Shaw's & Star Market Impact Stories 2022

INSPIRING AND IMPORTANT WORK

Since late 2021, the PS It Matters Nonprofit Engagement Team has conducted interviews with over 70 nonprofits that have benefited from Bags 4 My Cause or Bloomin’ 4 Good. The resulting Impact Stories highlight each nonprofit’s mission, services they provide and the needs they fill. Learning from these organizations firsthand is inspiring and emphasizes the importance of the GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program and impact on the local Shaw’s and Star Market communities.

Enclosed are four stories of nonprofits that have benefited from the Shaw’s or Star Market GIVE BACK Bag Programs. More stories can be found on the Program Websites: shaws.2givelocal.com/stories and starmarket.2givelocal.com/stories

In 2023, the Nonprofit Engagement Team will continue conversations with nonprofits creating additional Impact Stories—at least one a month—and feedback calls with 200 to 300 organizations. These calls will focus on how nonprofits interact with the program, the marketing tools they use, additional tools they would like to see on the Program Websites and how the GIVE BACK Bag Program fits into their overall fundraising strategy. We plan to adjust our outreach to nonprofits based on feedback and report overall findings in early 2024.

We look forward to continuing the success of the Shaw’s and Star Market GIVE BACK Bag Programs in 2023. We truly value your partnership and the impact we have together on local nonprofits in your banner’s footprint. Thank you for contributing to the positive outcomes for Shaw’s, Star Market, PS It Matters and the local community!

Living our mission to keep Vermont beautiful.

GREEN UP VERMONT

Executive Director Kate Alberghini calls Green Up Day “basically an environmental spring cleaning for the state.” But this nonprofit works year-round to educate people of all ages and abilities that they can make a difference in the environment.

Shaw’s has supported Green Up Vermont through the GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program. Shown here is the overall winning entry in the 2022 Post Art contest by Marina H., 7th Grade from Shelburne Community School.

Tell us about Green Up Vermont.

The idea behind our organization was an event called Green Up Day, and it was the brainchild of newspaper reporter Bob Babcock Jr., who was sick of seeing roadside litter on his daily commute. And so, he brought the idea of a statewide volunteer cleanup to then-governor Dean Davis in 1969. The governor loved it so much that he appointed a task force to plan the event and get it ready to launch in the spring of 1970. That’s how we started.

Our organization, Green Up Vermont, is a 52-yearold private nonprofit, whose mission is to promote the stewardship of our state’s natural landscape and waterways and the livability of our communities by involving people in Green Up Day, which is a statewide, volunteer-based roadside litter, clean up and beautification day. It’s basically an environmental spring cleaning for the state.

We rally tens of thousands of volunteers for this event, which is always the first Saturday in May. This year we had 19,141 volunteers who picked up 500 tons of trash in one incredible day. That translates into 43,000 bags of trash. Beyond that, there are a lot of large items like couches that have been discarded, appliances and that sort of thing. People also collected 14,315 abandoned tires.

So just imagine all of that staying in our environment year after year, piling up and degrading with sunlight and oxygen. All of those microplastics getting into our waterway and our food, indirectly by being eaten by cows or other animals that are raised here in Vermont. And it makes its way into the fish that we catch in our streams and consume. Eventually everything makes it way back around to human beings, so it’s really important to keep trash out of our natural environment.

What sets you apart from other nonprofits in your community?

I don’t believe that there’s any other organization, nationally even, that does what Green Up Vermont does. We rally statewide participation. We teach people of all ages, all lifestyles, all ability levels, that they can get out and

We teach people of all ages, all lifestyles, all ability levels, that they can get out and make an impact in their communities.

make an impact in their communities. That volunteerism teaches an important civic engagement component.

The crucial environmental message is that we need to take care of our environment by alleviating this litter. The volunteerism on Green Up Day proves that it is so important to do all of these things and that it’s fairly easy to do. People really need to get engaged, be a part of their community and take responsibility for what’s going on. It feels good to help out and make an impact.

