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
NEWS
Join Us for A Christmas Carol on December 19th Get Involved and Give Back
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.
Our President on the More That Winter Asks of Us
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Dear Friend,
Every winter brings more women in need to Rosie’s Place. We work to brighten the season by providing our guests with a warm holiday experience that is—like everything else at Rosie’s Place—wrapped in unconditional love and respect. Please read below to learn more about how you can help us spread holiday cheer this winter!
The winter months always ask more of us. As the days get colder and darker, we’ll need sweaters, coats and hats. We’ll be inside more, needing our heat up higher and our lights on longer, making those bills cost much more every month. Most of us are lucky to be able to meet these basic needs and enjoy the holiday season. But poor and homeless women all too often spend this season living in more risk, with more worry and making do with even less in order to just survive. Frigid temperatures threaten the lives of homeless women living on the streets and the hard-won stability of poor women struggling to pay the high costs of staying warm and housed. Many will have to choose between paying rent or eating dinner. Keeping the lights on or buying a holiday gift. That’s why this winter as always, Rosie’s Place will continue to do more for the many more women who are counting on us. Because we are the safety net below the tightrope of chronic poverty our guests walk every day. We are the place that women like Carmela, Jodie and Roseline who you read about on the first page of this newsletter, go when they have nowhere else to turn. While we know that helping with a meal or a rent check is not a long-term solution to hunger and homelessness—it’s a start. We do more than respond to emergency needs. By recognizing and striving to address the root causes of our guests’ struggles—we work to effectively help housed women remain in their homes and homeless women to attain housing. Our Advocates do all they can to prevent women from the traumatic freefall that is homelessness. In the past year, they prevented 1,636 evictions—39% more than last year. And our Advocates work in concert with all our direct service teams to identify and address what stands between a woman maintaining or achieving stability. The expert supports of our Legal Program and Housing Search, Mental Health and Employment Specialists can help women clear these obstacles. Because we know that when we give women the sanctuary, support and opportunity they need—they can secure the stability they deserve. We couldn’t do this without you, our dear friends. Your generosity will bring more warmth, wellbeing and joy to the women of Rosie’s Place this winter.
Host a Holiday Gift Drive Coordinate a drive with your workplace, school or family to collect presents for Rosie’s Place guests. With your help, we hope to provide over 1,500 guests with a special gift. Our items include: OurWishlist Wishlist items include: toto Target, Old Navy, CVS, Walgreens $25gift giftcards cards Target, Old Navy, CVS, Walgreens • $25 and andWalmart Walmart • Warm Warmhat, hat,glove gloveand andscarf scarfsets sets • Cozy Cozy throw throwblankets blankets • Fuzzy Fuzzy winter wintersocks socks Beautyproducts productsincluding includinglotions, lotions, scrubs and facial • Beauty scrubs and facial masks masks
*Please ensure all Wishlist items are delivered to Rosie’s Place by December 13, 2023.
Gift Card Registry Gift cards give our guests the freedom to pick the gift that means that most to them. Consider giving through our Gift Card Registry at https://bit.ly/RPGifts or mail $25 gift cards directly to Rosie’s Place, Attn: Kelsey Soto, 889 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118.
Send Holiday Cards Send greetings to family, friends and clients and give the gift of hope to poor and homeless women. Choose from ten classic Boston scenes and winter illustrations by acclaimed local artists. Order today at rosiesplace.org/holidaycards.
Give to Rosie’s Place
Visit rosiesplace.org/give to support our vital programs and services for over 12,000 women each year with a one-time gift or monthly donation that funds our work year-round!
889 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118 rosiesplace.org • 617.442.9322
Stock our Food Pantry One in three adults in Massachusetts are food insecure. Help Rosie’s Place address this crisis with a Virtual Food Drive. Needed items from our shopping list are delivered directly to Rosie's Place and distributed to guests visiting our Food Pantry. Visit our YouGiveGoods page at https://bit.ly/RPFoodPantry23 to contribute to our current drive or start your own today.*Please note, we are only able to accept food items through Virtual Food Drives.
Cater a Meal in our Dining Room We provide hearty and nutritious meals every day of the year. Our staff uses fresh ingredients, makes dishes from scratch and uses recipes that reflect our guests’ diverse palates. Catering groups underwrite the cost of a meal with a donation of $500 and help prepare, serve and clean up meals in our Dining Room. Please visit rosiesplace.org/get-involved/groups to find a calendar of available dates and fill out a Date Request Form.
