Bring Your Pumpkins And Pennies To Town Hall For A Good Cause This Saturday, Nov. 4

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Photo: Bring your pumpkins to Town Hall … but only on Saturday, Nov. 4!

Everyone loves the seasonal Halloween pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns that festoon front steps and around the doors. But some time after the holiday, those same variety of winter squash tends to get … messy.

So before your pumpkin takes a turn for the worse, bring them down to Belmont Town Hall on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. where Belmont Helps is holding its 4th annual Pumpkin Composting And Pennies Drive.

On Saturday, residents will be able to drive through and drop off pumpkins which are collected “in a large pile in a truck” to be donated to a composting company, said Amy Kirsch of Belmont Helps. “Usually by the time Halloween rolls around, there’s a lot of people with pumpkins that have … started to wilt and melt,” said Kirsch. “So we provide this service for the people.”

There is no limit to the number of round, orange squash one brings as “we will fill the truck,” she said.

Kirsch said the non profit will be collecting donations at the drop off that will go to fellow residents who are in need of food support.

“The needs of people we help grows in the winter, so it’s a great time for us to collect as many pennies as we can. So any loose change you have in your house and I know people have piggy banks, we’ll be happy to … and we’ll make sure people in need gets help.”

Belmont Help’s Spring Fundraiser Is A Chance To Be Bowled Over

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Photo: Belmont Help co-founder Amy Krisch

Founded in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Belmont Helps provides $20,000 annually in food support to the nearly 1,000 Belmont households that qualify for federal nutrition programs. Belmont Helps can only continue its outreach through the generous support of volunteers and the donations of Belmont residents.

This year’s spring fundraiser will be critical in continuing to assist families struggling with basic food needs.

Judy and Ian Edwards of Belmont have donated three handcrafted wooden bowls they made from Belmont trees to support the fundraiser. For every $50 donated to Belmont Help by June 15, a raffle ticket will be entered in your name to win one of the bowls.

Online donations can be made at belmonthelps.org

Checks can be made to Belmont Food Collaborative with “Belmont Helps” in the memo line. The mailing address is Belmont Helps, 8 Jason Rd., Belmont, MA 02478.

Belmont Help’s Pumpkin Rescue And Fundraiser; Town Hall Sunday, Nov. 6, 10AM To Noon

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Photo: The poster for Sunday’s rescue and fundraiser

Here’s what to do with your post-Halloween jack-o-lanterns and all those pumpkins wasting away on your porch and steps: rescue them from the landfill by donating them.

Belmont’s third annual Pumpkin Rescue and Donations Drive benefitting Belmont Helps will take place on Sunday, Nov. 6, 10 a.m. to noon at the Belmont Town Hall, 455 Concord Ave. at the corner of Pleasant Street. Drive thru the Belmont Town Hall complex and a volunteer will happily collect your pumpkins and donations from your vehicle.

Partnering with Belmont Composts, Belmont Helps is collect pumpkins for compost and keeping them out of landfills. In addition, the event is a fundraiser for Belmont Helps which assists families in need with food resources and groceries to the tune of more than $20,000 per year. Contributions big and small are vital. Take this opportunity to empty your piggy banks in addition to dollars or checks made out to Belmont Food Collaborative with BH in the memo line.

Letter To The Editor: Thank You From Belmont Helps

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Photo: Belmont Help has assisted more than 600 Belmont residents

To the editor:

It’s the end of a long and challenging year, and what a year for Belmont Helps it was! Under the umbrella of the Belmont Food Collaborative, Belmont Helps has been fortunate to assist several households with meals, grocery orders, phone buddies and more. Our volunteers have tirelessly helped our neighbors in need while our team leaders have been behind the scenes coordinating, fundraising, as well as working on initiatives to Brighten Belmont.

We are filled with gratitude for the volunteers and partners that join our efforts so we can be there for those in need.  We would like to especially thank Mark and Angie Gregor for providing Belmont Helps with a year-end fundraising match of $5,000 and are happy to report that we’ve met and exceeded this goal, which will help to keep us strong for the year ahead! Huge thanks to Belmont Helps Leads Julie Wu, Martha Loftus and Abigail Klingbeil for the countless hours spent responding to requests for help, speaking with families about their needs, arranging to fulfill those needs and providing referrals to other town-based services; and to Anne Lougee and Fiona McCubbin for accounting for every dollar spent and received.  Thank you also to the many other leads and volunteers that have contributed to our work since we began. It takes a village, and we are very thankful to this one.

Belmont Helps is here if you find yourself needing assistance this upcoming year. We have succeeded in helping families in need due to the generosity and willingness of the many in our community who step up to help when needs arise! 

Cheers to a happy holiday and a healthier new year. Connect to us for help, to donate, or to volunteer at http://www.belmonthelps.org/ or leave a message with us at 617-993-0163

Amy Kirsch and Shana Wang

Belmont Helps Co-Chairs

Drop It Off! Great Pumpkin Rescue This Saturday at Winn Brook and Butler

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Photo: Drop off Halloween pumpkins this Saturday

Let’s keep all those Halloween pumpkins away from the landfills!