I don’t think any other state in our nation does a statewide volunteer event like this. There are other programs like Adopt-a-Highway and community volunteer groups that pick up neighborhoods, but nothing on the scale of Green Up Vermont. The first Green Up Day was actually a week before the first Earth Day, so we really were at the forefront.

Tell us a story that illustrates the good work you are doing.

It really is our story. The fact that Green Up Day happens year after year, generation after generation, for the past 52 years is pretty incredible. Even through the pandemic, people were not willing to let go of Green Up Day, though we did have to pivot. It was actually our 50th anniversary in 2020 and I had just been hired in October of 2019. I’m a lifelong Vermonter, many generations, so I knew about Green Up Day and participated, but it was my first year in the leadership role.

When the single-use plastic bag ban happened, it gave us an opportunity to really start to think about what

these single-use plastics were doing to our environment. Teaching that a simple habit change can make a world of difference in the environment became easy with the volume of statistics that were being generated. Then the Shaw’s GIVE BACK Bag Program came online, so it was brilliant timing. It really falls in lockstep with Green Up Vermont’s initiatives and the education process we want to continue.

What is your greatest achievement or contribution to the community?

I think it’s eliminating 500 tons of trash nearly every year from the environment. Additionally, our year-round initiatives are another huge part of our work. Beyond Green Up Day, we provide year-round public awareness initiatives about the health, economic, and visual benefits of clean environments along with waste reduction initiatives and educational programs for students.

Businesses do better when their streetscapes look better. People want to come to this state because it’s clean, beautiful, and healthy looking. People wouldn’t recreate here if there was trash on trail sides. Tourism is a multimillion-dollar industry here, and we just wouldn’t have that if our landscapes were covered in litter, so it’s really crucial to business.

What do you want people to know about Green Up Vermont?

That we do indeed work year-round on our educational processes and that we want to reach people of all ages, lifestyles and abilities. We want to continue this legacy

of a clean Vermont far into the future.

We are working on setting up an endowment fund so that Green Up can continue in perpetuity even after we’re long gone. Green Up is something everyone can do from the youngest child to the oldest adult. Everyone can make a difference here, changing a habit by bending over and picking up a piece of trash out of the environment, or by not throwing that piece of litter on the ground in the first place.

How did you hear about the Shaw’s GIVE BACK Bag Program?

I actually shop at Shaw’s and have for a very long time. I saw the bags on display and asked one of your fantastic employees at Shaw’s, who led me to the GIVE BACK Bag Program.

How are you using the funds you’ve received from the Shaw’s GIVE BACK Bag Program?

If we can continue to share that message and educate the public, I would love to work myself out of a job. Do I think that’ll happen? Probably not, but we’re going to keep trying. We need to empower our youth to take charge of this, to take responsibility and to lead by example, to be influencers. Children can be influencers in their schoolyards and in their environments.

One of my favorite quotes is from Robert Swan, who is a world-renowned explorer and conservationist. He says “Leadership is the power to be brave enough to ignite action within yourself and others” and additionally, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

We’re a grassroots nonprofit so all the funds stay right here in Vermont. Since the funds are unrestricted, they can go to a plethora of things, such as educational materials and Green Up Day supplies like the bright green bags you see along roadsides on Green Up Day. They are proudly printed with all of our corporate partner logos and are made of 70% post-consumer recycled waste, making them the healthiest bag to use.

We really focus on putting supporting dollars back into the environment and back into the communities with educational materials directly aligned with our mission. It’s not just about picking up trash; it’s about reducing our waste and caring for our planet.

Kate Alberghini is Executive Director of Green Up Vermont. She has a background in design, marketing, and event planning and joined Green Up Vermont in Oct. 2019, right before the pandemic hit. Prior to that Kate helped many small businesses develop their brands and built and produced the Vermont Women’s Expo.