Support Rosie’s Place with a Digital Fundraiser
Simply go to gofundme.com/charity/rosies-place or visit facebook.com/fund/rosiesplace to launch your own fundraiser. For more information and to connect with Rosie’s Place staff as you plan your event, go to rosiesplace.org/get-involved/volunteer-events. Our team can provide a QR code with a custom link to your fundraiser.
Honor Someone Special
In lieu of holiday parties or presents, consider making a tribute donation to Rosie’s Place in honor of a friend, family member or co-worker. Save on postage—Rosie’s Place notifies your honoree on your behalf. Give at rosiesplace.org/tribute.
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There will be more delicious meals and festivities in our Dining Room. More coats, blankets, care packages and holiday gifts will be given out through our Food Pantry. And more women will know the comforts of community and the security of their own home, because of you. Thank you for believing in the importance of our mission and the power of compassion. Your friendship is our best gift. Heartfelt best wishes for the holiday season,
Leemarie Mosca
“All of us need a Rosie in our lives. She is the hope we all have, that lets us know that everything is going to be all right, in our darkest hour. Rosie’s Place has provided the base from which many women can again build shattered lives. It is the place we can dream our dreams and know somehow that everything is going to turn around now that a friend has stepped into the void and found us.”
ROSIE’S PLACE NEWS is published three times a year to inform our friends about activities and events taking place throughout the Rosie’s Place community. OUR MISSION is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women to maintain their dignity, seek opportunity, and find security in their lives. OUR VISION is based on the words of our founder, Kip Tiernan: “Never forget that charity is scraps from the table and justice is a seat at the table. Charity is giving to others what belongs to you. Justice is giving others what belongs to them.” At Rosie’s Place, we believe diversity, equity and inclusion are core components of justice. We commit to acting on a daily basis to dismantle injustice to ensure that opportunities and equitable outcomes are available to all members of our community regardless of individual characteristics including race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, age, sexual orientation or perceived ability. President/CEO Leemarie Mosca Director of Communications/Editor Jamie Doyle Digital Communications Manager/Contributor Leah Westberry Design Colette O’Neill We’d love to hear from you! Please contact us with your comments at jdoyle@rosiesplace.org or 617.318.0265.
“The power of choice is often stripped away from you at a time of crisis. I really admire how Rosie’s Place restores choice to their guests however they can.” Excerpted from a poignant conversation with New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed musician Michelle Zauner at our Funny Women…Serious Business luncheon in November.
Kip Tiernan who founded Rosie’s Place in 1974. In 2024, we will celebrate 50 years of being a Rosie to women in need.
“I was renewed…What I found at Rosie’s Place was more than I expected…I have met some incredible people and all I had to do was walk through the door. Rosie’s Place is my favorite place.” Excerpted from Jeannelle’s story of coming to Rosie’s Place seeking a bed in our shelter and finding so much more. Jeannelle shared her journey at our Funny Women…Serious Business luncheon.
COMMUNITY OF
FRIENDS
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Did you know
In 2024, Rosie’s Place will celebrate 50 years of turning hope into help for the thousands of poor and homeless women who have relied on our compassion and community. We are planning a year full of festivities as we look back on how far we have come and look ahead to how much more we will do, together, with you, our amazing supporters who make our critical work possible. In October, we held a Wellness Fair in our Dining Room centered around holistic providers and featuring yoga, reiki and acupuncture. Guests had the opportunity to speak with practitioners, access resources and participate in a host of activities and exercises. A big thank you to our friends at Cambridge Savings Bank for their donation of yoga mats for our guests! These mats are a perfect addition to wellness programs at Rosie’s Place!
We appreciate all the T.L.C. our friends at Relay Therapeutics put into the more than 100 Care Pacakges they made for our guests! Providing our guests with these essential hygiene items enables them to stretch their already limited budgets.
We are so grateful to our friends at Land’s Sake Farms who sent the sunshine with a lovely donation of sunflowers that brightened our Dining Room!
From left, Susan Wornick, featured speaker Michelle Zauner, Rosie’s Place President/CEO Leemarie Mosca and Karen Holmes Ward of WCVB.