The Great Pumpkin Rescue – sponsored by Belmont Helps along with the Butler School and Winn Brook School PTA’s – will take place Saturday, Nov. 7, between 11 a.m. to noon.

Drop off your pumpkins and gourds at a pair of drop off choices:

  • Winn Brook Elementary School back along Sherman Street, or
  • Butler Elementary School at the front entrance at 90 White St.

Please wear face coverings and maintain six-feet social distancing during the drop-off. Drivers should open their trunks so volunteers can remove pumpkins and any donations.

  • Pumpkins and gourds of any size will be accepted.
  • Remove candles/tea lights.
  • Pumpkins with paint, glitter or bling will NOT be accepted. If you can cut those pieces off, Black Earth Compost will accept the rest.
  • Black Earth Compost will pick up that afternoon.

In addition and optional, we will be collecting spare change and financial donations for Belmont Helps to use for families in need of groceries and resources.

Cash, check or Go Fund donations are welcome. 

https://www.belmonthelps.org/

Belmont Helps FUN-raiser Challenge Has Begun, Runs Until Sept. 14

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Photo: The Belmont Helps Challange logo

Need something to get your minds, bodies and hearts ready for school?  The Belmont Helps Challenge features two-time World Marathon Winner Becca Pizzi. Thanks to our generous partners (see below), this Fundraiser is now a FREE FUN-raiser for kids of all ages.

Activities include seven categories with seven ideas in each – 49 from which to choose. Complete at least one in each category by Sept. 14 to win a Moozy’s Ice Cream coupon. A Grand Prize of Becca Pizzi’s “Feat on Feet” book, autographed and hand-delivered, a run around the block goes to the competitor who completes the most challenges by Sept. 14. 

Thanks to all who have given to Belmont Helps with both time and funding – we are working hard to help in a huge variety of ways, including groceries, food support, providing resources, masking the town, and matching volunteers. Let’s continue working together to #BrightenBelmont together!  

Thanks to our Challenge sponsors for helping to make this a huge success:  Winn Brook PTA, our parent 501c3, People’s United Bank, Friends of the Belmont Public Library, Belmont After School Enrichment Collaborative (BASEC), Belmont Against Racism, Belmont Wellness, Coalition of Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, Moozy’s Ice Cream, Belmont Recreation Department and Becca Pizzi for their help raising much-needed funds to support the work of Belmont Helps.

Sign up at belmonthelps.org/challenge and download the app – or print an activity sheet to scan and send – and start winning prizes.

Kindness Rocks! Beech Street Center/Belmont Helps Join To Brighten The Town

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Photo: Say it with kindness.

Belmont Helps in partnership with the Beech Street Center would like to invite participants of all ages to a “Brighten Belmont” initiative aimed to paint the town with kindness.

The Beech Street Center at 266 Beech St. has rocks available for pickup that you and your family to decorate your own thoughtful messages on. (See examples in the photos.) Afterwards, take pictures of your finished rocks and post them on social media with the hashtags #brightenbelmont and #belmonthelps.

Call Dana Leavitt at 617-993-2977 or e-mail Dleavitt@belmont-ma.gov so she can put the rocks outside the Beech Street Center for you to pick up.

“We can’t wait to see messages of kindness all around town!” said Dana Leavitt, director of the Beech Street Center.

Saturday From The Town Of Homes – It’s ‘Belmont Together: Live!’ [Video]

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Photo: Belmont Together: Live takes place Saturday, May 16

Coming this Saturday to a TV or computer screen near you: Belmont Together: LIVE, a community-wide celebration of the stories of hope and neighbors helping neighbors and it will be starring … you? 

Singers, actors, musicians, poets, students, seniors, kids and everyone in-between: you’re invited to star in this event!

Belmont Together: LIVE is a one-night-only-event this Saturday, May 16 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to benefit Belmont Helps, which serves the local COVID-19 needs of the community. Donations to the group are welcomed at www.belmonthelps.org

Belmont High alumni Elisa Bello and David Green brought their vision of sharing Belmont residents’ strength and resiliency. Belmont Together: LIVE will showcase our community’s talents and messages of hope to all of Belmont.

The evening will feature a slate of live co-hosts, local celebrities and talent who will appear via Zoom with pre-recorded video clips for a spotlight upon our local entertainment and warm wishes for you and yours.

And you’re invited! Be a part of the show yourself, your family, your neighborhood, your club or team, your band or singing group, in one of two ways:

  • Submit a picture or short video by clicking HERE and we’ll contact you about your submission. Tell your story, sing your song, do your dance, share an encouraging message to help uplift our community. Be creative – be different – and have fun.
  • Appear LIVE via Zoom and be a guest by sending an email to Brandon Fitts HERE

SUBMISSION DEADLINE is Tuesday, May 12 at 5 p.m.

On Saturday, tune into Belmont Together: LIVE one of two ways:

On cable: Channel 9 on Comcast and channels 29 and 2130 on Verizon.

Online:

  • belmont-ma.gov/belmonttogether
  • bit.ly/BMC-PublicTV
  • Facebook/belmontmedia
  • Youtube.com/belmontmedia

For more info: Please visit www.Belmont-ma.gov/belmonttogether