Rotary Club puts on Wellesley’s yummiest spring fundraiser

May 17, 2023 by Deborah Brown

After depriving everyone in town for three years due to a little thing called “the pandemic,” The Rotary Club of Wellesley finally relented and fed over 300 guests at the triumphant return of their Taste of Wellesley fundraising event, held at Elm Bank Reservation on May 4.

We went for the sense of community. We went to support the Rotary Club’s mission to end food insecurity. We went because we were hungry. Taste of Wellesley did not disappoint. The food (and drinks), generously donated by 15 participating restaurants, was so good we felt like finally, after years of longing, we had really, truly dined. The event raised over $30k for the Rotarians to continue their work with the Wellesley Housing Authority, Mass Bay Community College and organizations serving homeless veterans.

Here are some pics:

Wellesley Rotary, Taste of Wellesley — Club president Bill Westerman delivers remarks

Participating restaurants

Alta Strada
Bocado Tapas Bar
Cafe Mangal
Comella’s
CrepeBerry
Exhibit A Brewing
Fiorella’s Express
Juniper
Lockheart Restaurant
Papa Razzi
Roche Bros.
Smith & Wollensky
Takara Japanese Restaurant
The Cottage
The Laughing Monk

Here’s the entire list of over 50 dining options in Wellesley.

And let’s throw in Natick restaurants, for good measure.

Next up for the Rotary Club—Pups in the Park

Don’t miss Pups in the Park during Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend. Last year the event raised $5,000 for International Fund for Animals to support animals in Ukraine, Turkey, ands Syria. Organizers are looking to do the same this year.

Enter your pup in the “Pups in the Park” event, where they can compete for cutest, best costume, best kisser, and more. Everybody comes away a winner. If 10 pups register, there will be 10 award categories. If 100 pups compete, there will be 100 awards, in which case the Rotarians are really going to have to get creative with the categories. Most soulful eyes?

$20 contribution for each dog. Register here using the QR code. Donations of up to $5,000 matched by the Rotary Club.

Special guest stars: author Pippi Babson the Black Lab will be there with his human friend, Gig Babson. Also, meet new friends from Buddy Dog and Shultz’s Guest House.

DATE: Saturday, May 20
TIME: 1pm-3pm
LOCATION: Hunnewell Field
SPONSORS: Rotary Club of Wellesley, Friends of Wellesley Veterans, Inc., and Wellesley Celebrations Committee

Wellesley Rotary Club, Pooch Parade 2022. Such a good doggie.

Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild spruces up the post office boxes

April 15, 2023 by Deborah Brown

Members of the Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild took advantage of the mid-80s April temperatures to yank the winter greens out of the Square and Hills post office window boxes and put in fresh spring annuals and perennials. The civic organization funds, plants, and maintains the boxes seasonally. Members each take a week-long turn watering the boxes, no easy task during the hot summer months.

Wellesley Gardeners' Guild, post office boxes — From left, Post Offices Civic Improvement co-chair Laurie Roberts; Tami Moffitt; and co-chair Kim Moldaver.

Post office boxes past

Wellesley Gardeners' Guild, December 2020 — December 2020

Wellesley Hills post office boxes

Station Oak, Post Office Square, Wellesley — Station Oak, Wellesley Square Post Office, May 2022

Cold waters of Morses Pond no deterrent to those who Plunge for Elodie

March 29, 2023 by Deborah Brown

The early-spring waters of Morse Pond were frigid, while the wind picked up and raised choppy little waves along the sparkling surface. No question, the pond looked cold. Oh well, that was just business as usual at the sixth annual Plunge for Elodie, and determined Wellesley community members gathered in force to jump right in, literally, to fight Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). The rare disorder affects people who are missing a critical protein that helps bind the layers of their skin together.

Plunge for Elodie, Wellesley — Elodie and her supporters get pumped up for the Plunge.

Elodie is the kindergartener who inspires her supporters to dash into the water and out every March, as the hope grows ever stronger that a cure will be found for the life-threatening genetic disease. The facts of EB are sobering. Those with EB have extremely fragile skin, which leads to severe pain and wounds. It’s up to family members to change bandages at least daily, and obsessively guard against infection. Currently there are neither treatments nor a cure, and children’s lives are cut devastatingly short due to infections, nutrition issues, and neoplastic complications.

Those who plunge for Elodie and her peers get it. It’s all about empathy. It’s all about community.

