More Volunteers Needed​

Summer Lunch Program Returns​

​Ron Starr first got involved with Our Neighbors’ Table after semi-retiring in 2021. He sought something meaningful to occupy his time, and after a few nudges from his neighbor Lyndsey, he became a regular volunteer in our warehouse. When asked about his volunteer experience, Ron said that he thoroughly enjoys the shared sense of community, which makes it easier to connect with everyone. “Nobody has to be here, but we choose to be here today, it really makes the camaraderie easy.”

Some of Ron’s most memorable moments have come from wearing his ONT T-shirt while picking up food orders during his shift. When people see the logo on his shirt, he often hears wonderful testimonials from current or former guests.  However, Ron’s most memorable moment as a volunteer was when a store clerk decided to put out a donation cup for ONT. He couldn’t believe the amount of people willing to contribute! 

​Ron has lived in Amesbury for over 36 years, although he has always been a North Shore resident. He grew up in Danvers before working as the Director of Media Studios at Northeastern University. He has also worked with local news channels and specializes in video production.  In his free time, Ron enjoys spending time with his three grandchildren, who he sees about 5 days per week. He is also putting the finishing touches on his June wedding! We’re extremely fortunate to have volunteers like Ron on our team!

It seems this old adage was written for the last 3 years. ONT continues to adapt and evolve to meet the changing landscape of food security. From health protocols to supply chain, ONT has had to adjust its operations to maintain its standard of service to our guests.

​This Spring, we look forward to the next phase as we bring back in-person shopping and dining. External conditions continue to impact the risks of food insecurity. In 2022, inflation drove more and more people to our door, increasing new household registrations by 67% over 2021. ​In 2023, we face another crisis as pandemic-related SNAP funds are rolled back.

​We are working diligently with our partners across the Lower Merrimack Valley to ensure that we have both a strategy and the infrastructure we need to continue to meet the need. Our Village is as important as ever. Stay informed, stay engaged, help us stay the course toward a food secure region.

Wishing you good health in 2023,​

Lyndsey Haight

2023 Outlook
The coming year hold exciting progress for ONT and our partners toward the creation of the Seacoast Regional Food Hub. The Hub will provide critical shared infrastructure and collaboration with over 25 food programs, working together to establish a food secure region. ​

​Jessica Switzer has been involved with Our Neighbors’ Table as a Spoon Platoon Member since before the pandemic. She started volunteering here in September as a way to further support her neighbors, while setting a good example for her children. “I have a 10 year old and a 12 year old. I want them to see that their parents are doing good because then they will grow up to do good..” Jessica is a staple of our evening Grocery Packer position, where she pre packages grocery orders that are distributed by the Newburyport COA. The evening grocery packing group works together after hours, which has brought them closer together. “I’ve made a lot of friends here. It feels like a community and people are excited to see each other. We always have fun and we always get our job done.” ​

When asked about her most memorable moment as a volunteer, Jessica shared a story about a community member coming in for a “food emergency” situation. She was blown away by the amount of care and consideration put into her well being. “There were questions asked such as ‘are you safe’ and ‘do you need food immediately?’ She left with a lot of food and knowledge about various offerings in our community."

Jessica grew up in the Metro Los Angeles area before moving to Newburyport about 15 years ago. While living in California, she started a charity group named “Hearts and Hands” which allowed highschool students to fulfill their community service requirements at school. The group would sort food donations for local pantries as a way of serving without being on site. 

Jessica is the Director of APAC Distributions at Cell Signaling Technologies. She has been with the company for over 20 years and currently serves as the chair of the Community Grants Program, which oversees their staff volunteer efforts. During the last week of February, Jessica and her coworkers have a conference in Singapore, where they will also be volunteering at a food pantry! Outside of work, Jessica enjoys cooking, riding her bike around town, and traveling to learn about other cultures and perspectives. Thank you for everything you do in your community, Jessica!

One-third of the households served by ONT are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that provides the household with a funded debit card that can be used to purchase retail food items. SNAP plays a critical part in maintaining food security in our region and years of research has shown that SNAP is the most effective program to lift children out of poverty, improve academic performance and improve health outcomes for all ages. Moreso, SNAP has the lowest incidence of fraud of all government programs and puts tax dollars right back into local economies as money spent at retailers and farms. 

​Typically a household’s SNAP allowance is determined on a sliding scale, meaning a family that makes the maximum income allowed will receive fewer SNAP dollars than a family with a lower household income. In 2020, Congress eliminated the pro-rated benefit allotment based on an income sliding scale and provided every eligible household the maximum benefit. So a single senior who was receiving $19/month before COVID, increased to $194/month during the crisis. Since this pandemic supplemental allowance was temporary, ONT anticipated the expiration of this program in Summer 2022, at which time we predicted a resulting surges in need that would have rivaled Summer 2020. However, Congress delayed this rollback through year-end, allowing ONT to respond to and meet inflation-driven demand.

Jessica Switzer has been involved with Our Neighbors’ Table as a Spoon Platoon Member since before the pandemic. She started volunteering here in September as a way to further support her neighbors, while setting a good example for her children. “I have a 10 year old and a 12 year old. I want them to see that their parents are doing good because then they will grow up to do good..” Jessica is a staple of our evening Grocery Packer position, where she pre packages grocery orders that are distributed by the Newburyport COA. The evening grocery packing group works together after hours, which has brought them closer together. “I’ve made a lot of friends here. It feels like a community and people are excited to see each other. We always have fun and we always get our job done.” 
When asked about her most memorable moment as a volunteer, Jessica shared a story about a community member coming in for a “food emergency” situation. She was blown away by the amount of care and consideration put into her well being. “There were questions asked such as ‘are you safe’ and ‘do you need food immediately?’ She left with a lot of food and knowledge about various offerings in our community.”