On November 7th, the extraordinary Rosie’s Place community came together for our annual fundraising luncheon Funny Women…Serious Business. Held at the Hynes Convention Center with 1,300 supporters in attendance, this entertaining and inspiring afternoon raised $875,000 for our important and impactful work. Longtime Rosie’s Place friends, Susan Wornick and WCVB’s Karen Holmes Ward co-hosted the event and shared a moving conversation with Michelle Zauner, acclaimed musician, writer, director and author of the New York Times bestseller Crying in H Mart. This event was made possible through the support of Presenting Sponsors Bank of America, G-P, Christina and Michael Gordon, Kristen and John Maxwell, Michele
May and David Walt, Robert J. Murray and Christa Balzer, New Balance Foundation and Deb and Mark Pasculano; Presenting Centerpiece Sponsor Neiman Marcus; and Leading Sponsors Amundi US, Cherise and Robert Bransfield, Jay Cashman, Forest Foundation, Deirdre Giblin and David DuBard, The Gilson Family Foundation, Beth Edwards Harris, Highland Partners Charitable Fund, Erin O’Connor Kent and Patrick Kent, KPMG and Pinkham Busny LLP. Special guests included Governor Maura Healey, Mayor Michelle Wu, Latoyia Edwards, NBC10 Boston; Yadires NovaSalcedo, Encuentro Latino; Amaka Ubaka, 7News WHDH/WLVI; and Vanessa Welch, Boston 25 News.
Rosie’s Place accepts no government funds and relies instead on committed supporters like you!
There are more than healthy and delicious groceries filling our Food Pantry bags! For the 350 women we serve every day we provide a variety of proteins, fresh produce and shelf-stable items. And we also include household and personal care items donated through our Care Package initiative to help women and their families with these often expensive and essential products. To learn more about creating a Care Package for Rosie’s Place, visit www.rosiesplace.org/carepackages.
This fall, our Chief Program Officer Sandy Mariano spoke with Magic 106.7’s Sue Tabb and Kendra Petrone on their Exceptional Women show about how Rosie’s Place is addressing the hunger and housing crises in the Commonwealth and shared insights gained from her twenty years working at Rosie’s Place. Sandy oversees our Advocacy Programs, Emergency Guest Services and the Women’s Education Center.
Advocates host a regular support group for our many Haitian Creole speaking guests. At a recent gathering, all enjoyed the chance to come together with good friends and food and learn more about Rosie’s Place’s emergency and expert programs and services.
ESOL students in our Women’s Education Center’s chorus held an in-classroom concert! Learning lyrics in English enables women to advance their English skills while raising their voices in song!
Get Involved and Give Back at Rosie’s Place
Join us December 19th for our Annual Reading of A Christmas Carol On December 2, 1867, Charles Dickens began his first American reading tour of A Christmas Carol in Boston. For more than two decades, WBUR has hosted a reading of this timeless holiday tale to benefit the lifechanging work of Rosie’s Place.
to life with warmth, drama and humor. And with music from A Capella Carolers, the evening will be merry and bright!
This year, the tradition will continue at WBUR CitySpace on Tuesday, December 19th at 7:00pm.
We hope you will join us for this magical evening that is sure to spread holiday cheer while supporting the important work of Rosie’s Place.
WBUR hosts and reporters, Meghna Chakrabarti, Tiziana Dearing, Ben Brock Johnson, Darryl C. Murphy and Robin Young will bring this classic tale
If you have any questions, please contact Olivia Davis Wilson at odaviswilson@rosiesplace.org.
Tickets for this event are $80 each and can be purchased at www.rosiesplace.org/wbur.
HELP OUR GUESTS STAY WARM THIS WINTER When the temperature drops, the critical needs of our guests rise. You can help us meet this urgent need. Scan the code to donate: • Cozy throw blankets • Fuzzy winter socks • Beauty products including lotions, scrubs and facial masks • ...and much more!
Teach in our Women’s Education Center We are seeking substitute teachers to support students in our English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes in our Women’s Education Center. No previous teaching experience is necessary. Substitute teachers sign up for class openings that work with their schedule. ESOL Substitute Teacher Trainings are held several times a month and are the first step to getting involved with the Women’s Education Center. Share your talents and join us! Email volunteer@rosiesplace.org to learn more. Stock our Food Pantry Food costs are soaring and our guests are struggling to keep up. By holding a Virtual Food Drive, items from our shopping list are delivered directly to Rosie’s Place and distributed to guests visiting our Food Pantry. Visit our YouGiveGoods page at www.bit.ly/RPFoodPantry23 to contribute to our current drive or start your own food drive today. *Please note: We are only able to accept food items through Virtual Food Drives. Create Care Packages You can help get essential items to Rosie’s Place guests in need. To learn how to assemble these kits that will be distributed to the hundreds of poor and homeless women we serve every day, visit www.rosiesplace.org/carepackages.
SAVE THE
DATE Rosie’s Place’s Safe & Sound Gala
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Cyclorama at Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA Contact Olivia Davis Wilson for more information: odaviswilson@rosiesplace.org
www.rosiesplace.org 889 Harrison Avenue Boston, MA 02118
NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID BOSTON, MA PERMIT NO. 14526