“I’m here because it’s a really important cause, and basically we’re jumping in the water and it’s such an insignificant amount of pain that we’re going through compared to what Elodie’s going through,” said Wellesley High School football team member Declan Ahern.

“It’s such a good cause and it’s good to be united as a team and do something that’s this important. It feels great to be here with the whole community,” said WHS track member Anna Turner.

The Wellesley connection is strong for this event, which hosts satellite Plunges in almost a dozen other locations in the U.S. and internationally. Elodie’s mom, Emily Kubik, is a WHS Class of 1999 graduate. She’s backed up by her crew of WHS besties, whose friendship and deep connection have thrived over the years. Emily has always felt supported throughout her daughter’s diagnosis at birth, and during the subsequent challenges the family has faced. “People don’t believe me when I say I have ten best friends from high school. I think they think it’s a little weird. But I think it’s amazing, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way,” she shared with the crowd of a couple hundred during pre-Plunge remarks.

This group of lifelong friends has been a part of a larger team whose dedication has been instrumental in raising millions of dollars to fund EB research. They expect to raise over $2 million this year, making it one of the most successful rare disease fundraisers in the world. Thanks to their tireless efforts, there are currently 39 clinical trials devoted to EB, up from just two trials in 2010.

Cold waters of Wellesley’s Morses Pond no deterrent to those who Plunge for Elodie https://t.co/bq0lx0Q85w @plungeforelodie pic.twitter.com/NOL3VT4ISl
— swellesley (@swellesley) March 29, 2023

As groups dashed into Morses Pond in waves, shouting with pumped-up bravado on the way into the water, shrieking with shock on the way out, it was clear something important was happening. On the sidelines Elodie’s purple and pink butterfly wings flapped as she jumped up and down with excitement. Elodie may not yet fully grasp how many people have her back. With hope, and a cure, someday she will.

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Wellesley Select Board office hours, March 23

March 18, 2023 by admin

Wellesley Select Board chair Lise Olney will hold office hours via Zoom on Thursday, March 23, 9am-10:30am.

Residents may ask questions, give input, and share concerns about Town operations, economic development, and other issues.

Email Lise Olney directly at lolney@wellesleyma.gov to schedule a 15-minute appointment. You’ll receive a reply confirming your appointment time and the Zoom link, if applicable.

Wellesley volunteer & charity news: Service League links up with MassBay; holiday gift drives

December 1, 2022 by Bob Brown

The latest Wellesley volunteer and charity news:

Service League helps at MassBay

The Wellesley Service League is in the midst of a very busy fall, with members back to work in person and providing support to many partners. Here are a couple of photos from MassBay Community College, where Service league members helped students develop a LinkedIn profile to help get them started on the path to a productive career.

Wellesley Service League at MasBay — Wellesley Service League volunteers at MassBay

Wellesley Service League at MassBay — Service League members working with students

Holiday charity drives from Heroes Fitness, Housing Authority

Heroes Fitness in Wellesley Square is hosting a free workout class on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 9am in honor of its annual toy drive for kids in need through Sojourner House. Everyone is welcome to come by, drop off a gift, enter a raffle and enjoy some treats. You can secure a complimentary workout class as well by registering and dropping off a gift.

The Wellesley Housing Authority is holding its first holiday gift drive for seniors and adults with disabilities. The Virtual Mitten Giving Tree involves sponsoring a resident who has identified an item they would enjoy as a holiday gift. Email contact@wellesleyhousing.org or call 781 235-0223 to take part. All gifts must be delivered by Dec. 16

Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club grants application is available for 2023 award cycle

November 4, 2022 by Deborah Brown

The Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC), an 80-member non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to community service, is accepting applications for the 2023 awards cycle. The deadline for submitting applications is Feb, 1, 2023. You can find a link to the application under the Grants tab at whjwc.org

The goal of the WHJWC grants program is to fully fund concrete programs and make a measurable impact on communities in the MetroWest region. Last year the Club donated $70,500 in grants to 27 Wellesley-area community groups, making it one of the largest grant-making organizations in the area.

If you have any questions, contact the WHJWC at their NEW email address, grants@whjwc.org.

Wellesley Marketplace fundraiser

Help the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC) welcome back the 44th annual Wellesley Marketplace holiday fair at Wellesley High School on Saturday, November 19 (the Saturday before Thanksgiving). It’s been three years since the WHJWC has been able to bring more than 200 local artists and craftspeople to town, so this year’s Marketplace is a special homecoming of sorts! Artisans are excited to set up their booths with a full range of goods including fine art, gourmet foods, hostess and teacher gifts, jewelry and clothing, home accessories, ornaments and children’s clothes.