SHAW’S AND STAR MARKET GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS REUSABLE BAG PROGRAMS

We need to empower our youth to take charge of this, to take responsibility and to lead by example, to be influencers.

Breaking the cycle of hunger.

PROJECT BREAD

Combining passion and public policy, Project Bread seeks to ensure everyone in Massachusetts has reliable access to healthy foods. Star Market has supported the work of this nonprofit through its GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program.

Tell us about the Project Bread.

Project Bread is the leading anti-hunger organization statewide in Massachusetts. Our mission is to connect people and communities to reliable food sources while advocating for practices and policies that make it more accessible. This way, no one ever goes hungry. We envision a Massachusetts where hunger is permanently solved for everyone.

What sets you apart from other nonprofit organizations in your community?

The organization focuses on driving systemic change by engaging residents, elected officials and businesses to act against hunger so that everybody across Massachusetts has reliable access to healthy foods.

Many times with food pantries, you can get food for just that day or perhaps the week, but there’s still a gap in solving hunger long-term. The assistance we provide around SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) ensures that people have reliable funds on a long-term basis. SNAP can be confusing, and it can be hard to navigate the application, so the help we provide around this, in over 180 languages and with a compassionate, expert ear, is critical.

We make it easier for people to access and afford food with dignity by offering comprehensive case management to MassHealth* patients experiencing food insecurity, advocating for and supporting the implementation of healthy meals for kids in their schools and all summer long, and providing an expert to help you navigate your options to make ends meet.

Project Bread was initially founded in 1969 with the inaugural Walk for Hunger. That was a charity walk established by people in Massachusetts who wanted to help food-insecure people. Our nonprofit is a continuation of that legacy. We’ve expanded the organization since then.

* In Massachusetts, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are combined into one program called MassHealth.

Our healthcare partnerships team assists with areas of food insecurity you might not think about. There can be specific medical issues with someone, which makes it even harder when they’re food insecure. They might have to have a particular diet, such as only consuming liquids, but they can’t afford a blender. It might be hard for them to get to the grocery store. We fill those gaps so that every area around food insecurity is dealt with.

What services do you provide to the community?

We accomplish our mission in quite a few different ways. The Project Bread programs team runs the FoodSource Hotline, which connects residents to trained counselors who can pre-screen for SNAP and get them to their local food bank.

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The organization focuses on driving systemic change by engaging residents, elected officials and businesses to act against hunger so that everybody across Massachusetts has reliable access to healthy foods.

We also work to connect medical patients experiencing food insecurity to transportation assistance and nutrition counseling, in addition to grocery store gift cards and kitchen supplies, to support positive and sustained health outcomes.

We distribute grants that support local anti-hunger community partners and foster idea-sharing between all the great Massachusetts anti-hunger organizations.

Project Bread supports schools and summer meal providers to help feed kids. Our Chef Educators train school nutritional staff with recipe development and ideas on healthy meals for kids.

Our research team tracks food insecurity data, and we are regularly conducting studies around hunger. Then, our policy team uses all this information to advocate for state and federal legislation to advance large-scale systemic changes.

We approach hunger insecurity in Massachusetts as a team effort. Nothing is more important than being connected to the community leaders and organizations specifically working to meet their neighborhoods’ needs.

Tell us a story that illustrates the good work of your organization.

Our work with SNAP, informally called food stamps, makes a massive difference for the food-insecure population of Massachusetts. SNAP can be used in many different retail establishments, including Star Market.

In 2021, Project Bread published research showing that SNAP is one of the most utilized and beneficial nutri-

tion assistance programs in the United States. In 2020 alone, 3.2 million people were taken out of poverty because of SNAP and its assistance benefit. Despite all that success, a large portion of the population is qualified but still needs to enroll for these benefits. Getting people signed up for something that can be helpful to them is a large part of our mission.

