 The 2023 Annual Breakfast put the 7,000 square foot warehouse of the future Seacoast Regional Food Hub on full display for more than 250 guests on Tuesday, October 24.
The event, ONT's only major fundraiser of the year, raised more than $100,000 to fund ONT's markets, warehouse and other programs. Highlights of the morning included: Welcome remarks from Kim Rock, Chief Operating Officer for presenting sponsor Institution for Savings An update from ONT Executive Director Lyndsey Haight on the state of food security in the region and the exciting opportunities we have with the arrival of the Seacoast Food Hub. The awarding of our 2023 Community Champions - the Greater Boston Food Bank and do-it-all volunteer and outgoing board member Eve Lee - and remarks from GBFB Chief Operating Officer Cheryl Schondek and Eve, who sent her acceptance speech by video from Malaysia. And before we let everyone on their way, ONT Board Chairman Mike Wendt helped us build connections in the crowd and pledge actions moving forward to mobilize our communities and bring us a step closer to a food secure region! Thank you to all who joined us in-person and supported us from afar. We look forward to seeing you next year!
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 A Groundbreaking Achievement!After three years of planning, we don’t need to imagine the Seacoast Regional Food Hub much longer. On Tuesday, August 8, we celebrated the groundbreaking at 114 Bridge Road, Salisbury, alongside more than 75 of our partners, from elected officials to food access partners to our devoted community of donors and volunteers. The physical groundbreaking took place the same week; contractors began the loading dock excavation, demolition inside the building and concrete abatement in the warehouse. The entire project is expected to take 6 months from start to finish, with hopes to open access to the warehouse prior to completion. Once complete, the food hub will have a major impact on food insecurity in 17 communities across the Lower Merrimack Valley by expanding storage capacity and creating more efficient food procurement and distribution. This project is only possible because of the community of support ONT has received over 31 years, allowing us to grow from a small food pantry inside a church to a regional food access agency that served more than 1 million meals last year. But our work is not done. This $7.8 million project has already raised $3 million from public funds and private donors, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to raise the rest. Want to learn more? Visit www.ourneighborstable.org/foodhub. What's in the Food Hub?
Volunteer Spotlight: Anna Bradfield, Newburyport When Anna Bradfield moved to Newburyport to be closer to her grandchildren after her husband passed away in 2020, she was looking for friendship and a purpose. She found both at Our Neighbors’ Table. “The friendships and the people are most important to me,” Anna says. “There’s not a volunteer here that isn’t a nice person.” The former Dean of Education for Bridgewater State University from 2003-2017, she also enjoys being part of a team instead of being in charge. Anna has worked in almost every volunteer role at ONT, and tries to fill in where she’s needed. She started in the warehouse because she enjoyed the physical labor and was interested the logistics of the supply chain. At one point she was known as the food drive lady, because she was always willing to help unload and sort the donations. When the Market needed more help, she shifted her efforts there. She’s even handled the phones. “I enjoy the community here,” she says. “People need food. There is nothing bad about this work, and Our Neighbors’ Table is a great organization.” Know someone who would enjoy becoming part of our community? Tell them to volunteer! Hunger Action Month: Get involved today! Building a food secure community requires a community of support! For Hunger Action Month, we are launching our community mobilization effort to expand the network of support for regional food security so we can take full advantage of the Seacoast Regional Food Hub's expanded storage capacity. We need your help! Learn more here! GET INFORMED:
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News & Events
Amesbury Market Returns to In Person Shopping! After three years of our curbside grocery model, Our Neighbors' Table has officially returned to in person shopping! While we didn't anticipate such a rapid shift in our programs back in 2020, we are still humbled by the response. Within just a few weeks of the world shutting down, ONT pivoted towards an online ordering system to keep people safe and well fed with almost no interruption. Over the next 36 months, we were able to serve over 88,000 grocery orders to 6,200 neighbors. In fact, over 3,900,000 pounds of food was distributed through the Jardis- Taylor Center during this time. We'd like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone involved over the last three years. During a time of change for many, you have provided a sense of stability with your time and or treasure. It's only fitting that we resume in person shopping on the 7th anniversary of the Jardis-Taylor Center; a market where guests can shop at no cost, but also feel a sense of community while pushing their cart. This time around, we have expanded our shopping area, so more guests can shop with lesser wait times. There will be volunteers every step of the way to help reach high items, answer questions, and restock the shelves, just like any other grocery store. Although our market reopened on Thursday, May 18, we hope you will join us on Thursday, May 25 at 9:30am for the official ribbon cutting! As always, thank you for your continued support. We'll see you soon! More Volunteers Needed  ONT is fortunate to have a dedicated volunteer base. But with our programs re-opening, we have more shifts to fill and we need more volunteers to join our team! Current volunteer opportunities include: greeting and assisting guests shopping in the market, food prep and kitchen assistance for the Wednesday Community Meal, stocking shelves in the warehouse, intake of new guests and more. If you have never volunteered with us before, the first step is to fill out a volunteer application. You'll then register for volunteer orientation and after attending orientation you will be able to sign-up for shifts. If you have volunteered in the past, and would like to return, please complete our brief records update. Questions? Reach out to ONT's Community Engagement Coordinator Ben Quintal via email or at 978-388-1907 x10. Life Is Better Full
Summer Lunch Program Returns
Seacoast Regional Food Hub Update
Volunteer Spotlight: Ron Starr  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! Join ONT to Sponsor & Serve!
