Table Talk, Fall 2019: Feeding the Future

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.
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Gratefully,
Lyndsey Haight
Executive Director

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ONT Now a SNAP Outreach Partner

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. ​

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Annual Breakfast Feeds The Future

Volunteer Spotlight- David Berlind 

​This year's Annual Breakfast drew 300 community members, our largest crowd to date! We were honored to have Joshua Frappier and Jill Weiss Hrubes share their powerful personal experiences with ONT with the audience. It was an inspiring and energizing morning for all in attendance as we saw the power of neighbors helping neighbors, and how support yesterday and today feeds a brighter future. Special thanks to Dr. Lars Lundgren of Children’s Health Care for his perspective on the panel and to Dana Marshall for serving as emcee. Read more about the Annual Breakfast and our 2019 Community Champions here

You probably know the acronym PTO, short for Paid Time Off, but have you ever heard of VTO—Volunteer Time Off? David Berlind says “I was a chronic procrastinator about volunteering, I always had an excuse. But then my company said take 56 hours a year and go work for somYeone else. So, I didn’t have any excuses anymore.”
David quickly got involved doing restocking and food donation pickups and hit his 56 hours of VTO pretty quickly. But according to David, “I can’t stop. I feel like I’m now part of a family.” Read more about David in the month's Volunteer Spotlight.

News & Events

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

Food Drives
Nov. 23: You have 3 choices for donating food to ONT next Saturday! 

• Scouting for Food: If you received a tag at your house, you can leave food out for the Scouts to pick up.
• Fill A Cruiser: Donate food at the Amesbury Stop & Shop in partnership with the Amesbury, Salisbury & West Newbury Police. 
• Fill A Cruiser Georgetown: The Georgetown Police will be collecting food at Crosby's Marketplace

Nov. 25: Students at Amesbury's Cashman Elementary will be collecting donations at school through the 25th
Nov. 28: Booster Food Drive at Amesbury v. Newburyport football game

Dinner with Santa
Don't miss out on this beloved ONT tradition! Santa will be making his annual visit to our Wednesday Meal on Dec. 11 for pictures, caroling and holiday cheer. Open to all! ​

Double Your Impact
Ask if your company offers a matching gift program. Many companies do as a benefit to their employees and will match your generosity to ONT. Others might give a financial donation to the organization in recognition of your volunteer time. If you need assistance, please reach out to Lesley.

Giving Back 
With the holidays nearing, our thoughts naturally turn to helping those less fortunate during the season of giving. If you're looking for ways to give back to your neighbors this holiday season, ONT can help. Get more information here! Every $1 donated = 1 meal for a neighbor.

Donate

Team Run Out Hunger
Congrats to our 2019 Run Out Hunger team for completing the Newburyport Half Marathon! These 5 members raised money for ONT and making an impact on hunger in our community! Run Out Hunger raised over $7,000, thank you to our team, sponsors and all who donated to provide 8,000 meals!

Wednesday Meal
We are fully booked for Wednesday Meal sponsors in 2019 but our 2020 calendar is now open. Book today to get your desired date in 2020 to sponsor and serve! ​

Thank you to our 2019 Great Neighbors!