There are lots of reasons why people don’t sign up. For

example, there is lots of misinformation, stigma, lack of awareness and difficulty applying. To help combat the scarcity of knowledge, we launched a full-scale awareness campaign to reach people across Massachusetts. We did some of this outreach through billboards, transit signs and mailing thousands of postcards in multiple languages to spread information about the program. We encourage people to either visit snap.org or call our FoodSource hotline. We have 180 languages we can talk to people in, which has been a great resource.

lators to lobby for universal free school meals during the pandemic. This was extremely helpful for families during such a stressful time. And this was something that should continue, so through our Feed Kids Coalition campaign, we extended the free school lunches into the 2022 to 2023 school year.

Four hundred thousand children are being fed at no cost to their families this year through our Feed Kids Coalition. Making sure kids are fed is essential and is an important goal of our organization. Universal school meals are a fantastic way to accomplish this goal. Massachusetts is one of only five states doing that.

What do you want people to know about Project Bread?

Massachusetts also recently included in the FY23 state budget a provision to implement a common application between MassHealth and SNAP, reducing the paperwork and navigation people must go through when they often qualify for both services. This has been one of Project Bread’s policy priorities since early 2021, and it shows what we can do at Project Bread. We see a problem and then try to help solve it. We have enough food in the state of Massachusetts to feed everyone. We must figure out how to get it to people.

What is your greatest achievement or contribution to the community?

I’m most proud of our work around school meals. Project Bread partnered with Massachusetts state legis-

The most significant thing people need to know is that hunger isn’t always visible. You never know who’s struggling with food insecurity. Sometimes people will have periods of their life where they’re struggling, and other times, they don’t need assistance. As we go into the holiday season, it’s often a time when people think about food insecurity and make donations, which is lovely. However, Project Bread is a year-round organization. Individuals and families are regularly struggling with not having enough food to eat. Increasing understanding about who is hungry in the community is something we strive to do. Hopefully, through that understanding comes compassion that creates action throughout the year.

Through all our programs, Project Bread’s goal is to ensure that individuals and families who are food insecure can connect to reliable food sources. Hunger is a

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We see a problem and then try to help solve it. We have enough food in the state of Massachusetts to feed everyone. We must figure out how to get it to people.

solvable problem; there is enough food for everybody in this state, and access to it is possible year-round.

How are you using the funds you’ve received from the Star Market GIVE BACK Bag Program?

The funds from the Star Market GIVE BACK Bag Program go into our general fund, which helps support every aspect of our organization. All our programs, research and policy work are supported through these finances. We are so grateful to continue to be a part of this beautiful program.

Is there anything you’d like to add?

If any Massachusetts residents are experiencing food insecurity or know someone we could help, call Project Bread. Our toll-free food source hotline is 1-800645-8333. It provides confidential assistance in 180 languages. And you can also help support Project Bread’s year-round anti-hunger efforts by going to www.projectbread.org.

Erin McAleer is President & CEO of Project Bread. She joined the organization in October 2017.

Enriching the lives of seniors.

CASTLETON COMMUNITY SENIORS

Something is always happening at Castleton Community Seniors! This vibrant program offers an array of education, recreation, communication, health and social opportunities. Shaw’s supports this nonprofit through the GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program.

Tell us about Castleton Community Seniors.

Our mission is to enrich the lives of residents of the greater Castleton, Vermont, area, particularly seniors, by providing education, recreation, communication, health and social opportunities.

February 4th, 2023, marks the 25th year since our first senior meal was hosted in this beautiful home.

What services do you provide to the community?

Castleton Community Seniors started in September 1995. A group of seniors met in one of the local churches and said, “There is a real need in the area for an official site dedicated to seniors.” At this time, a large Greek revival-style house called the Old Homestead was up for sale. In December 1995, through the generosity of the Alma Gibbs Donchian Foundation, the house was donated to the Town of Castleton to be used as a senior center. The town then conveyed the property to the newly formed Castleton Community Seniors. By January 1998, the first board meeting happened, and on February 4th of that year, the first senior meal was held in that building, which is now the Castleton Community Center.