Jessica grew up in the Metro Los Angeles area before moving to Newburyport about 15 years ago. While living in California, she started a charity group named “Hearts and Hands” which allowed highschool students to fulfill their community service requirements at school. The group would sort food donations for local pantries as a way of serving without being on site.
​
Jessica is the Director of APAC Distributions at Cell Signaling Technologies. She has been with the company for over 20 years and currently serves as the chair of the Community Grants Program, which oversees their staff volunteer efforts. During the last week of February, Jessica and her coworkers have a conference in Singapore, where they will also be volunteering at a food pantry! Outside of work, Jessica enjoys cooking, riding her bike around town, and traveling to learn about other cultures and perspectives.  We are very fortunate to have volunteers like Jessica at ONT!

The season of giving is upon us! Our Neighbors’ Table services are only possible thanks to the village of volunteers, donors and community partners who make food security a priority. Here’s how you can help this holiday season:

• If you participate in Giving Tuesday, please consider keeping your giving local with a gift to ONT.
• If you’re interested in joining our volunteer corps to give your time, fill out a volunteer application to start the process. December holiday grocery distribution is right around the corner and we’ll need volunteers to help move the food.
• Looking for a gift for the person who has everything? Consider a gift in their honor. If you provide their address, ONT will send a letter to the person letting them know a donation has been made in their honor.
• Hosting a holiday party? Ask folks to bring a donation to ONT instead of a hostess gift.​

Every dollar donated puts food on your neighbor’s table. For assistance in making your gift, please contact Lesley by email or call 978-388-1907 x13.

​​“It Takes a Village” was the theme of ONT’s 2022 Annual Breakfast and we were thrilled to gather with our village of donors, volunteers and partners on the last Tuesday of October at Blue Ocean Event Center. The Annual Breakfast is ONT’s true celebration of the efforts of so many to create a food secure region.

Institution For Savings has consistently supported the event as our Presenting Sponsor. Dana Marshall returned as our Master of Ceremonies, and Board president Eve Lee presented the Community Champion Award to our fellow Seacoast Food Providers. These organizations are dedicated to our shared mission of ending food insecurity in Northeastern Essex County. Many programs offered by the Seacoast Food Providers are completely or nearly all volunteer run. Despite financial hurdles, a global pandemic, and a weakened volunteer core, these organizations persevered to ensure everyone in our community is given access to healthy food.

Seacoast Food Providers:
Pettengill House; Among Friends Meal Program; Newbury Food Pantry; Rowley Food Pantry; Georgetown Council on Aging; Salisbury Council on Aging; Merrimac Council on Aging; Groveland Council on Aging; Abundant Food Pantry (Georgetown); Community Action, Inc; Amesbury Council on Aging; Our Neighbors' Table

Thank you to all of the sponsors and donors who helped raise a record breaking $97,000! 

As we look to the future, ONT was excited to unveil the developing Seacoast Food Hub project that will increase food security across the Lower Merrimack Valley.

See you all next year!

Steve Blanchette is no stranger to positively impacting his community. He currently serves on the finance committee at Newburyport Bank, The Firehouse Center for the Arts, Immaculate Conception Parish, and the Saint Basil’s Salvatorian Center. In 2017, he was looking for ways to positively impact his community and began volunteering in ONT’s warehouse. Since then, he has been a cornerstone of our Wednesday Meal by generously donating his time and resources through the Sponsor & Serve program. He first started at the meal to get involved in the community and teach his sons about giving back. He mentioned the importance of  “teaching the kids that not everything is about us all of the time. We are in a position to help and it's important that we do.” Steve believes in treating every guest as though they are dining at a 5 star restaurant. 
Steve grew up in Georgetown before attending Pennsylvania State University. After graduating, he began work with Alliance Bernstein in New York City and subsequently moved to Newburyport in 2003. In his free time, Steve enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, and Golden Retriever. He also enjoys skiing and playing soccer. 
The ONT Market and Meal Sponsor & Serve opportunities offer a unique chance for group volunteer service with a financial commitment. When the “serve” portion of the program was interrupted in 2020, Steve decided to continue his sponsorship and make frequent donations to the Wednesday Meal. When asked about why he wanted to continue his involvement in the program, Steve said, “We weren’t sure where the world was going to be headed at the time and we did not want to leave our ONT community hanging." Steve encourages participating in Sponsor & Serve to support both the volunteers and guests. “You are helping people who are hungry and also helping people who give up so much time for ONT. There is no downside whatsoever.”
Thank you for all of your support Steve!

Steve Blanchette, a Georgetown native now living and running his business in Newburyport, has been a cornerstone of our Wednesday Meal since getting involved just before the pandemic hit in 2020. His goal was to get involved in the community and teach his sons about giving back. He believes in “teaching the kids that not everything is about us all of the time. We are in a position to help and it's important that we do.” Steve believes in treating every guest as though they are dining at a 5-star restaurant. 
Read more about Steve Blanchette Here

​The ONT Market and Meal Sponsor & Serve opportunities offer a unique chance for group volunteer service with a financial commitment. When the “serve” portion of the program was interrupted in 2020, Steve decided to continue his sponsorship and make frequent donations to the Wednesday Meal. When asked about why he wanted to continue his involvement in the program, Steve said, “We weren’t sure where the world was going to be headed at the time and we did not want to leave our ONT community hanging." Steve and his family have returned to serve in 2022 and encourage participating in Sponsor & Serve to support both the volunteers and guests. Click this link to learn more about Sponsor and Serve!