'Tis The Season

December 16, 2020

Dear Leading Ladies,

As we look around us and plan a holiday season like none ever, we remember how lucky we are to have roofs over our heads and food in our refrigerators. We hope that is true for all of you as well. It is truly heartbreaking and astonishing that so many of our neighbors and fellow Americans are struggling with hunger, joblessness, and having a place to call home in our land of plenty.

FeedingAmerica predicted last summer that 50 million people, including 17 million children, could face hunger by year's end, at least in part because of the pandemic. As Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Food Bank wrote in an opinion piece in the Boston Globe last week, the Feeding America statistics “showed the rate of food insecurity in Massachusetts has increased 59 precent since 2018, the highest increase in the nation. That number represents 1 in 5 children. Worse, with COVID-19 and the cascading effect on our nation’s economy, it’s expected that more than 14 percent of Massachusetts residents will have trouble securing enough food this year.”

D’Amato calls for congressional action in the form of expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and a larger stimulus program. Please pressure your representatives and senators to “set aside their politics and fulfill their duty to the American people,” as D’Amato implores. In addition, if you are able, we encourage you to donate to Feeding America or to a food pantry near you. There are several to choose from:

Beverly Bootstraps  
             
Danvers People to People Food    

Hamilton Acord Food Pantry     
   
Marblehead Little Free Pantry     

North Parish People's Pantry of North Andover 

Haven From Hunger of Peabody

Salvation Army - Salem

Anchor Food Pantry of Swampscott

Catholic Charities North at Salem

St. John the Baptist Food Pantry of Peabody

In June 2020, 18,471 Massachusetts residents were homeless. Their numbers have increased because of the pandemic, and the situation is made more difficult by the dangers inherent in being housed in crowded shelters. Several agencies are helping the homeless and can use your support:

Mass Coalition for the Homeless 

Wellspring House - Gloucester

Lifebridge - Salem

Riverhouse - Beverly

House of Hope - Lowell

Haven Project - Lynn

Bridge House - Lynn

Catholic Charities - Lawrence

We’d like to remind you about our first kNOw MORE event on Monday, January 25, from 7-8:30 p.m. We will be joining together on Zoom to discuss the play, Pipeline, which can be viewed in advance through Broadway on Demand for $8.99, less than the price of going to the movies. Pipeline, an insightful and poignant play by MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow Dominique Morisseau, considers a Black mother’s hopes for her son as they clash with an educational system rigged against him. It has been described as “the play America needs right now.” We hope you will join us to talk about the play and its message. 

Our wishes for a happy, though alternative, holiday season. May you and your loved ones be healthy, safe, have full bellies, and a roof over your heads. We will be back in touch after the new year.

Therese
Judy
Mary
Kim

Leading Ladies Executive Team
leadingladiesvote.org