The most wonderful thing about having this beautiful Greek revival home is that people come here for the first time and comment on how homey it feels. It is not just another institutional building; it is a place for seniors to come and feel at home.

Castleton Community Seniors provides three significant programs: a transportation program for seniors and disabled members of the community, a senior meal program served in our dining room and a wellness program with classes on-site. It is often said that our wellness program is an umbrella that includes transportation, exercise and senior meals. Wellness is not just exercise; it’s good nutrition and planned programs, but if someone can’t get here to participate, what good is that?

The transportation program is by donation only and is so intertwined with the success of our other programs. One critical component is that these rides pick up and drop off door to door. If someone is in a wheelchair, they don’t have to worry about getting to a specific bus stop; our program comes right to their door. This past year we provided 1,413 rides for doctor’s appointments, physical therapy, wellness classes, senior meals and food shopping.

Our senior meal program provides congregate dining two days a week in the dining room, and meals are also by donation only. Last year we served 1,321 meals at the Center and helped to deliver 3,600 home-delivered meals with the Meals on Wheels program. A dedicated all-volunteer team does the meal delivery services.

The wellness center is located right here on-site in a beautiful barn that we were able to renovate. Before the renovation, this space was only utilized for storage.

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We want to help create a quality of life for seniors that allows them to stay at home and be independent as long as possible.

We required more space due to the growth of our wellness classes, and we knew the barn would be the perfect place. We renovated the barn into our wellness center with community-raised funds and borrowed capital. Now, the center provides a full robust schedule of classes such as osteoporosis prevention, Tai Chi for arthritis or diabetes, line dancing and balance and fall-prevention classes. We are open to any of our member’s input regarding the classes we offer.

What sets Castleton Community Seniors apart from other nonprofits in your community?

Focusing on wellness as an overarching approach to everything we do sets us apart. Transportation, nutrition, meals and exercise all stem from wellness experiences. We feel that physical, social and emotional well-being is essential for a population that either lives alone or feels they can’t get out. Striving to get our members here is a goal of ours. We want to help create a quality of life for seniors that allows them to stay at home and be independent as long as possible.

Something really special we created on the four acres the Center owns is a beautiful walking trail. It’s an excellent way for seniors to get out into the fresh air for exercise. The trail is unique because we made sure it had a packed surface that was wheelchair accessible. People with walkers or canes who otherwise wouldn’t be able to walk an outdoor trail now have the ability to do so.

Our program director does a walking challenge every year with our members. The goal is to reach a particular destination by walking the trail. The seniors will

walk the path and record their distance. The first year the goal was to walk to Miami Beach and back. This year they are walking to Las Vegas, and at this point in the year, they are on their way back. It creates a fun little incentive for everyone.

Tell us a story that illustrates your organization’s good work.

Here is a message we got in an email from a member during the pandemic.

The member wrote, “Before the pandemic occurred, the Castleton Community Center was something to look forward to each week. Getting together for projects, learning Tai Chi, meeting new people and seeing old friends. Totally enjoyable and worthwhile. During the pandemic, it has been a lifeline. It meant that three times a week, I was able to be in a Zoom class where I could see and talk to friends and also continue with my

Tai Chi class. They also supplied meals to go on special occasions that we were able to pick up. I’ll never forget the community center workers standing outside in the freezing cold, distributing those meals as the cars drove by. Now that we’re back to having in-person classes, I have a greater appreciation of the community center and the people who do such great work there. They do so much for us.”

What is your most outstanding achievement or contribution to the community?

One of our most outstanding achievements was that we could still provide programs and services during the pandemic. We adopted the congregate meals as a successful grab-and-go service, and our exercise classes were offered on Zoom or video recordings. Some of our older members who aren’t comfortable with computers could participate in the recorded classes because we had them air on our local PEG TV station. They could turn their TV on from the comfort of their homes and be a part of the program with us.

