Business

Addgene Supports Wayside Multi with Back-to-School Backpack Donation

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Sophia Suárez-Friedman, Program Director at Wayside Multi-Service Center, with backpacks donated by Addgene. (Courtesy Photo)

The following piece was provided by the Wayside Multi Service Center:

As the new school year approaches, preparation can make all the difference — and thanks to Addgene, youth supported by Wayside Youth & Family Support Network’s Multi-Service Center (Wayside Multi) in Watertown will be starting the year well-equipped and ready to succeed. Addgene, partnering with TeamBonding, generously donated backpacks filled with school supplies to the Wayside Multi, which serves local youth and families. These backpacks were distributed to children and teens who will benefit from having the tools they need to start the school year with confidence. Some backpacks were distributed to students through Project Literacy, a program offering free English classes through the Watertown Free Public Library, where they were met with enthusiasm.

Around Town

Friends of Watertown Group Seeks to Help Those in Need, Bring People Together

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Friends of WatertownVictor Lattanzi of Friends of Watertown visited the St. Patrick’s/Sacred Heart Food Pantry to make a donation. The Friends of Watertown formed during the Pandemic with the goal of helping people, bring people together, and to maintain friendships and traditions. Founder Victor Lattanzi said the 501 3C non-profit organization will be making donations to local groups, host events and more. “The Friends of Watertown is partnering with community leaders in Watertown, i.e., clergy, teachers and police in order to have a direct line to those who may be suffering in silence and could benefit from charitable offerings in the form of food, school supplies and other identified necessities,” Lattanzi said.

Charity

Watertown Company Cleans Up Section Along Charles River

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WiTricityEmployees from Watertown-based WiTricity cleaned up the area along the Charles River near the Watertown Bridge. Volunteers from Watertown-based WiTricity spent an afternoon cleaning up a section of the Charles River near Watertown Square. A team of 25 employees from the company located on Water Street in Watertown cleaned the river bank near the bridge over Galen Street on May 5. The clean-up was done under the guidance of the Charles River Conservancy. WiTricityTwenty-five employees from WiTricity picked up trash along the Charles River in Watertown.

Around Town

Local Restaurants Delivering Meals to Community Fridge as Part of Nourishing Program

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Watertown Community FridgeThe Watertown Community Fridge is being filled with meals from Watertown restaurants participating in the Charles River Regional Chamber’s Nourishing program. It is located near the church at 80 Mt. Auburn St. The following information was provided by the Charles River Regional Chamber:

Over the past two years our chamber’s food assistance program has purchased more than 15,000 meals from independent restaurants in Newton, Wellesley and Needham and delivered them to families and individuals in need. This morning we’re making our first meal deliveries in Watertown as we expand our Nourishing program yet again.

Around Town

Sweet Treat Raising Proceeds for Ukrainian Relief at Watertown Restaurant

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City Works in Watertown is serving Syrnyk, a Ukrainian cheesecake, to raise money for World Central Kitchen. The following announcement was provide by City Works:

To support relief efforts in Ukraine, City Works Eatery & Pour House, located in Arsenal Yards, will offer guests Syrnyk, a sweet and rich Ukrainian cheesecake, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting World Central Kitchen (WCK). The cultural dessert staple will be offered beginning May 4. The support for WCK comes at a time when an affiliated relief kitchen came under fire in Kharkiv just last week. Currently, WCK with their local partners prepare about 320,000 meals per day to feed people in Ukraine.

Around Town

Watertown Helps Out Returns Bigger and Better in 2022

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Watertown’s day of community service has turned into a month of volunteering. After a two year hiatus, Watertown Community Foundation is bringing back Watertown Helps Out in May, and WHO22 will have multiple opportunities during the month to lend a hand to local organizations around the city. Watertown Helps Out started in 2014 as a way for Watertown community members to help support their neighbors after Watertown was touched by the marathon bombings, it has now become a mainstay and beloved springtime event. 

In 2022, WCF decided to expand to a month for a few different reasons, said Executive Director Jan Singer. “Having had to forgo WHO in 2020 and 2021, we wanted to give back in a bigger and better way,” Singer said. “Watertown Helps Out, an annual day of community service and volunteering on the first Saturday in May, has been a mainstay of WCF since 2014.

Around Town

Watertown Group Joining Mother’s Day Walk for Peace, Seeks to Raise $3K

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Watertown Walks for PeaceWatertown Walks for Peace will participate in the 2022 Mother’s Day Walk for Peace in Dorchester. Pictured is the last time that the walk was held in Dorchester in 2019. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Walks for Peace:

Watertown Walks for Peace (WW4P) will be participating in this year’s Mother’s Day Walk for Peace on May 8, 2022. This annual fundraising event supports the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute in its critical advocacy and support work for victims of gun violence. This will be Watertown’s eighth year of participation in the annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace.

Around Town

Marshall Home Fund Welcomes New Fund Administrator

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Marshall Home FundThe Marshall Home Fund named C. Allison Hewett as its new fund administrator. The following announcement was provided by the Marshall Home Fund:

The board of directors of the Marshall Home Fund (MHF) is proud to announce that C. AllisonHewett has been named the new administrator for the Fund. Hewett is already known to some in Watertown as she is also the administrator for the FirstParish of Watertown. She plans to continue in that role as both positions are part-time. Hewett has a rich work history that includes working with Watertown’s Helen Robinson Wright Charitable Fund, a library director in Granville, N.Y., a former cost manager and a production assembler.