2017 ONT Anniversary Fund Goal: $250,000!We've kicked it off with a good start! So far we've raised over $30,000 toward our annual fund goal of $250,000. Local diners raised $10,000 through the Fill Your Neighbors' Plate campaign featured at 17 local restaurants! And more than 20 hosts opened their homes and raised more than $17,000 in the Table to Table campaign! This adds to the dollars raised through the Meet-up with Terry O'Reilly and the various events and drives organized by all of YOU! There's much to celebrate as we look over the last 25 years, the nearly 10,000 people who have received food from our programs, the estimated 5 million meals provided, and the hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours served. But the truth of the matter is, 2017 will mark a pivotal change in the growth of Our Neighbors' Table. The new market at the Jardis-Taylor Center means more people can access food here and that ONT can leverage its capacity to help communities across our service region ensure all of their members are food secure. For 25 years, every year has broken the record of meals and people set the year before. And this year will be no different. With your help - and ONLY with your help - every single person who comes to our door will be welcomed and will receive the food they need. For our 25th anniversary, we need to raise $250,000 to help us provide the anticipated 800,000 meals needed in our community. Make your anniversary gift today!
Check out the full calendar of events for 2017!
0 Comments
Starve Hunger. Feed Hope.
Welcome to the Jardis-Taylor Center for Our Neighbors' Table!It's been 6 weeks since we opened the doors of the Jardis-Taylor Center and it's like it has been our home for years! Guests are overjoyed with the shopping experience in our state-of-the-art market, volunteers delight in the ease of sorting food in our new warehouse. But most importantly, this new facility is already making our programs more accessible to more people in need - nearly 30% more in the first month! Thank you to all of the donors who helped us surpass our Captial Campaign goal of $1.1 million, especially Greg Jardis, Institution for Savings, and J Charitable Remainder Trust; to the members of the ONT Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and guests who created this vision of a special place for our neighbors in their time of need; to our architect Greg Colling and our contractor McPartland Corp. who went above and beyond to create a worthy home for our mission for years to come; and our volunteer project manager John Massaua for keeping this project on-time and on-budget. Read more about the campaign and the project.
Calling Volunteers! Have you attended volunteer orientation yet? Whether you're new or have been volunteering for a while, we ask that you sign up for an upcoming volunteer orientation to learn more about our mission and to hear about all of the opportunities at ONT. Contact Sue Andrews to register for one of our July orientations. Haven't filled out a volunteer application yet? Do it online today and you'll receive an invitation to the orientations! Public-Private Partnerships bring Food SecurityTaken at the dedication of the Jardis-Taylor Center for Our Neighbors' Table. L-R: Rep. Brad Hill, Sen. O'Connor Ives, Rep. Lenny Mirra, Nicole and Greg Jardis, Rep. Jim Kelcourse, Amesbury Mayor Ken Gray, ONT Executive Director Lyndsey Haight. Not pictured, Newburyport Mayor Donna Holaday was also there to support this special moment in ONT history. The value of public-private partnerships. Here at ONT, it’s no secret that our mission is carried out thanks to the generosity of individuals and local businesses who give of their time and their money because they care about their neighbors. But over the years, ONT has valued the support and partnerships of our public sector, and we’re excited about these growing opportunities. In 2015 alone, more than 150,000 meals were provided with the support from state and federal programs. Who do we partner with?
On June 28th, more than 50 runners turned out to climb Po' Hill and raise food and money for Our Neighbors' Table. It was the very first Rock CAN Run Road Race, organized by one of Our Neighbors’ Table’s youngest volunteers – Andre Bailin. Andre is 9 years old, and in the 3rd grade at Amesbury Elementary School. He has been involved with road races his whole life, and, this year, put his experience to good use with his first event to benefit Our Neighbors’ Table. The Rock CAN Run Road Race was a one mile run up Pow Wow Hill starting at the Nicholas Costello Transportation Center. Despite the hot temperatures, dozens of enthusiastic runners lined the starting line and ran to the top - nearly all of them carrying heavy bags of canned goods for ONT's pantry. The run is difficult climb, but for most it's over in less than 30 minutes. For the thousands of people facing hunger in our region, hunger is an uphill climb every day. The Rock CAN Run collected more than 12 crates of food and $800 to help ONT make that climb a little easier for our neighbors. At the end of the run, participants enjoyed Turkey Hill ice cream provided by 104.1FM and a beautiful view to the Atlantic from Batchelder Park. Andre and his family even hosted runners back at his house for live music and refreshments! Way to go Andre! You are an inspiration for generations to come! Many people, when they think of Our Neighbors’ Table, think immediately of the Wednesday Meal. Others think of our Amesbury Food Pantry. For hungry families in Merrimac, Our Neighbors’ Table means the Merrimac Mobile Food Pantry! For six years, the Merrimac Mobile Food Pantry, operated by a small group of dedicated volunteers, has provided groceries (including milk, eggs, meat and fresh produce) to residents of the town of Merrimac. 181 households have registered since the beginning of the program, and an average of 50-60 households are served at each pantry. Volunteers gather on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month at the Merrimac Senior Center at approximately 9:00 am and begin to set up tables. Once the ONT truck arrives full of groceries, they unload the truck and set up all the food, usually with the help of guests who have come early to lend a hand. In a 2-hour span, volunteers will set-up, check-in, distribute, carry, deliver, reload the truck and clean-up! According to volunteer Sue Ranshaw, who coordinates the Merrimac Mobile Pantry, what makes these volunteers remarkable isn’t just their efficiency, it’s that they work together so well as a group. She describes them as one big family – where they get to know the guests by name – and they have a wonderful time with lots of laughs, hugs and genuine affection! The volunteers are exceptionally hardworking and dependable, Sue says, but more importantly, they are extremely kind and respectful to anyone who comes for food, exemplifying ONT’s mission to provide guests with nourishing food, kindness, dignity and community. Volunteers include Sue Ranshaw, Nancy Bachelder, Diana and Bob Domings, Marilyn Dutton, Betty Elliott, Colleen and Nick Fiorello, Gail and John Korpusik, Ingrid and Gene Robinson, Dave Olson, Clint Furnald, and Jim Christofferson. The youngest volunteer, Jason Attili, has been coming since last fall and is one of the hardest workers, doing anything and everything that needs doing without being asked! We would like to take this opportunity to thank these wonderful volunteers for all that they do for Our Neighbors’ Table and for their community! |
Archives
October 2024
Categories
All
|