Backyard Growers is seeking a part-time Accounting & Payroll Specialist to manage the organization’s bookkeeping and payroll using BYG’s existing software platforms, Xero and Gusto. Must be proficient in accounting for not-for-profit organizations. Apply by 9/30 for an 11/1 start.
Backyard Growers (BYG) is a grassroots community-based organization in Gloucester, MA. We are a small but mighty group of committed people who love what we do, and have fun while we work hard. Our mission is to cultivate healthy, connected, environmentally sustainable communities and to fight for food justice by teaching people how to grow their own food. We provide resources and support to establish vegetable gardens at homes, housing communities, organizations, and schools, and offer learning opportunities in growing and preparing fresh produce.
BYG serves low- to moderate-income residents and public school children in Gloucester, and shares our scalable and reproducible school program models regionally through a consulting practice to increase our impact. Our goals are to increase access to healthy, affordable foods, help support attitude and behavior changes in making healthy food choices, reactivate neglected urban spaces through food production, and to build community and self-sufficiency within diverse populations. We believe that by growing some of our own food, we are empowered, connected, and strengthened.
If interested, please fill out the information below and return it with your check for $50.00 for a 6-8 foot table. Placement is on a first paid basis. Please indicated if you would like an 8 ft table.
You must also donate one handcrafted item for a fundraising raffle. This item will be collected at set-up before table assignment.
Return form (you can print this post or send information via email) and payment promptly as space is limited. Special requests are not guaranteed. Tables will only be reserved with full payment.
For more information email: rebsly@gmail.com.
Pay via PalPal (RockportPTO@gmail.com) or Venmo (@Rockport-PTO) or make checks payable to: Rockport PTO.
Mail payment to:
Rockport PTO Holiday Fair, c/o Rebecca Sly, 8A Pleasant St., Rockport, MA 01966
Sorry, no raffles, bake sales or used items
Name:_____________________________________
Phone:_____________________________________
Address:___________________________________
Email:______________________________________
# of Tables:_________
Type of Craft:__________________________
Special Request:_________________________________________________________
On Tuesday morning, August 10 the Sawyer Free Library hosted a ribbon-cutting to commemorate their amphitheater’s new awning in memory of one of Gloucester’s preeminent and beloved public citizens, the late Janis Davidson Stelluto.
Dr. Michael Stelluto, Janis’ husband, her family, friends and colleagues, along with the Sawyer Free Library leadership, came together to mark the official opening of the Library’s now shaded expanded outdoor space. Gloucester’s Mayor Sefatia Romeo Thenken , former chair of the City Planning Board Jack Clarke, President of Library Board of Trustees Mern Sibley and Library Director Jenny Benedict offered remarks prior to the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Through the Stelluto family’s generosity, the Library was able to bring to fruition the installation of a state-of-the-art awning over its amphitheater as a lasting tribute to their family matriarch Janis Davidson Stelluto, who dedicated herself to serving the Gloucester community for over two decades. Among many other organizations, Janis Stelluto served in leadership roles at the Sawyer Free Library for more than twenty years.
Sawyer Free Library Amphitheater Awning Dedication and Ribbon Cutting with Stelluto Family
Stelluto Family joined by Jack Clarke, Mayor Sefatia Romeo Thenken, Library Director Jenny Benedict
Shaded by the new awning, the Sawyer Free Library’s outdoor amphitheater located on Dale Avenue now serves as an inviting venue for Library programs, public performances, including theater and musical performances, art exhibits, lectures, and community activities.
“We are very grateful for the Stelluto family’s generosity,” said Mern Sibley, the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library’s Board of Trustees’ President. “Janis made it her life’s work to find ways to improve our Gloucester community, all the while seeing beauty in the world. It only seems fitting that the awning has been installed in her memory, creating a welcoming space where people can take advantage of all that the Library offers while enjoying being outside.”
“The awning has created a welcoming outdoor gathering space for Sawyer Free Library’s summer programs which are open and free to the community,” said Library Director Jenny Benedict. “From children’s storytimes and adult book club gatherings to family concerts, we have found with the new awning, the sky’s the limit to what we can do! Stay tuned because we have big plans, and we can’t imagine Janis Stelluto would want it any other way.”
The Sawyer Free Library is open throughout the summer, Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm, Thursday 12 – 7:00 pm, and Saturday 10:00 am to 1 pm and 24/7 at sawyerfreelibrary.org.