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 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! Change is the Only Constant  2022 Impact Stats at ONT 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 Food Security at Risk! One-third of the households served by ONT is 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. In 2020, Congress eliminated the pro-rated benefit allotment based on an income sliding scale and provided every eligible household the maximum benefit. ONT anticipated the expiration of this program in Summer 2022 with a prediction of 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. This program is now ending and the final supplemental allotment will be sent to households in March, resulting in a loss of $90M PER MONTH from the Commonwealth’s economy come April. This will have a devastating impact on the local economy as more than 4,000 local households will lose a combined $665,000 every month. These funds helped seniors cover the costs of groceries so they could use their retirement income to cover property taxes and healthcare; families could keep their fridge stocked with healthy foods and still afford childcare and gas to get to work. How will this affect the local economy, businesses and employment? This loss of spending power equates to a loss of $7.86M in annual revenue for local grocers. To make up for that loss in revenue, businesses will have to consider cost-saving measures. This lost revenue is equivalent to wages for 231 minimum wage employees, who may now be at risk of lay-offs, driving even more people into financial crisis and increasing food insecurity. Read more about the SNAP Benefits Cliff here 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.  Volunteer Spotlight: Jessica Switzer  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! News
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.
How will this affect the local economy, businesses and employment? This loss of spending power equates to a loss of $7.86M in annual revenue for local grocers. To make up for that loss in revenue, businesses will have to consider cost-saving measures.
This lost revenue is equivalent to wages for 231 minimum wage employees, who may now be at risk of lay-offs, driving even more people into financial crisis and increasing food insecurity.  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! Thanksgiving Dinner Provided to 1039 Households! I hope you're reading this issue of Table Talk after enjoying quality time with your loved ones this Thanksgiving. Whether with family, friends or neighbors, we’ve all come to value quality time with one another more than ever. The last two and a half years taught us the power of community, the might of our village. Together we ensured that no one went hungry through the COVID-19 crisis. It will continue to take our entire village to ensure we catch those who continue to be impacted by rising costs and long-term effects of the pandemic. ONT is more committed than ever to move forward as a collective, bringing together our partners from schools, city departments, councils on aging and the community at-large to root out and address food insecurity across our region. Together, we have created a vision for what a food secure region looks like. Now, together we must set our strategic course and put the proper tools in place. Over the next two months you are going to hear from us that we need to hear from YOU. Whether you are a donor, a volunteer, a partner, or a neighbor; whether you have supported someone or you have directly experienced food insecurity, we need your input into our 3-year strategic plan. Mark your calendars and register now for our Community Forum, Tuesday, December 6, 5:30 at Newbury Elementary School. Click here to register You’ll also be hearing about the work that ONT and its Seacoast Food Provider partners are undertaking to ensure that our communities have robust food safety nets to catch anyone who needs it. Our Seacoast Regional Food Hub will provide critical shared infrastructure to grocery and meal programs across the Lower Merrimack Valley. Whether you can make a financial investment, give voice to those in need or spread the word among those who can help, you play a critical role in this Village bringing us closer to our goal of a Food Secure Region by 2029. You have my sincerest gratitude. Happy Holidays, Lyndsey Haight Executive Director Thank You for Attending the 2022 Annual Breakfast! Presented by: Institution for Savings “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 in 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. 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. Thank you to all of the sponsors and donors who helped raise a record breaking $97,000! Volunteer Spotlight: Licia Britton Licia Britton has been an active member of Our Neighbors’ Table for almost 15 years. She has played a vital role in many programs including our Warehouse, Market, and Wednesday Meal. Most recently, she has been a mainstay of our Guest Ordering position, where she assists guests who are unable to place their orders online. Our “Outbound Callers” have been instrumental in increasing food accessibility to our guests without computers or smartphones. When asked about her tenure at ONT, Licia says “I have watched the organization grow and the number of people we serve has grown, which is great to see.” Her favorite thing about volunteering has been building relationships with our guests, many of which she considers to be her friends. Read more about Licia in this month’s Volunteer Spotlight. Before moving to Amesbury 15 years ago, Licia lived in New York. Her favorite borough is Manhattan because of the amount of things to do at once. She has a background in finance, and spent most of her career with Fidelity investments. Outside of volunteering, Licia is usually working on her house. She also loves cooking and gardening. Licia is a longtime member of Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Newburyport and loves it! Thank you Licia, for your continued support towards ONT and the personal touch you offer our guests with every phone call. We appreciate you! How to Help During the HolidaysThe 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:
News and Events
 “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!
Thank you to our 2022 Champion Sponsors
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