Buy tickets here.

About the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club

[Read more…]

Save the date: Wellesley Mothers Forum Fall Carnival is Sept. 17

September 2, 2022 by admin

Wellesley Mothers Forum will hold its Fall Carnival on Saturday, September 17, 10am-12pm, on the Wellesley Town Green (between Town Hall and the Post Office in Wellesley Square). Join the community organization for a day of family fun including bouncy houses, performances from Walnut Hill, music with Bach to Rock, face painting, fall crafts, magic and more. Don’t forget to wish Wellesley Police community service dog Winnie a very happy birthday.

A history of helping: Wellesley Food Pantry seeks summertime donations

July 14, 2022 by Deborah Brown

There are some who might be surprised to learn that many Wellesley residents need help putting food on the table. After all, the US Census Bureau puts the 2020 median household income in town at $214K, so with numbers like that, where’s the need? The truth wasn’t publicly acknowledged in Wellesley until the late 1980s that many neighbors aren’t quite so flush and might need some help with the groceries. Seems that residents in need were going over to Natick to access the food pantry in that town, since Wellesley was without such a safety net.

That changed in 1989, when the Wellesley Food Pantry opened its doors at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church thanks to the efforts of representatives from local houses of worship, along with Wellesley Friendly Aid board members. Once the ball got rolling, volunteers quickly stepped up to donate needed items, organize the shelves, and provide monetary support. Today the Pantry is supported by special programs like the annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive (which accounts for about 10% of the yearly donated food) and the Wellesley Scouting for Food Drive (which brings in about 40% of food donations). Given that both those drives were canceled during the pandemic, the spike in monetary donations of $130,854 donated to the Pantry in 2021 was a welcome infusion of resources.

In addition, the Wellesley Food Pantry gets donations from area businesses, houses of worship, civic organizations, and everyday people who make room in their grocery carts each week for a few donations to run over to the Pantry. Village Table, a Wellesley-based organization set up during the pandemic to combat food insecurity, is also one of the Pantry’s partners, with the charitable group’s fully prepared, fresh, and nutritious meals a popular item among clients.

“We serve 174 families and 97 children,” said Pantry board of directors president Peter Lull in during an interview at the Pantry. “Usually our breakout is about a third of clients 18 years and younger, and about a third 65 years and older,” with the rest falling somewhere in between.

How to donate

There are two constants in the world of the Wellesley Food Pantry—donations are always needed, and space at the pantry is always limited.

“We don’t have a ton of storage space,” says Lull. “We ask that when people want to donate they really stick to the specific wish list we have because we don’t have the room to store a lot of excess inventory.”

Check the Pantry website for the wish list for items most in need at the moment. There are also collection bins at Roche Bros. and Whole Foods. Or you can do a curbside drop-off on Mondays, 2pm-3pm, at the west entrance of Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, 207 Washington St.

Largesse from vegetable gardens is also welcome. Residents can drop fresh produce donations on Tuesdays, 8am-11:30am, in the Wellesley Hills Church kitchen (from the west entrance, down the stairs and to the right before entering the assembly room).

Monetary donations are also welcome. On average the Pantry spends over $2,000 per week to purchase foods such as fresh vegetables and fruits, meats, eggbeaters and other perishable items, as well as non-perishables when donations are low. Almost all monetary donations ($130K in 2021) go directly to stocking the Pantry, as administrative expenses are minimal—the staff and management are all volunteers, and the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church provides the Pantry with rent-free space.

You can mail your check, payable to the Wellesley Food Pantry, to:

Wellesley Food Pantry
207 Washington Street
Wellesley, MA 02481

You may also donate using PayPal or a credit card.

How to volunteer

Helping out at the Food Pantry is one of those gigs in town that people tend to hang onto once they secure their spot. Lull has volunteered for over 15 years. “We are always willing to take names, but for the most part we’re pretty well staffed. We don’t get a lot of volunteer turnover,” he said.

He says there are several dozen regular volunteers and dozens of occasional helpers from Wellesley Service League, National Charity League, Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club, and more.

How to register for help from the Pantry

Support from the Wellesley Food Pantry is open to all qualified Wellesley residents. Residents needing Food Pantry assistance can register by email, mail, or in person with an appointment. More information here.

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

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