Community Service - Marblehead Current

12 Dec

Locals lend a hand during the holidays

Grey CollinsCommunity Resources, Community Service, Top Stories, Volunteerism

On Sunday morning, while most Marbleheaders were on the Christmas walk and buying gifts for friends and family, others were out buying gifts for complete strangers and delivering them to SPUR’s offices, where young volunteers feverishly wrapped up the gifts for people in need around the Northshore. Their tireless efforts concluded a months-long process to support children and families in need around Lynn, Salem, Swampscott, and Marblehead. The annual SPUR Holiday Cheer Drive supports over 600 local children in need, and adults experiencing homelessness, with…

12 Nov

COMMUNITY: Seaglass Village makes a splash in Marblehead

Bella TravagliniCommunity Service, Local News

Sometimes, it takes a village… Just ask Cliff Boggis and Kathleen Iannacchino, who live in town and volunteer for Seaglass Village, a community of seniors serving Marblehead, Swampscott and Nahant, who help each other maintain their independence while living in their own homes as they embark on their golden years. “It certainly helps people have a feeling of empowerment when they can stay in their own homes as they age and know that they can call on someone to change a lightbulb, for instance,” said…

04 Nov

Local volunteers join food rescue efforts

Leigh BlanderCommunity Resources, Community Service, Food, Top Stories

As food prices surge and federal benefits appear in jeopardy during the government shutdown, volunteers around Marblehead are working nearly every day with food rescue programs to ensure that no groceries or meals go to waste. On Oct. 28, Mimi Hollister and Richard Thibedeau picked up 100 pounds of produce and bread — past their prime but still healthy and nutritious — from Crosby’s Marketplace in Marblehead and delivered it to Lifebridge in Salem. Hollister and Thibedeau are members of Old North Church. Volunteers from…

08 Oct

Pumpkin Patrol:

Leigh BlanderCommunity Service, Local News

Seven-year-old August Clark is going places — in more ways than one. The industrious Brown School second grader has just opened his own business, Pumpkin Patrol. August will travel to your porch, remove tired, past-prime pumpkins and deliver them to local farms to feed animals. The price? “You can pay whatever you want,” Clark said. “I’m trying to feed animals, and I’m also trying to get the pumpkins away from people’s homes after Halloween,” he explained. “Helping animals just makes me feel good.” August Clark…

24 Sep

Marblehead Turns Pink, with lots of local support

Bella TravagliniCommunity Resources, Community Service, Health, Top Stories

Susan Hassett thought that her two-year battle with breast cancer had been “wrapped up in a little box, with a big pink bow” hidden away in the back of her closet — until she realized that she needed to pay it forward. It was this past spring, while on a business call that had turned to friendly chatter, that Hassett, 68, learned of a free, multi-faceted support service for breast cancer patients; a service she had been unaware of during her treatments, surgeries and recovery.…

19 Sep

MRJT member Lou Meyi honored by Moulton

Leigh BlanderCommunity Service, Local News

Marblehead Racial Justice Team member Lou Meyi has been named an honoree for the 10th annual Peter J. Gomes Service Award, created in 2016 by Congressman Seth Moulton. The award recognizes the public service and community contributions of constituents across the 6th District. Meyi has been a racial justice advocate for decades, living in Marblehead for over 40 years before moving to Salem recently. He is a longtime member of the MRJT, where he has championed affordable housing, public transportation and local history projects. In…

11 Sep

Pies for a purpose: Local woman finds delicious way to give back

Saoirse StallingsCommunity Service, Food, Local News

Once a month, you may notice something unusual outside 204 Atlantic Ave. It’s a line of people outside a garage, waiting their turn for some coveted pies from Diana Breed, Marblehead's own “Pie Lady.” Breed and her friends started a pie club this summer. The first sale in July and featured all blueberry-flavored pastries. Each month focuses on an ingredient: In August it was peaches and this month it’s apple. Diana Breed delivers money raised by pie sales to Ray at the Marblehead Food Pantry.…

01 Jul

Locals volunteer with Sail Beyond Cancer, offering peace on the water

Leigh BlanderCommunity Service, Sailing, Top Stories

When Kim Grad moved to the North Shore to take the job as Abbot Library’s new executive director in July 2021, she was recovering from grueling breast cancer treatment. She moved from Brooklyn, New York, leaving behind friends and family – her support system. Kim Grad, far right, is with other Sail Beyond Cancer North Shore volunteers on board High Tea. COURTESY PHOTOS Grad dove into her work here and gradually began to realize how much her health ordeal had impacted her. That’s when she…

27 May

Farmers’ Market to open Saturday for 29th season

Leigh BlanderCommunity Service, Top Stories

The Marblehead Farmers’ Market will launch its 29th season on Saturday, May 31, 9 a.m.-noon, with lots of returning favorites and some surprises. The Farmers' Market opens this coming Saturday for the season. COURTESY PHOTO “I’ll be at the market all morning, stop by and grab a cup of coffee from the Scouts and enjoy the day,” said Farmers’ Market Manager Steve Flower. The market is located by the Veterans Middle School. So, what’s new this year? There’s High Tide Farm with its sustainably grown…

06 May

Manna Project launches new garden to feed local hungry families

Leigh BlanderCommunity Resources, Community Service, Local News, Nonprofit corner

On a recent sunny morning, about 20 preschoolers got their hands dirty — for a good cause. The North Shore’s Manna Project, which supports people facing food insecurity, launched a new garden at Temple Sinai on Community Road to grow fruits and vegetables for the Marblehead Food Pantry. The goal is to deliver 200 pounds of homegrown food twice a year. The JCC preschoolers were there to help plant the first harvest — beets, radishes and spinach. The next planting, in the fall, will include…