The Charity Guild

?? MEET THE VOLUNTEER: Tina White?? "I am a member of the Brockton Rotary Club, and with that comes opportunities to do service in the community. My favorite part of being a Rotarian is giving back to help make our community a better place for all. Service helps build character and perspective, and I have always found that giving back does more for me than it does for the event I am helping with. Our club does monthly food deliveries, so we arrive at The Charity Guild at 8:15am on a Saturday, have our vehicles packed with the food bags, get our assigned clients and head over to Kennedy Drive. We usually deliver 2 dozen bags to 24 residents. It usually takes our group 30-45 minutes to deliver to everyone. It's always great to know we are helping such a wonderful organization like the Charity Guild."

Each week, our TCG team prepares food deliveries for senior citizens and the homebound.?By 8:15 AM on Saturday mornings our dedicated volunteers have arrived in their cars to pick up boxes of groceries for our neighbors in need of food. This past Saturday, however, our TCG team changed things up a little bit and set out on a “mission field trip” giving our Saturday volunteers a morning to sleep in. We all packed up our cars with delivery boxes, had our delivery lists ready to go and personally delivered this past week's home deliveries?to our neighbors. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and so rewarding to be out there in our community meeting those we help. Many thanks to our compassionate team that works together every day to keep our facilities stocked with good food for local families, students and seniors in the Greater Brockton area. ? Team:? L-R (back row) Rodolfo, Mark, Kira, Yolette, Carlos, Phil, Laura, Michael, Doug L-R (front row) Garca, Sofia, Amber, Emma? (not pictured: Caroline - thank you for capturing this team photo!)

"To feed the hungry—keeping it simple—what could be more noble than that?" We're grateful for so many dedicated donors who each have their own inspiration for supporting The Charity Guild. Patricia Conway, longtime former Board member and loyal donor who was honored at our 2024 annual gala, told us: “I support The Charity Guild because you stay focused on your mission without feeling the need to be all things to all people. To feed the hungry—keeping it simple—what could be more noble than that? I support the Charity Guild because you're a volunteer organization with a dedicated staff, rather than a corporation supported by volunteers. It is remarkable to me that as volunteers and board members either age out or go on to other things, there are always like-minded people who stand up and take over and The Charity Guild goes on, sticking to its mission—to feed the hungry.”

???COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT IDEA: MONTHLY CARE KITS??? 1 in 3 teens and young adults can't afford monthly hygiene products. This lack of access leads to missed school days, decreased concentration, and lower academic performance. Stigma around menstruation makes it hard for teens to talk about. You can help by creating kits filled with the necessities, that you or your friends (or your child) would be relieved to have in your bag. Think: ???Quart size Ziplock bag ???Comfortable pads ???Individually wrapped liners (4/kit) ???Individually wrapped body wipes (4/kit) ???Tampons (8/kit) You can create the kits yourself and make it a fun community service opportunity OR make a donation and our volunteers will shop and create a kit for you! https://lnkd.in/esZf_zDu

We are grateful for the support of the The Mary Bielecki Foundation! Thank you for donating more than 90 loaves of fresh bread that will be distributed to 90 households in the days ahead. We sincerely appreciate your efforts to help support our mission and our neighbors. Pictured L-R: Richard Bielecki, Executive Director, Mary Bielecki Foundation; Phil, TCG Food Pantry Manager; and Carlos, TCG Food Pantry Coordinator

?? MEET THE VOLUNTEER: Chris Tennihan?? "I first became interested in TCG when I was invited as a guest to the annual gala around 12 years ago. Although I was a teacher in Brockton for 35 years, I was previously unaware of the programs of the Guild and quickly joined as a member. I originally volunteered to help with the annual gala, then I became a Board Member, serving on several committees and projects, and volunteered in the (now closed) Thrift Shop helping clients. Today, I am at the Guild every Wednesday on truck delivery day from the food bank. With my friend and neighbor Patty Henderson, we unpack, inspect, and store up to 225 dozen eggs each week and are known now as The Egg Ladies! It is just one small task, yet I value the opportunity to address the need of food insecurity for those in need in whatever capacity I can. I believe in the mission of TCG, and I am happy to support it with my time and resources."

During this weekend’s picture perfect (and bitterly cold) snowfall, 33 home deliveries were hand delivered by 15 volunteers to make sure our neighbors received their food. We ?? our volunteers! ?? Pictured: Lili, Evan, Dion and Monica

Thank you to the team at Romm Diamonds for continuing their coin & dollar drive supporting The Charity Guild after the holiday season! The amount you and your customers raised will go to work immediately, providing 250 meals for those in need. ????

Spent this morning talking about the issue of food insecurity at the Joint Legislative Breakfast hosted by Community Services of Greater Brockton and United Way of Greater Plymouth County. We’re always grateful to connect with and learn from other local organizations, including many we work with daily through the Brockton Area Hunger Network!

For households in MA experiencing food insecurity, these are the top strategies used to get enough food. Massachusetts experienced the 6th-highest grocery price increase in the country in 2023 (per the most recent The Greater Boston Food Bank food access report).