Another instance came when I was having lunch in the dining room. A member went out of their vocal group to speak to me; she said, “I want you to know how valued this place is in the community. We are so lucky to have it here. Some people that come to our vocal group can’t carry a tune in a bucket, but they love coming, singing and feeling so welcome.”

Receiving letters and comments like this make it all so worthwhile. We are only a staff of two, so we are very grateful for all our member volunteers. Almost all our programs are member-initiated and run. Someone can come to us with a skill or an interest, and if they are willing to run the program, then we are happy to have them do it. This is truly a rewarding place to be.

Once restrictions loosened, we started lunch on the lawn, where people could come and spread out with a lawn chair and enjoy a bag lunch with each other. Fortunately, we have a substantial property because it was very popular; our first lunch on the lawn hosted 90 people. It was an incredible connection of people playing music and enjoying themselves. We are so proud of the fact that we were able to adapt our programs and be flexible enough that we could continue to operate during the pandemic.

What do you want people to know about Castleton Community Seniors?

We strive to create an environment of acceptance and caring. When people come here, they feel welcome and valued and have a good time. We just learned about a 600-person survey on what senior meal participants thought was the essential part of congregate meals. The overall response was that individuals valued the im-

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We strive to create an environment of acceptance and caring. When people come here, they feel welcome and valued and have a good time.

portance of the friendly, welcoming atmosphere these meals create.

To add to our welcoming environment, we have started providing name tags for members to wear; this way, new people feel more comfortable getting to know everyone else’s names. We work hard for that atmosphere of acceptance, caring and belonging.

How are you using the funds you’ve received from the Shaw’s GIVE BACK Bag Program?

Some funds will be used this Friday for the first indoor game day since Covid. Game days usually consist of 30 to 40 seniors and a group of Castleton University students. This makes for great intergenerational activity and interaction. The students come and play games and get surprised at how much these seniors can do. I have seen seniors in their 90’s beat students at videos like Wii bowling. It’s lovely to see these students come and realize how sharp our seniors are and how much these folks can do. I have yet to find a student who can beat our Scrabble Champion!

On game days, we provide a free lunch, which will be finger sandwiches from Shaw’s for this event. We are so grateful that some Give Back Bag funds will provide meals to our seniors and students while they interact and play games. And we put up a nice sign that says, “Today’s Meal is courtesy of Shaw’s”.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you to Shaw’s for doing the Give Back Bag Program for the community. It does help to provide programs at no expense to seniors who might be living on a fixed income. We are so grateful for the outreach and enthusiasm that this program creates for the Castleton Community Seniors!

Jo Ann Riley is Executive Director of Castleton Community Seniors.

A home away from home.

THE BOSTON HOUSE: HOPE AND HEALING FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER

A haven for children with cancer and their families, The Boston House has never closed its doors, even for one night, in its 43 years of operation. Star Market has supported the work of this nonprofit through its GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program.

Tell us about The Boston House.

Our official name is The Boston House: Hope and Healing for Children with Cancer. We were established in 1979, so it’s been a good long time.

Some parents who had children being treated at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Jimmy Fund Clinic at Dana-Farber, along with their children’s physician Dr. Steven Sallan at Dana-Farber, who’s still there and very celebrated, saw the need to have a space close to hospitals where they could stay. Through those volunteers, Dr. Sallan and several companies, The Boston House got started.

To this day, we have children of some of those founders who are now in their 50s or 60s on our board.

parking at no cost. We also have food staples that are provided on a complimentary basis, and we have laundry facilities, too. Right now, we have a really nice fund from a donor that’s called Caring for the Caregiver, and we’ve been giving out $100 gas cards and food cards, for example. Really anything we can do to lighten the load for families is included in their stay with us. Each room costs us a little over $46,000 per year to keep things running.

We’re a big, old Victorian house, and during Covid we haven’t been able to have families stay in the main house because they would have to share the bathrooms and kitchen facilities. Prior to Covid, we could accommodate 22 families at a time. We have a carriage house out in the back and an annex under our parking deck, both with self-contained apartments, and that is where our guests have stayed during Covid.

