Our roundup of the latest Wellesley community news:
Gift wrapping help needed
The Kids Backing Kids Holiday Gift Drive has been a success this season, with 3,000-plus gifts collected to give to children in local communities.
Now the charitable organization needs help wrapping those gifts. Please sign up for 1-hour slot on Saturday, Dec. 11 or Sunday, Dec. 12 between 10am-5pm at the Wellesley Housing Authority’s Community Room on Barton Road
Thanksgiving spirit
Morgan Stanley’s Wellesley branch built Thanksgiving meal kits with Middlesex Human Service Agency for the Foundation for MetroWest’s ONEmetrowest day on Oct. 29.
The kits went to families in Middlesex Human Services’ shelters.
The agency also runs an annual Holiday Giving Program to provide children in its shelters a toy or a gift card for the holidays.
Firefighter joins hazmat team
Wellesley Fire Department firefighter Andrew Beckford has has been selected to serve on the Massachusetts Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) District 2 Metro Fire Team.
Beckford earned his spot after completing a rigorous 12-week training course.
Not to mention, he knows how to create a soundbite: “[I] know it takes not only chemistry at the incidents but also chemistry among team members to do this work.”
The District 2 team is 1 of six in the state strategically located to respond to hazardous materials emergencies in less than an hour. The teams support local fire departments with expertise and specialized gear.
Beckford joins Wellesley fire firefighter Lt. Ian McMakin, who has served on the hazmat team since 2018.
Waterstone residents, staff donate to food bank in big numbers
A total of nearly 200 residents and staff at Waterstone at Wellesley, a senior living community, are joining forces to donate to the Wellesley Food Pantry this month.
According to Waterstone, the food drive is being conducted in honor of resident Nancy Lankford, who spent decades organizing and managing the Many Angels Needed Now and Always (MANNA) Monday Lunch program that fed many thousands of homeless people over the years at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston.
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