The Gloucester Area Astronomy Club is once again meeting in-person at the Lanesville Community Center, on the second Friday of every month at 8:00 pm. We have a terrific program for our Friday August 13 meeting, with astronomer Dr. Seth Gossage from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, with a great presentation on starlight and what it can tell us.
In addition to discussing what light can tell us about a star’s properties such as mass and chemistry, Dr. Gossage will review next generation stellar models built to explore the effects of stellar rotation. Stars spin, and this is also a fundamental stellar property (alongside mass and chemical composition), which helps determine the evolutionary course of a star, and its light output for the entirety of its lifetime.
GAAC members meet at the Lanesville Community Center in the Lanesville neighborhood of Gloucester MA, at 8:00 pm on the second Friday of every month, for presentations, discussions and activities related to all facets of astronomy. There is no cost. These are fun meetings, with lots of friendly people, refreshments, and great, accessible talks by knowledgeable and entertaining folks. Come see us! No special knowledge or equipment is needed to have a great time. Meetings are also streamed live on our Facebook page. For more information on the club, see our website.
The Sawyer Free Library’s Job Seekers Summer Workshop Series continues through the summer. The workshops, presented by career counseling expert Gary Gekow, are free and accessible to those in the Gloucester community and beyond. Each offer practical advice and guidance to those looking to discover a new career path, gain new job skills, find jobs opportunities. Register HERE for the free classes!
To follow are the upcoming virtual classes:
The Importance of Linked In, Tuesday, July 27, 7-8:30 pm
Did you know that there are over 467 million LinkedIn users worldwide? The workshop will review best practices as they relate to online profile creation and managing one’s account. The class will also highlight the many additional usages of LinkedIn, including the importance of joining groups and getting others to offer testimonials.
Online Job Search and Resume Submittal, Tuesday, August 3, 11 am-12:30 pm & 7-8:30 pm
This workshop will analyze and discuss numerous online search strategies, including job alerts, job boards, job aggregators, and company employment pages. The group led by expert Gary Gekow will then discuss how to best utilize these websites for submitting one’s resume.
The Art of Networking, Tuesday, August 10, 7-8:30pm
Job fairs, corporate hiring events, Meetups, and other online social media platforms are just some avenues where people can promote their networking skills. While attending these events and dropping off a resume is a good start, deeper engagement is required in today’s job market. Learn from the career professional about networking strategies to better enhance your employment attainment prospects.
Adjusting to a Changing New Normal, Tuesday, August 24, 7-8:30pm
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a major impact on employment issues and job search trends. This interactive virtual Zoom meeting will address a series of topics including, but not limited to working from home, remaining positive and productive amidst disruptions to everyday life, building relationships through collaborations, and taking advantage of free online tools.
The Job Seekers Summer Workshop Seriesis a part of the Sawyer Free Library’s recently launched Resources for Job Seekers Program. The program also features one-on-one resume sessions and a dedicated webpage, available in over 100 world languages, with extensive resources specially curated by Library staff and expert-led virtual workshops.
This program has been made possible through a federal Library Service and Technology Act (LSTA) grant awarded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioner (MBLC).
Tour our institute’s laboratories with GMGI’s Donald G. Comb Science Director, Dr. Andrea Bodnar Take a deep dive into an exciting research topic at the core of our mission Connect with research scientists and engage in conversations about their cutting-edge research
July 29th How We Sequence a Genome and Why It’s So Important with Senior Research Associate Jennifer Polinski
August 5th Environmental DNA: the Breadcrumbs of Life with Senior Research Associate Tim O’Donnell
August 12th The Mighty Microbe: How the Tiniest Life Forms in the Ocean are Leading the Biggest Discoveries with Senior Scientist Matt Harke
Tours begin at 5pm, and presentations by scientists start at 5:30pm.This is a free event.
Space is limited at each event. RSVP today!
Please reach out to Ashley Destino with any questions. ashley.destino@gmgi.org 978.879.4575 ext. 106
Yes, you can become the envy of your neighbors by becoming the ultimate grill master!
All you have to do is join the Sawyer Free Library on Wednesday, July 21 from 2:30-4:30pm for a fun and informative live and in-person event and learn all you need to know about Summer Grilling from local Farm-to-Table Chef Justus Dunton.
Chef Dunton has worked in premier and starred restaurants from Boston to Costa Rica. He has created his own company, Dagger Board Hospitality that brings farm-fresh, hand forraged, and delicious food to our local community through his pop-up dinners and teaching programs.
Weather permitting, we will meet outside in the Sawyer Free Library amphitheater.
Cape Ann Community 