From the Community

Urban Edge Analyzes Opportunities, Concerns, and Identifies Recommendations for Youth Services

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Nonprofit Urban Edge recently released a report highlighting the priorities and the vision for the future that youth living in Roxbury and Jamaica Plain have for their community. The “Community Assessment of Youth Programs, Services, and Opportunities,” which was conducted by Health Resources in Action, provides a snapshot of these neighborhoods’ demographics and highlights both concerns and opportunities for youth in the Jackson and Egleston Square communities. More than 300 young residents of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain were engaged in the assessment process, through a variety of methods that included phone interviews, virtual focus groups, and an online community survey. “This assessment has reinforced how culturally vibrant and diverse Roxbury and Jamaica Plain are, and the young people who live here are rightly proud of that fact,” said Emilio Dorcely, Urban Edge’s Chief Executive Officer. “But we also see the disparities within the community and the barriers that many of our young people face when it comes to economic opportunity.”

The assessment found that major areas of concern of residents were focused on financial security and economic opportunity – 63% of participants were looking for a new job and almost half (44%) were looking for higher pay while more than a quarter were looking for greater economic advancement.

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From the Community

Community Servings Adds Three to Board of Directors

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Community Servings, a Jamaica Plain based nonprofit provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition services to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses, recently announced the election of three new members to its board of directors. The three new board members are:

Stephen Bertolami, an executive vice president at Liberty Mutual Insurance overseeing enterprise services
Sophia Hall, a supervising attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights and a longtime advocate for the HIV/AIDS community
Greg Wilmot, chief operating officer of the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. “One of our organization’s greatest assets is our highly engaged board, and the board is further strengthened by new members who bring strong leadership qualities, diverse personal perspectives and professional experience, and active engagement in their communities,” said David B. Waters, CEO of Community Servings. “Our new directors and their shared passion for our ‘food is medicine’ mission will help guide Community Servings as we continue to grow and serve more people with critical and chronic illnesses.”

The new board members began their leadership roles with Community Servings in July. Stephen Bertolami

Bertolami’s career has focused on helping organizations scale operations in support of their unique business needs.

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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

Jamaica Plain Nonprofit Shattuck Partners Receives Five Years of Funding from Cummings Foundation

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Jamaica Plain based nonprofit Shattuck Partners, Inc. is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The organization was chosen from a total of 590 applicants during a competitive review process. Shattuck Partners will receive $100,000 over five years in support of their Community Transition Success Pack Program. Shattuck Partners, Inc. is an independent nonprofit that funds and provides arts, vocational, recreational, and therapeutic support programs and services for patients of the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, an important public health facility. Their Community Transition Success Pack Program provides backpacks filled with life essentials to patients as they return to the community.

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From the Community

Italian Home for Children Awarded $300,000 Cummings Grant

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Italian Home for Children is one of the 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The Jamaica Plain-based organization was chosen from a total of 590 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $300,000 over 10 years. Italian Home for Children provides an integrated network of powerful and effective programs to help children and families with emotional, behavioral, and educational challenges thrive in their communities. “During these challenging times of the pandemic and social unrest, we have expanded our outreach services during the pandemic by 20%.

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From the Community

Community Servings’ Dinners4Dads Fundraiser Benefits Fathers in Need

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Community Servings, a Jamaica Plain based nonprofit provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition services to individuals and families in Massachusetts experiencing critical and chronic illnesses, is holding its annual Father’s Day fundraiser, Dinners4Dads, in partnership with Eastern Standard Provisions. Gift givers can send a father figure in their life a box of gourmet soft pretzels and accompanying salts – available in two sizes, 15 pretzels for $60 or 22 pretzels for $90 – along with a card designed by local artist Susy Pilgrim Waters inscribed with a personalized message. Each purchase is a donation that will support a local dad and his family with the nutritious food they need to maintain and improve their health. Supporters can also choose to send a card only for a $30 donation. In addition to Eastern Standard Provisions and Pilgrim Waters Design, Dinners4Dads is sponsored by Gold Star Studios.

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Development

Hyde Square Task Force Declares Sale of Blessed Sacrament Church Will Benefit Community

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The Hyde Square Task Force announced that the sale of the Blessed Sacrament Church will eventually be sold to a developer that will do something with the property that benefits the community. The Hyde Square Task Force Board of Directors emailed an update in English and Spanish to provide an update to the community. The board reiterated that they decided to sell the old church after six years of exploring ways to turn it into a community space. But they ultimately decided they didn't want to do a multi-million dollar campaign to transform the church. After announcing they would sell the property, many community members were frustrated that a community space was not being created, and that HSTF would sell the property to a developer.

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From the Community

Community Servings’ Meals4Moms Fundraiser Benefits Mothers in Need

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Community Servings, a Jamaica Plain nonprofit provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition services to individuals and families in Massachusetts experiencing critical and chronic illnesses, recently launched its annual Mother’s Day fundraiser, Meals4Moms, in partnership with McCrea’s Candies of Boston. Gift givers can send mom a box of handcrafted caramels – available in two sizes, 40 pieces for $60 or 80 pieces for $90 – along with a card designed by local artist Susy Pilgrim Waters and inscribed with a personalized message. Each purchase is a donation that will support a local mom with the nutritious food they need to maintain and improve their health. Supporters can also choose to send just a card for a $30 donation. In addition to McCrea’s Candies and Pilgrim Waters Design, Meals4Moms is sponsored by Gold Star Studios and Franklin Printing.

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From the Community

‘Resurgence’ Projection Show, Outdoor Events at First Baptist Benefitting Non-Profit Campaign

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The Centre for Faith, Art, and Justice, the non-profit organization sponsored and housed by First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain, will be hosting a series of three outdoor events the next three Saturdays. The events will be on April 10, April 17, and April 24 at 7pm. The purpose of these events is to highlight the capital campaign to finish the rebuild of the upstairs sanctuary/community space which was originally destroyed when the building burned down in 2005. The events will highlight the “Resurgence” projection show created by MASARY which will be shown across the front of our building every night from 7 to 10 pm from now until the first week of May. In addition, the events will feature live music and performances from local artists, speeches from community leaders and activists, as well as more information on the work the Centre does in our community and the work we hope to do in the future with our newly renovated space.

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