WINTER 2023 With our Help, a Family is Home for the Holidays Q & A with our Director of Food Programs Our President on the More that Winter Asks of Us Ways to Support Us this Holiday Season
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With our Help, a Family is Home for the Holidays At age 65, Carmela became a full-time caregiver for her two grandchildren. When instability in their home put the children—ages 9 and 6—at risk, Carmela took them in. She loved them dearly and wanted to keep them safe, together and with family. Carmela held a part-time job at a laundromat and rented a small apartment. There were adjustments to make when her grandchildren moved in, but she was managing.
Q&A
FRAN QUARM
DIRECTOR OF FOOD PROGRAMS Fran Quarm has been our Director of Food Programs for three years. A chef by training, she has spent her career in the kitchens of social service organizations. At Rosie’s Place, Fran makes sure that our Food Pantry and Dining Room provide our guests with nourishment for both body and spirit. When Rosie’s Place opened in 1974, we were serving coffee and sandwiches. How have our menus and meals changed since then? The Dining Room is open 365 days a year serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. We serve guests restaurant-style, and we also offer a to-go option. Every meal we prepare is nutritious, tasty and reflective of the many different cultures of our guests. The biggest change in our Dining Room is how many meals we now serve. In the past year, we served over 100,000 meals—nearly double the number served the year before. We see new faces at our tables every day. Who visits the Dining Room? We welcome everyone who needs a healthy, hearty meal! Often homeless women will come first thing in the morning for a hot shower and breakfast and mothers with children will stop in for breakfast before going off to school and work. In the afternoon, we serve guests who are living on the street, guests who come in on their breaks from work and grab lunch to-go or students in our Women’s Education Center who come in after their classes. Many nights our dinner tables are full of older women, old friends, who have come to rely on us. Quite often, the Dining Room is the first program that guests will utilize. So, we strive to be accommodating and respectful of what may have brought them to us. We ask them how they’re doing, how we can help. Sounds simple, but for so many women, we may be the only person to ask them that all day. In the Dining Room, guests can connect with each other, and they can connect to all our other important programs.
As time went on, things became more difficult. When an illness kept her granddaughter out of school for a week, Carmela’s supervisor cut back her hours for missing too many shifts. The heating bills were high, and expensive grocery prices with two extra mouths to feed added extra burden. Before long, bills piled up and she fell behind in rent. Carmela feared if she didn’t catch up on rent, she would lose her apartment. Even more frightening, she could lose her ability to care for her grandchildren. A longtime neighbor recommended that she come to Rosie’s Place. The next day, Carmela and her grandchildren joined us for dinner in our Dining Room. And there she found more than a meal. Carmela learned about our host of programs and services and connected with the help she and her grandchildren needed. She met with an Advocate, who helped her figure out a payment plan for her overdue bills, so she could avoid eviction and have security for the months ahead. Carmela visited our Food Pantry for groceries and other essentials, and she continued to join us for meals when she couldn’t manage cooking between her shifts and the children’s activities. We also referred her to our on-site counselor who connected her and the children to services for help coping with the changes in their lives. Now that Carmela is out of crisis, she continues to work with Rosie’s Place to ensure she stays on track. During monthly visits to her home, we review her budget, provide a T pass, and help work through any challenges that come up. For the new school year, we helped her get backpacks and school supplies for her grandchildren. When she
expressed interest in improving her English skills to better support her grandchildren in their learning, we connected her to our Women’s Education Center. Over the holidays, Rosie’s Place will be there again—to brighten the family’s celebrations. Carmela will visit our Food Pantry for groceries to prepare a special meal and dessert. Our Stabilization Advocate will bring gifts for Carmela and her grandchildren. Carmela appreciates this support that will come at the expensive holiday time. Carmela found a lifeline and unconditional support at Rosie’s Place. As she says, “I was overwhelmed with worry. If it weren’t for your help, I don’t know where we would be right now. I can’t thank you enough for the care you have shown my family and me. This holiday season we will be giving thanks for all our friends at Rosie’s Place.”
Sanctuary, Support & Opportunity Lead to Stability At Rosie’s Place, when a woman comes to our Dining Room for lunch, we know she likely needs help with more than a meal. Just as when a guest comes to us on the brink of eviction, we know she needs help with more than rent. From our Overnight Shelter to our Women’s Education Program to our Housing Search and Employment Specialists—we strive to give comprehensive and compassionate help. Providing our guests with sanctuary, support and opportunity leads to precious stability. Jodie’s Story: For years, Jodie worked two jobs to keep her onebedroom apartment. Living paycheck to paycheck, she just got by. But when she lost her day job working as security in a local mall, it was not long before her bills piled up. Unable to pay rent, Jodie’s landlord threatened eviction.
Why is the Dining Room the heart of Rosie’s Place? Just like a home’s kitchen, folks gravitate to our Dining Room for the comfort of a good meal and a feeling of belonging. In fact, a guest recently told us that her lunch was so delicious because it reminded her of her mother. We host musical performances, hold a monthly birthday party for guests and celebrate holidays with daylong festivities including special meals, music, dancing, games and more. The people and spirit that fill our Dining Room is what makes it so special.
When a friend told her about Rosie’s Place, she immediately called our Advocacy Helpline. We were able to help her pay her back rent and negotiated a payment plan with her landlord and several utility companies to address the overwhelming bills.
What does being part of the Rosie’s Place team mean to you? When I came to America years ago, I had nothing. I had to start all over again. I wish I had known about Rosie’s Place back then! I see myself in our guests and feel honored to be able to help them. For me, food is love.
Working with our Employment Specialist, Jodie secured a higher paying full-time job with training and advancement opportunities that allowed her to leave her second job. She visits our Food Pantry weekly for the nutritional and financial supplement that our groceries provide.
Roseline’s Story: A recent immigrant from Haiti, Roseline is an ESOL student in our Women’s Education Center. She is driven to improve her language skills in order to gain a better paying job and move herself and her two young daughters out of her friend’s apartment into a place of their own. Roseline attends classes three mornings a week and joins us for lunch in the Dining Room before heading to work. She is active in our Public Policy Council meetings, partnering with our staff in calling on state officials to ensure dignified and humane treatment of the tens of thousands of migrants who have recently arrived in Massachusetts.