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FREE SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS!
Need help getting breakfast and lunch meals for your kids over the summer break? The Open Door is here to help with Summer Meals for Kids!
Back for its 21st season, Summer Meals for Kids provides nutritious meals to local kids by visiting local neighborhoods, schools, and summer camps to make sure children have access to meals while school is out.
The Summer Meals for Kids program strives to accommodate all allergies and special diets, and to learn more about the program or inform staff of a dietary need, please call 978-283-6776 or email summermeals@foodpantry.org.
Meals will be provided, at a first come, first serve basis, at the sites and times as follows:
Gloucester Walk-Up Locations (operating from June 22 to August 26)
- The Open Door at 28 Emerson Avenue will serve meals Monday through Friday. Monday through Wednesday meals will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and meals will be available Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Riverdale Park at 69 Veterans’ Way will have meals available from 12-12:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- Willowood Gardens at 40 Willowood Road will have meals available from 12-12:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- Pond View Village at 23 Lepage Lane will have meals available from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Gloucester Enrolled Locations
- Summer Learning at West Parish at 10 Concord Street will have meals available for enrolled participants at noon, Monday through Thursday. Summer Meals for Kids will operate from June 27 to July 28 at this site.
- O’Maley Academy at 32 Cherry Street will have meals available for enrolled participants from 8-8:30 a.m. and 11-11:30 a.m., Monday through Thursday. Summer Meals for Kids will operate from June 27 to August 4 at this site.
- Kindred Gardens at 5 Dr Osman Babson Road will have meals available for enrolled participants from 9-10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m., Monday through Friday. Summer Meals for Kids will operate from June 22 to August 26 at this site.
- Camp Spindrift at 27 Atlantic Street will have meals available for participants from 11:30 a.m.-1p.m., Monday through Friday. Summer Meals for Kids will operate from June 23 to August 26 at this site.
- Gloucester High School at 32 Leslie O. Johnson Road will have meals available for enrolled participants Monday through Thursday. Summer Meals for Kids will operate from June 27 to August 4 at this site.
Ipswich Walk-Up Location (operating from June 22 to August 26)
- Ipswich Community Food Pantry at 00 Southern Heights in Ipswich will have meals available from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.
Ipswich Enrolled Location
- Winthrop Elementary School at 65 Central Street in Ipswich will have meals available for enrolled participants from 9-9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Summer Meals for Kids will operate from July 5 to August 4 at this location.
The Open Door is a Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsor, a federal program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA SFSP requires a non-discrimination statement that “Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.” More information is available at FOODPANTRY.org/usda.
The Open Door Sumer Meals for Kids schedule will be updated as needed throughout the summer at FOODPANTRY.org/summermeals.
SUMMER FUN: Visit the Seaside Vintage Market at Second Glance!
Don’t miss out on the thrifting event of the summer! Second Glance, Thrift Store of The Open Door, is holding a Seaside Vintage Market next week.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 22 through Saturday, June 25, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Second Glance, Thrift Store of The Open Door at 2 Pond Road, Gloucester MA 01930
WHAT: SHOP for vintage-style home décor, kitchenware, art, jewelry, knickknacks, linens, clothing, accessories, and more at Second Glance’s Seaside Vintage Market!
One-of-a-kind treasures will be brought out daily for shoppers to peruse. DAILY shopping themes will be held as follows:
Wednesday: Opening Day
Thursday: Linens
Friday: Vintage Kitchen
Saturday: Silver and Gold Jewelry
Revenue at Second Glance directly supports hunger-relief programs of The Open Door. SHOP FOR GOOD, and know your dollars will help put food on the table for someone in our community.
More information about The Open Door is available at FOODPANTRY.org.
A Blue-er 2022: Harbor Cleanup Day
Join your favorite non-profits this weekend as we clean up our coastlines, the harbor, and our beaches. In honor of last week’s World Ocean Day, Maritime Gloucester, Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, Gloucester Gig Rowers, UMass Amherst | Gloucester Marine Station, and Ocean Alliance have teamed up for a community-wide volunteer effort.
Depending on the numbers of volunteers, various land-based locations will be covered. Gloucester Gig Rowers will be cleaning by boat, and boaters are welcome to join in! Once you sign up, you will be given location information!
Saturday, June 18, 8:30am
Sign up today at http://www.maritimegloucester.org or directly at https://signup.com/go/eENYjgH
Summer Gardening Workshop at The Open Door: Tomato Care
Join Backyard Growers for a series of Summer Gardening Workshops in The Open Door Food Pantry’s kitchen garden. In the first workshop, attendees will learn about early summer tomato care in order to maximize this year’s harvest. Ask general garden questions and explore what’s going in the Backyard Growers-managed vegetable garden at The Open Door.
The Open Door garden, managed by Backyard Growers, helps put fresh produce on the shelves and into the meals at the food pantry.
📆 June 23, 5-6pm
📍 The Open Door kitchen garden @ 28 Emerson Ave, Gloucester, MA, 01930
Email jess@backyardgrowers.org to RSVP. This event is free of charge.
Workshop: Sensory Gardening for Kids & Families
📆 June 22, 5-6pm
Families, students, and individuals are welcome to gather at Beeman Elementary School’s sensory garden bed with Backyard Growers Garden Educator Hailey Small to learn more about incorporating plants and flowers into their garden that stimulate all five senses. Sensory gardening is a movement focused on child growth and development to help kids access the natural world and is often used as a healing tool that can provide a sense of calm and restoration.