What services do you provide to the community?

The Boston House provides no-cost and convenient accommodations for children with cancer and their families in a safe and comfortable home-like setting. We truly are a home away from home, and we do everything we can to be a special place where families can be together, share stories with other families in similar situations and lean on one another for support.

Families are given accommodations, linens, Wi-Fi and

The extra food staples have been really critical. In a normal world, we have volunteers come and cook house dinners at least two nights a week. So then when families come home from the hospital, they have a homecooked meal with a chance to talk with each other. We haven’t been able to do that during Covid, but we occasionally have been providing a take-out meal.

So far in 2022, we’ve had 85 families stay with us for a total of 1,698 nights. And they’ve come from 16 states and territories as well as from Canada, Chile, Honduras and Peru.

What sets you apart from other nonprofit organizations in your community?

We’re the only home or facility of our kind that is just specific for children with cancer and other life-threat-

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…we do everything we can to be a special place where families can be together, share stories with other families in similar situations and lean on one another for support.

ening hematological diseases. There are several other homes, but they include a broader range of diseases. Our hospital partners are Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. They work together on solving and curing cancer for children, and we’re right around the corner from them, so we are focused really on that.

While our name is The Boston House, we’re located in Brookline. We do a lot to stay connected to the Brookline community. As you can imagine, over those 43 years, we’ve had many volunteers, including residents and high school students in Brookline, come and volunteer for us. We try and use vendors that are community-specific whenever we can for services that we need around the house. Even some of our mailmen have been very supportive and welcoming, and I know that people at the house have a really close relationship from time to time with the person delivering our mail.

Tell us a story that illustrates the good work you are doing.

We’re a very welcoming and accepting community, and we have families come from all over our country and the world. I think this story really shows that.

Several years ago, there was a Catholic mom from Ireland who was staying with us, and there was a dad who was there who practiced Islam and was with us during Ramadan. His name was Mohamed, and Mohamed didn’t really know how to cook. He was going through such a hard time with his child being sick, and he needed a little extra support. And this Irish Catholic mom decided to cook the Ramadan break-the- fast meal for him.

We’ve had a lot of that kind of thing, where families just embrace each other and do whatever they can to help each other, even when they are facing so many challenges as well. I think the fact that we provide a safe, comfortable home away from home is very important. But we also provide families that support from each other, which I think is really special when you’re in a cozy house. Not so much right now during the pandemic, but we have a cozy porch and a living room and spaces where families can get together and talk when they come home at night from the hospital.

is the most important thing, and that can make all the difference. We believe our families need our help now more than ever because of Covid. People should know that we do everything we can to support our families and keep them safe.

How are you using the funds you’ve received from the Star Market GIVE BACK Bag Program?

We apply the funds toward our current use spending. It’s slightly over $46,000 per year to support a room, and certain of our costs, such as cleaning supplies and our cleaning needs, have increased during Covid, not to mention the overall inflation impact.

Is there anything you’d like to add?

What is your greatest achievement or contribution to the community?

I think one of the things we’re most proud of is the fact that over our 43 years, we’ve never had to close our doors even for one night. Even when we deleaded The House, our Board contracted with a hotel where families could stay. And during the pandemic, we’ve had to be really nimble and flexible as all organizations have been.

What do you want people to know about The Boston House?

That we are providing this opportunity for everyone. All families are eligible to live and stay with us regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, income level, religion, disability, geography or language spoken.

We believe that access to the best healthcare possible

Our families are so inspiring. Where they find the strength to go through what they do, I can’t imagine. The determination and the love and the bravery and the resilience that our families demonstrate every day…it’s pretty remarkable what people will do for their children in need.

People should know that we do everything we can to support our families and keep them safe.

Katie Small is Director of Development for The Boston House: Hope and Healing for Children with Cancer. She joined the organization in January 2020.