Feed all the town
Published on January 7th, 2004
STONEHAM, MA - Stoneham resident and longtime member at the First Congregational Church Becky Jacques stood before a hungry group of fifty or so people at the Tuesday night Community Dinner -- some are local residents who have fallen on hard times; some are the local elderly without companionship at the dinner table; and some have just simply fallen through the cracks of "everyday life" -- and read aloud a prayer that was part ad-libbed and part downloaded.
It went a little something like this: "A new year is unfolding -- like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within.
Lord, let this be the year be filled with the things that are truly good -- with the comfort of warmth in our relationships, with the strength to help those who need our help and the humility and openness to accept help from others.
As we make our resolutions for the year ahead, let us go forward with great hope that all things can be possible -- with your help and guidance."
With that, amen's reverberated through the basement of the First Congregational Church, and StonehamBank employees (volunteers on the first Tuesday of each and every month for the last three years) began to serve first salad, and then scrumptious helpings of Harrow's Chicken Pot Pie.
When the StonehamBank employees were announced by Jacques, cheers erupted amid the dispersal of heaping plates of food.
The food, purchased by StonehamBank at a price discounted by Harrows, provided nourishment for both the body and the soul as many of the guests look forward to the meal all week.
"This is something that really allows you to get to know people in the community that you normally wouldn't," said Jacques. "We have people that have been coming here since the inter-faith association steering committee started the dinners eight-and-a-half years ago.
The Committee, consisting of Jacques, Karen Sokol, Cy O'Neil, Dot Corkum, Elaine Burnham and Marian DeMaglio, began the dinners as a way to reach out a helping hand to those most in need within the community.
Local businesses and restaurants have caught on to the goodwill wagon, as Harrows, Brothers Restaurant, Pepperidge Farm of Wakefield and Titterington's Olde English Bake Shop of Woburn all donate food for the dinner.
Local volunteers provide the human element of servers and, of course, dishwashers who are there with a smile and some positive words for their guests.
"This is something that people at the bank really get excited about," said StonehamBank employee and spokesperson Anita Butler, who has been a volunteer at Community Dinner for all three years of StonehamBank's involvement. "We usually bring anywhere from 10-15 people, and the sign-up sheet is filled in about two minutes."
Butler added that StonehamBank gets involved in the Boys and Girls Club, the Stoneham Theatre and other fund-raising and charitable ventures, but "the dinner is probably the most popular."
"We have employees that live in New Hampshire and the South Shore, and they stick around here after work to help at the dinner," said Butler. "It just shows how much it means to them, and how much they know it means to the people they're serving."
One unidentified diner spoke about the dinners as he was putting on his jacket and preparing to leave into the snowy night.
"I've been coming here ever since my parents passed away a couple of years back," he said, as he recounted his battle against the after-effects of a stroke and Parkinson's Disease. "This is something I really look forward to on Tuesdays."
According to Jacques, there has been only one cancellation of Community Dinner during its nearly nine years of existence, and that was due to a blizzard.
"People will come through snow and ice and all kinds of things to get here," said Jacques, who praised the involvement of StonehamBank. "It really says something about the hearts of the people involved."
StonehamBank sponsors the first Tuesday of every month along with some former members of the Shir Tikva Temple in Stoneham, St. Patricks Church, the First Congregational Church, the Baptist Church, and the St. James Church supply food and volunteers on the remaining Tuesdays. The Stoneham Rotary also helps in supporting the Tuesday night community dinners.
The dinners begin at 5:45 p.m. and are free of charge to local individuals and families at no cost to the participants.
The face of the volunteers gets no more generous than that of 92-year-old Genevieve Bryant, who helps set out the cups and silverware used by the guests.
"This is a great place for people who otherwise wouldn't have company at dinner-time," said Bryant, who moved to Stoneham in 1952. "The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts come in and help, and I don't know if they realize the importance of things like these dinners before they get here. But they understand when they come and get involved."
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