Join us for a fun open house at Backyard Growers HQ at 103R Maplewood Ave to wish founder and executive director Lara Lepionka well on her next adventure! We’ll have tasty treats, great garden stories and nostalgia, and the chance to thank Lara together for the incredible impact she has had on our community.
Learn more about this leadership transition and incoming executive director Alison Woitunski DiFiore here: https://bit.ly/EDTransition
Join the Sawyer Free Library Children’s Services on this Saturday morning, March 26 from 11 a.m. to noon for some soapy fun! Kulina Folk Art Creative will be helping kids, with adult participation, make their own duckie soapy creation using glycerin-based soap adding colors, glitter and scents.
The process does not involve traditional soap making techniques, so there is no lye exposure.
Registration is required. Space is limited. The event is for children ages 5 and up (with one caregiver per child). Each child under the age of 10 must have a caregiver present to help them with the project. No exceptions will be made.
For more information visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or contact crosso@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5551.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Sawyer Free Library, this Saturday, March 26 from 2:00 – 4:00p.m. is pleased to present “Forgotten Women.” Local historians Lise Breen and Wayne Soini will discuss the lives of three courageous women who history needs to be shared. Nancy Hanks Lincoln, mother of President Abraham Lincoln, as well as two women enslaved on Cape Ann, Kate Negro and Violet. Join us and learn about these “Forgotten Women” who helped to shape our nation.
This event has been organized and sponsored by the Library’s Gloucester Lyceum.
Registration is not required. For more information visit, SawyerFreeLibrary.org or call 978-325-5555.
The Sawyer Free Library is please to present author Wayne Soini for a reading and book signing of his latest novel Ed and Jo this Thursday, March 24 from 6:30-7:30pm.
Mr. Soini will discuss his novel, Ed and Jo, about Edward Hopper and Jo Nivison’s meeting on vacation in 1923 that led to their marriage and to Gloucester paintings that changed the history of American art.
The event is free and open to the public. Gloucester 400+ will be selling copies of the book with proceeds supporting the Gloucester 400+.
The event will be held on the main floor of the Library located at 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester.
For more information or if you have questions go to SawyerFreeLibrary.org contact or call 978-325-5555.
The Gloucester Rotary will hold its annual Polar Plunge on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at 11am at the Cape Ann Motor Inn on Long Beach, located at 33 Rockport Road in Gloucester. The event is part of Rotary International’s ongoing campaign to eradicate Polio in our lifetime. Dozens of Rotarians, Interact students (formerly known as Junior Rotarians), and friends of Rotary from throughout eastern Massachusetts are expected to plunge into the cold waters off Cape Ann. Since 2010, thousands of individuals and businesses have supported this event, and almost one million dollars has been raised for #EndPolioNow.
The eradication of Polio has been Rotary International’s signature cause since 1988. The organization has teamed up with partners including The Global Poverty Project, The Global Eradication Initiative, The World Health Organization, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Since 1988, more than a billion dollars have been raised among Rotary clubs worldwide and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. When Rotary International took on the battle against this disease, more than 350,000 people spanning 125 countries were impacted by Polio each year. Today there are two countries left where Polio has not been eradicated—Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2021, there were only five reported cases of wild Polio virus, down from 140 in 2020. Rotary International has committed to raising fifty million dollars in 2022, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match each dollar raised with an additional $2 donation.
Anyone wishing to support the 2022 Gloucester Rotary Polar Plunge may make a donation to the #EndPolioNow campaign online at www.gloucesterrotary.org. Information about participating in the Polar Plunge can also be found on the website.
More information about the Gloucester Rotary is available online at www.gloucesterrotary.org and www.facebook.com/RotaryGloucesterMA. To learn more about the history of Polio and the current status of #EndPolioNow, please visit www.endpolio.org.
The mission of Rotary International is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.
Join us at Burnham’s Field to pick up free vegetable seeds. Bring any extras you have to trade with other gardeners.
We are grateful to Ace Rockport, Corliss Brothers Garden Center & Nursery, and Johnny’s Selected Seeds for their generous donation of seeds to our community.
Author Kari Percival will be signing her book, “How to Say Hello to a Worm.” In this illustrated children’s book, say “hello” to worms, dirt, peas, and more in this gentle how-to guide for connecting with nature. The beautiful simplicity of a garden is depicted through digital woodcut illustrations and engaging nonfiction text presented as a series of sweet questions and gentle replies. Pre-order your copy for pickup at the event in our Online Shop.
We’ll also be celebrating Opening Day of Burnham’s Field Community Garden!
Annual Young Poets Competition open to all Gloucester Students now through April 30th
Over the past 20 years, the Sawyer Free Library contest, Poetry without Paper, has celebrated thousands of local students’ outstanding writing while encouraging the community’s youth to use poetry as a means of creative expression. The annual contest is an opportunity for local school children of all ages to showcase their writing and creativity in a supportive environment and win top prizes.
