONT to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday meals with their loved ones.
​This week, more than 200 volunteers will lend a hand, make home deliveries, and welcome guests to the market to "shop" for their Thanksgiving turkeys and fixings. To help make their table extra special and personal, every guest will also receive a $10 gift card to a local grocery store.
Next month, Christmas cheer is abound! The market will be filled with holiday groceries and will be open for special holiday hours from December 12th - 16th. Santa comes to the Wednesday Meal for dinner, pictures and Christmas carols on December 13!

​For volunteer opportunities or to sign up for holiday groceries, please call our office, 978-388-1907. And just a reminder, ONT will be closed November 23-26 and December 24-January 1 to give our volunteers and staff a well-deserved rest!

​This year’s annual breakfast was a celebration of the incredible growth in service thanks to the support of our community. In 2016, Our Neighbors’ Table provided 550,000 meals to nearly 3,000 local residents. This year we will fill one million plates for our neighbors in need – already reaching our projections for 2020. Read more about the breakfast and 2017 impact.

Local police, schools, churches and neighborhoods are hosting various events to keep plates filled through the holidays. Check out the complete list of ONT-supporting events!