Members in Boston plant Daffodils along Boston Marathon route. See the LDS News article below for more details:
https://www.lds.org/church/news/members-in-boston-plant-daffodils-along-marathon-route?lang=eng
Framingham 1 Ward Service as of February 2017
The Framingham 1st Ward’s current Humanitarian Service contains an example of how consistent service to an organization can open up more opportunities to serve. The LDS Missionaries assigned to the Framingham 1st Ward volunteer twice a week with the local Salvation Army, assisting community members at the Food Pantry Market. Their ongoing commitment and dependability in this assignment has deepened and strengthened the ward’s relationship with the Salvation Army, which has led to other service projects for the Relief Society, such as Backpack Drives filled with School Supplies for children in need, literacy events, and helping transport donated food items from grocery stores to the organization.
The other weekly service carried out by Missionaries in the ward is helping set-up and break-down the vendor tents at the Ashland Farmer’s Market every Saturday. This is a very well-attended market, so it is a great place for the Elders to be serving!
Relief Society Sisters have supported Early Intervention in Waltham by assembling and donating 54 “Birthday Boxes” with many items for children in need to celebrate their Birthdays.
Finally, working with Ascentria Care Alliance (http://www.ascentria.org/our-services), the sisters carried out a Virtual Baby Shower for a pregnant refugee woman from Eritrea, providing her with much-needed items, including diapers, baby clothes, and a stroller. Often pregnant refugee women are far from family support of any kind, and know few people in their new area. So these Virtual Baby Showers are much-appreciated.
Framingham 1st Ward!
#IWasAStranger
Brookline Ward Service, as of January 2017
The Brookline Ward Relief Society has taken to heart the plea to help immigrants by getting involved with NuDay Syria. This organization, based in New Hampshire, collects useful items, and ships a large container monthly directly to Refugee Camps in Syria via Turkey. The Brookline Ward conducted a Refugee Drive in Fall 2016, and found it so gratifying that they are doing it again in 2017. Families have gone to New Hampshire to help pack the containers as well.
Brookline Relief Society women also volunteer at the Watertown Library as English Tutors, teaching basic vocabulary or industry-specific words for adults seeking employment in specialized fields.
Missionaries in the Brookline Ward also fulfill their weekly Community Service hours at the Newton Food Pantry, and at the Perkins School for the Blind. Missionaries have been serving these organizations for several years. Recently at Perkins, the Missionaries have been painting customized seats, boosters, and desks for people with disabilities.
Thank you, Brookline Ward!
Working for Worcester 2016!
Saturday April 16, 2016 – members and missionaries were part of a team of 1100 (yes! eleven hundred!) volunteers Working for Worcester 2016! Projects all around the city included building playgrounds, a dance studio, and a basketball court, in addition to painting and cleanups. Our team did the cleanup part in a low-income housing development. Thanks for coming out to serve those we don’t know but still care about! #IWasAStranger #w4w2016 @Working4Woo
Relief Society Members Serve at Rosie’s Place
Women from the Boston Stake Relief Society attended two events for the women’s shelter Rosie’s Place in Boston. At the annual benefit fundraiser luncheon, we learned about the history and mission of this first women’s shelter in the United States.
On Dec. 2, 2014, six volunteers had a chance to meet some 150 guests at the shelter. We arrived in time to set up for the lunch by arranging the chairs and tables, including floral centerpieces. Then we served the three-course meal – soup and bread, followed by main dish and salad, and fruit for dessert. As a wife and mom who has trouble getting even a single dish on the table in the evening, I was inspired by the menu and quality ingredients that went into this lunch. The organization is very well-run and our time did not go to waste for a minute. The volunteer coordinator has clearly been honing her task for years and she was able to smoothly direct the ten or so volunteers, which included both regulars and others (like myself) who were there for the first time. After the guests had been served, the volunteers were invited to have a plate of food as well. Two of us sat and ate with one guest who turned out to be deaf. Not deterred, we counted on lip reading followed by some napkin scribbling to carry out a conversation with our tablemate. I can report that both the food and the company were very nourishing!
– Mary M.