From the Community

Community Servings Relaunches ‘Teaching Kitchen’

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Community Servings, a nonprofit provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition services to individuals and families in Massachusetts experiencing critical and chronic illnesses, recently announced the launch of its redesigned Teaching Kitchen program, a free 12-week hands-on food service job-training program for individuals facing barriers to full-time employment. Beginning in July, classes will resume inside the Learning Kitchen at Community Servings’ “Food Campus” in Jamaica Plain. In a first for the program, many students will be eligible to receive an earned training wage thanks in part to generous support from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Community-based Health Initiative funds, which were recently awarded to the agency as part of a three-year, $500,000 Focused Investment Grant aimed at addressing job and financial security in the community. As they learn food preparation and cooking skills, Teaching Kitchen trainees also help the agency prepare more than 3,000 medically tailored meals that are delivered daily to clients. “Restarting an enhanced Teaching Kitchen program has been a priority for us since March 2020, and the grant support from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center couldn’t have come at a better time,” said David B. Waters, CEO of Community Servings.

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From the Community

Letter: Unsealing Opportunity –The Need for CORI Sealing Services

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Should we punish people for crimes that no longer exist? This question has arisen in states like Massachusetts that have legalized cannabis for medicinal and recreational use. As people across the Commonwealth recover from the pandemic and internalize lessons from movements for racial justice, such as the disproportionate cost of the War on Drugs on communities of color, the answer has become overwhelmingly clear: no. However, despite our progress, Massachusetts is far behind its goals for restorative justice and providing opportunity to those most harmed by ill-conceived and inequitable policies. Although cannabis remains criminalized at the federal level, Massachusetts has been a modern leader in liberalizing laws concerning the substance.

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From the Community

JP Students Earn St. Sebastian’s Honor Roll

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St. Sebastian's School is proud to announce the Jamaica Plain students who were named to the fourth quarter and second semester honor rolls. Students earned honor rolls under the following categories:
High Honors: A- or above in all subjects
Honors with Distinction: B or above in all subjects
Honors: B- or above in all subjects

The following students are from Jamaica Plain:
Maxim D. Kalinichenko, Grade 8, High Honors
Michael J. Kalinichenko, Grade 10, High Honors
Luis E. Sosa Espinal, Grade 8, High Honors

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From the Community

New Open Mic at The Jeanie Johnston Starts July 29

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Starting July 29th, Novaiden Comedy will be hosting an open mic every Thursday night at the Jeanie Johnston Pub. Sign up sheet will go out at 7 pm. Performances will run from 7:30 to 10:30 pm. All performers are allotted 3-minute sets. or 5-minute sets with proof of food or drink purchase.

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From the Community

Arnold Arboretum Welcomes Tanya Holton as Director of Institutional Advancement

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With more than 30 years of experience Holton will play a pivotal role for the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University ahead of its 150th anniversary in 2022. As Director of Institutional Advancemen, Holton will cultivate and steward relationships with members, donors, and the public to help others understand our shared past, the power of plants, and the work being done to create a better world for future generations—ensuring the Arboretum’s relevancy and vibrancy into the next century. “Tanya has been an agent of change in nonprofit fundraising, administration, and programming in Boston for over three decades,” said William (Ned) Friedman, Director of the Arnold Arboretum. “As we prepare for the Arboretum’s sesquicentennial in 2022, Tanya’s respect for the healing power of nature, along with her deep experience in transforming nonprofits, will be essential for galvanizing support around our bold vision for the future. We are excited to welcome her onboard.”

She attended Stanford University, and received her BA and Masters from the University of Cambridge in England.

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