FREE admission to Backyard Growers Program Participants (e.g. 2022 Community Garden, Backyard Garden & GrowBag Garden) as well as Backyard Growers Community Consulting Clients
$15 General Admission – kids join for free!
Talking About Death Won’t Kill You – A Discussion About End-of-Life Options 
The Sawyer Free Library will host an important presentation about end of life options on Saturday, June 18, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. A nurse and a subject matter expert will explore the end-of-life choices, and ramifications, available to individuals. The pending legislation in Massachusetts about Medical Aid in Dying will be explained and a status report on the bill will be given. The nonprofit organization, Compassion and Choices, will discuss their work on behalf of all wishing to chart their end-of-life path. An extensive list of resources, will be provided.
The event will take place on the Main Floor of the Library, located at 2 Dale Avenue in Gloucester. It is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5555 or contact: compassionandchoices.org or 978-325-5500.
Gloucester Businesses Encouraged to Apply for the City’s Retail Signage Improvement Grant Program by This Friday
In an initiative to support Gloucester small businesses, Mayor Greg Verga has launched the Retail Signage Improvement Grant Program and released application guidelines.
The City of Gloucester’s Retail Signage Improvement Grant Program is intended to assist commercial property owners or tenants in eligible buildings improve their storefront signage, awning, and/or sign related lighting. The purpose of the program is to improve the visual quality of the city’s retail business districts and to enhance the districts as a place to visit, shop and work.
“The City of Gloucester Retail Signage Improvement Grant program provides support to our local small businesses as they prepare for a busy summer and road ahead. We are grateful to the Baker-Polito administration for their continued support of Gloucester’s small businesses,” said Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga.
The target locations for this grant program are the retail business districts, neighborhood business districts, village, and extensive business districts located in Downtown Gloucester, Magnolia, Lanesville and Rocky Neck. All signage improvements must comply with the City of Gloucester’s Sign Ordinance.
The City of Gloucester is working with the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce to facilitate the application process. Applicants can download an application on the Chamber’s website capeannchamber.com, or pick up a copy from the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce office located at 24 Harbor Loop in Gloucester. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply no later than Friday, June 17, 2022.
“We are excited to be partnering with the City of Gloucester on this important grant program and helping the selected businesses better promote their business through improved signage,” said Ken Riehl, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce. “This grant opportunity will help revitalize the city’s business districts, encouraging visitors and residents alike to shop and do business locally which is something the Chamber strongly believes in and supports.”
If businesses have questions regarding the Retail Signage Improvement Grant Program or would like additional information, please contact the Project Manager, Olivia Perez-O’Dess by email at olivia@capeannchamber.com.
The City of Gloucester Retail Signage Improvement Grant Program is funded by the Massachusetts Office of Business Development and the North Shore Alliance for Economic Development.
2022 Poetry Without Paper Award Ceremony Celebrating 20 years of Creativity
The Sawyer Free Library hosted the 2022 Poetry Without Paper Contest winners Thursday evening, June 9th.
The award-winning students read their poetry to a standing-room-only crowd filled with friends and family and then recognized for their achievements. John Ronan, former Poet Laureate of Gloucester, and Christy Rosso, the Sawyer Free’s Children’s Librarian, presented the awards. Ronan, who serves as one of the contest judges and co-conceived the contest 20 years ago, stated, “I believe that there are probably future Nobel Poet Laureates among tonight’s winners. The caliber of creativity and writing this year was outstanding. We should be proud of all the students that participated.”
The Sawyer Free Library’s Poetry without Paper Contest has celebrated thousands of local students’ outstanding writing for the past 20 years while engaging the community’s youth in the art form and encouraging them to use poetry as a creative expression.
Winners were chosen from each age group: high school, middle school, and elementary school. First-place winners in all categories received $150 Cape Ann gift certificates, second-place winners a $100 gift certificates, and third-place winners a $50 gift certificate with Honorable Mention awarded a poetry book. All winning poets receive a certificate and an invitation to appear on 1623 Studio’s production, The Writer’s Block with John Ronan.
The 2022 Winning Poets:
High School:
First Place: “Tears of the Chrysanthemum” by Olivia Hogan-Lopez, GHS, 12th Grade
Middle School:
First Place: “Ascending like Icarus” by Emma Wilt, O’Maley, 8th Grade
Second Place: “The Wrong Picture” by Esme Sarrouf, Homeschool, 8th Grad
Third Place: “Cracked, but Never Broken” by Aleena Brown, O’Maley, 7th Grad
Honorable Mentions: “The Owl” by Riley Cavanaugh, O’Maley, 7th Grade
“Where I’m From”, Emily Rattray, O’Maley, 7th Grade
Elementary School
First Place: “Magical Books”, Kathleen Rowe-Joyce, West Parish, 3rd Grade
Second Place: “Fifth Grade”, Gabriella McKearney, Plum Cove, 5th Grade
Third Place: “Friends” by Elizabeth Olson, Beeman, 5th Grade
Honorable Mentions: “Lost” by Bianca Numerosi, Plum Cove, 4th Grade
“Gravity” by Jack Frithsen, West Parish, 2nd Grade
Hammond Castle June Events
Cape Ann Community 