With the competition running throughout March and culminating on the last day of National Poetry Month, April 30, children and teens who live in Gloucester or attend Gloucester schools are encouraged to submit 1-3 original poems on any theme to the Library. Participants can choose to set their poems to video, images, and or music. Each poem may be no longer than 30 lines, be the student’s own work, and previously unpublished and submitted through the Library’s website.
To mark the celebration of 20 years, Sawyer Free Library has made the Poetry without Paper prizes even more exciting. Winners will be chosen from each age group: high school, middle school, and elementary school. First-place winners in all categories receive $150 Cape Ann gift certificates, second-place winners receive $100 gift certificates, and third-place winners receive a $50 gift certificate with Honorable Mention awarded a poetry book. All winning poets receive a certificate, present their poems at a Spring awards ceremony and receive an invitation to appear on 1623 Studio’s production, The Writer’s Block with John Ronan. All winning work will also be published online by the Library.
The poems must be submitted through the Library website at SawyerFreeLibrary.org from March 1 – April 30. For questions, contact the Children’s Librarian at crosso@sawyerfreelibrary.org or SawyerFreeLibrary.org.
LEAP for Education is running a FREE 2022 Summer Internship Program for Gloucester Teens!
Work virtually or in person on a project 9 hours per week July 11 – August 18 with a mentor/company where you will gain important workplace skills
Start to build a resume for college and future endeavors – examples of internships include; assistant teaching a Pathways for Children; assisting with youth art classes at Art Haven; project assistance at Gloucester Education Foundation; teen council/community representative for local nonprofits, teller positions at BankGloucester, internships at Appleton Farms, and many more
Receive GHS credit and a salary or $500 stipend
Attend regularly scheduled workplace skills workshops on topics such as job interviewing, searching for college/post high school options, stress management, financial literacy, and resume writing
For more information, to set up an interview to discuss your interests, or to register, please email JoAnn Leavitt, Program Coordinator, at jleavitt@leap4ed.org
Application link: https://leap4ed.org/gloucester-internship-form/
MAKE GREAT USE OF YOUR TIME THIS SUMMER! APPLY NOW! ALSO, THIS IS AN 11 HOUR PER WEEK COMMITMENT, SO YOU WILL STILL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO HOLD ANOTHER SUMMER JOB, OR DO OTHER SUMMER ACTIVITIES!
MANCHESTER– Preschool and fourth grade students at Manchester Memorial Elementary School recently teamed up to put their creative talents to use, and painted bowls for The Open Door Empty Bowl To Go 2.0 fundraiser.
The annual fundraiser will be held as a drive-thru for the second time this year due to the pandemic.
“There’s a special sense of community that comes from joining together and using your creativity to help someone else,” President and CEO Julie LaFontaine said. “The bowls serve as a reminder that somewhere, someone’s bowl is empty, but with a paintbrush, a little imagination, and a desire to help, you can support a fundraiser that puts fresh, healthy food in the hands of your neighbors.”
In 2021, The Open Door provided 1.83 million pounds of food to 8,516 people from 4,176 families. Empty Bowl To Go 2.0 supports programs of The Open Door including its Mobile Market and Summer Meals for Kids programs. Last year, the Mobile Market distributed 179,053 pounds of food to underserved neighborhoods, senior centers, housing authorities, and schools. The new Farmers Truck will provide further expansion of the Mobile Market program into additional locations with identified needs. In 2021, the Summer Meals for Kids program provided more than 30,000 meals to local children.
Students at Manchester Memorial painted 25 bowls for the Empty Bowl To Go 2.0 event slated for May 7.
“We just had a great time,” said Manchester Memorial Art Teacher Claudette Yutkins. “They were really happy to give something to help others.”
Yutkins said students in particular enjoyed painting designs in the bottom of their bowls, to be enjoyed as a “surprise” when the user finishes their meal. One group of students painted a smiley face, for example.
“It brought the whole project together,” Yutkins said. “They are trying to do something to make someone else happy—it was just cute.”
Several area colleges and schools, community organizations, businesses, clubs and private groups have stepped up to paint bowls for the fundraiser, including:
Please note: All slots for painting bowls for the 2022 fundraiser have been filled.
Additionally, many local artists, potters and public officials have painted bowls for the Empty Bowl Silent Auction, set to go online for the month of May.
Empty Bowl To Go 2.0 will be held on Saturday, May 7 from 4-6 p.m. at The Open Door at 28 Emerson Ave. Appointments will be required and available to be scheduled once pay-what-you-can ticket sales go live on April 1 at FOODPANTRY.org.
About The Open Door
The mission of The Open Door is to alleviate the impact of hunger in our community. We
use practical strategies to connect people to good food, to advocate on behalf of those in
need, and to engage others in the work of building food security.
Founded in 1978, The Open Door is a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit and community food resource center for low-income residents of Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, Essex, Ipswich, Hamilton, Boxford, Rowley, Topsfield, and Wenham. In 2021, The Open Door helped stabilize the lives and health of 8,516 people from 4,176 households
through the distribution of 1.83 million pounds of food.
For more information, visit FOODPANTRY.org.
###
Cape Ann Community 