Around Town

Donation Drive & Free Store to be Hosted by Watertown Mutual Aid

By |

Watertown Mutual Aid announced it will host a Donation Drive and Free Store on Sunday, Nov. 7. The event will be at Ballroom in Boston, 100 Parker St. in Watertown. The Donation Drive will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Accepted items:

Winter coats (new/like-new)Cold-weather clothes for kids, newborn to young adult (new/like-new)Diapers and baby wipesMenstrual productsPersonal care items (shampoo, toothpaste, etc.)

Shop at the Free Store from 1-3 p.m. Free and open to all!

Around Town

Watertown Community Fridge Now Open, Give or Take Food for Free 24/7

By |

Watertown Community FridgeThe Watertown Community Fridge, located outside Francis Market. The Watertown Community Fridge officially opened this week, and people can take or leave food at the free community resource. The fridge is located in a shed outside of Francis Market, 1084 Belmont St. in Watertown. Organizers said people have already made use of the fridge.

Angel Flight Northeast

Watertown Ford Recognized for Philanthropic Service by Angel Flight Northeast

By |

Angel Flight NortheastHeather, Kerry, Shawn, Gerry, Larry & Kevin from Watertown Ford show the certificate received from Angel Flight Northeast. The following announcement was provided by Angel Flight NE:

Watertown Ford received the Angel Flight NE’s Outstanding Partnership Award for its commitment of providing essential Ground Crew services to support patients and families in need. Since 2020, the Ford Motor Company Fund has been supporting Angel Flight NE’s mission of coordinating free air transportation for children and adults to access life-saving medical treatment. Since its founding, Angel Flight NE has scheduled more than 103,000 patients/passengers’ flights who have been flown more than 14 million miles. A vital component of Angel Flight NE’s mission is its Ground Crew services that provide free ground transportation to and from airports and medical facilities for our patients, which Watertown Ford is actively participating in.

Around Town

Watertown Teen Inspiration for Jimmy Fund Walk Participants, Including 7 from Town

By |

Watertown’s Kate Morris, 13, is a Walk Hero and will help inspire participants in this year’s virtual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. The following piece was provided by the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk:

Seven residents from Watertown will choose their own route on October 3 for the annual Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk: Your Way presented by Hyundai. Participants are encouraged to “Walk Your Way” from wherever they are most comfortable whether that be from their neighborhood, local park, favorite trail, or even a treadmill in their own home.    

Martha Krache, David Morris, Garry Nolan, Thomas Opar, Cheryl Ramhorst, Michelle Sloan, and Alexis Tice, along with thousands of other walkers, will participate in virtual programming during the Walk that aims to recreate the most inspiring elements of Walk day. While the event will not physically bring walkers together along the famed Boston Marathon® course, it will unite the community to raise funds to support all forms of adult and pediatric care and cancer research at the nation’s premier cancer center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The event has raised more than $150 million for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in its 30+ year history. 

Walk Heroes are matched with Jimmy Fund Walk teams to give participants an opportunity to connect with patients.

Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation Gets Biggest Grant Ever, Using it to Support 3 Organizations

By |

The Watertown Community Foundation will help three local organizations with grants over $100,000 after the foundation received the largest grant in its history. The money will go to Metro West Collaborative Development, Watertown Boys & Girls Club, and Wayside Youth and Family Support Network. The funds came to the Watertown Community Foundation in a grant from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development Community Foundations Grant Program for COVID-19 Relief. “This $400,000 grant is the largest single grant that our foundation has ever received,” said WCF co-president Darshna Varia. “We have been able to distribute the funds quickly and directly to where they are needed most.

Charity

Watertown Community Foundation Supports Dozens of Local Groups with $129K in Grants

By |

The Watertown Community Foundation provided the following announcement:

The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) has awarded grants totaling $129,500 to initiatives in two categories. One: WCF’s Program Grants awards grants designed to help organizations that serve Watertown develop new or continue existing programs with an educational focus (broadly defined). These are programs that operate outside of the Watertown’s public schools. 

Two: WCF’s Institutional Grants are designed to help institutions central to the Watertown community by providing funds to maintain critical programming and retain paid staff.  Grants under this program impose neither restrictions on the use of funds nor any program requirements.   

Eligible organizations apply for a maximum of $5000 for program grants and a maximum of $7,500 for Institutional grants. The grants are funded by the Foundation’s Watertown Arsenal Education Fund. WCF Grants Chairwoman Mary Ann Mulligan explains, “WCF received a record number of applications, and we are delighted to more than double our spring grant awards to the largest amount given to date. It has been the most challenging year for so many of our community-based organizations and we hope this increased grant funding will help them restore and even expand the vital services, supports and innovative programs they provide to the Watertown community.” From dance classes for special needs students to stress reduction workshops, planting pollinator gardens to an outdoor arts market, this year’s Program Grants cover a wide array of projects that encompass all ages and abilities.

Charity

More Than A Dozen Watertown Residents to Ride Pan-Mass Challenge

By |

Pan-Mass ChallengeOne of the 6,000 riders taking part in the 2021 Pan-Mass Challenge, which raises money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The following announcement was provided by the Pan-Mass Challenge:

On Aug. 7 and 8, more than 6,000 riders, including 13 participants from Watertown, will take part in the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a two-day 211-mile bike-a-thon across Massachusetts, with the goal of raising $52 million for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber). The PMC is the nation’s single most successful athletic fundraiser, donating 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar to Dana-Farber as its largest single contributor, accounting for 64 percent of its Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue. For the first time since 2019, more than 6,000 riders from 47 states and 11 countries will once again hit the road together during the first weekend of August with the common goal of making an impact in the fight against cancer.

Charity

Crowd-Funding Effort Started to Prevent Watertown Woman with Medical Issues from Being Foreclosed

By |

A crowd-funding campaign has been started in an effort to prevent a Watertown woman with severe medical problems from losing her home. Alyssa Pinzone started the GoFundMe campaign to help her mother, Angela, raise $15,000 to stop the foreclosure of her Watertown condominium. The mother of two had a car accident in 2018 and continued to have medical issues, which were originally misdiagnosed. Angela has not been able to work, and her bills have been poling up, Pinzone wrote on the GoFundMe page. Pinzone wrote on Facebook:

“I made a GoFundMe for my mom in hopes to help save her home from being foreclosed.