Public Service Announcement

Please click here to view our first
Public Service Announcement
for Gathering Change, Inc.


Thanks goes to Cheryl Webb Scott
and Stoneham Cable for their
generous help in producing this!

By sharing this PSA with others,
you can spread the word about
helping neighbors in need.

For more information about the mission
of Gathering Change, click here.

Click here to read testimonials from
just some of the people who have made
a difference by gathering their change.

To donate to Gathering Change,
please click here.


With sincere gratitude,
The board members of
Gathering Change, Inc.

Join us at our 2nd Annual Meeting on Nov. 1st

Sandy Carriker of the North Reading Food Pantry with
Dorothy Goodwin, president of Gathering Change


The second Annual Meeting of Gathering Change, Inc. will be held on Monday, November 1, 2010
at 7:00 p.m. at the Lynnfield Meeting House in Lynnfield, MA. All are welcome to join us as we share the highlights of the past year, our vision for the future and enjoy a variety of refreshments. Our special guest speaker is Jane Good from the Wakefield
Interfaith Food Pantry.



E. Ethel Little School recently partnered with
Gathering Change, Inc. which resulted in a $1,000.00
donation to the North Reading Food Pantry.


Gathering Change, Inc. collects spare change and then donates it to community and social programs in the town where the money was collected. GCI has offered many people in our local communities (children, adults, families, students and groups of all kinds) an opportunity to give in a way that is manageable financially and also makes
a difference in people’s lives.





Some of the items being distributed at the
North Reading Food Pantry in September.


Because of the hard economic times in recent years, Gathering Change, Inc. has funneled its donations to food pantries. As awareness of GCI and its mission has expanded, more and more individuals, businesses, faith communities and schools in an ever-increasing number of towns have been involved in fundraisers and food drives. Over 30 towns have benefited
from donations by their neighbors. 





The Lynnfield Meeting House is on the Lynnfield Common which lies between Main and Summer Streets in Lynnfield (proper address is 617 Main Street). Parking is available in front of the
Library or in the Town Hall parking lot.

For more information call 617-548-5357 or
email dgoodwin@gatheringchangeinc.org.


To find out how you can help to fight
hunger in your community click here.

When you see something, say something!

There is a saying going around, “When you see something, say something”! In my case, I have to tell you what I see when I visit the food pantries. I see men, women and children. Yes, children. I see the well dressed and the not so well dressed, I see the clean and the unclean. I see what happens to a face when it is full of worry and pale from being hungry. I see that there is very little talking and no eye contact. I see what I have not known but what I cannot give up on. I see that in Massachusetts, in every city and town, there are those who are struggling. The majority of these individuals have lost their jobs, or are underemployed, have an illness, or their fixed incomes are not enough to keep up with basic needs.

Recently I was asked what I did. I think that meant what I did for work. So I answered “ I work at a non profit that I started with some friends two years ago.” The person responded with “I didn’t expect you to say that”. Then I went on to say what we do at Gathering Change, Inc., how many food pantries we have helped (36) and how our goal is to spread across Massachusetts. I told her we do this with an unpaid working board and over 100 volunteers. When she asked me how I got so many volunteers to help I said “I did not know.” I was caught off guard. The real answer should have been “Because we all know someone.”

This month I have the privilege of delivering $10,000 from spare change donations to the food pantries throughout Massachusetts. Some are in affluent towns, while others are in the inner city, but all are in need. If you would like to come along please let me know. I would love for you to see what I see so you can say to others what I am saying to you!

Dorothy Goodwin, President

The Feinstein Foundation Challange

I truly believe that hope is something that comes from changing what is to what is possible. When Gathering Change, Inc. first found out that the Feinstein Foundation would match a percentage of all food and funds collected during the months of March and April, we hoped it would help our Mission. After all, Alan Shawn Feinstein says: "The Feinstein Foundation Challenge is the most successful Hunger Fundraiser in America."

These past two months have not been without its share of muscle strains, long visits to the SaugusBank coin counter machine, which I want to name "Buddy" for being such a loyal and helpful friend, speaking engagements, submitting numerous publicity articles to local newspapers, sorting, loading, delivering food, writing thank you notes to all those that helped us with this Challenge, meetings, presentations and fundraisers, as well as another appearance on the Total Woman Cable Show. All this so that together we could make a difference in the lives of our neighbors.

With your help, and you all know who you are, we are able to send funds and food, with more to follow, to Melrose, Reading, North Reading, Wakefield, Lynnfield, Peabody, Everett, Beverly and Stoneham Food Pantries. Our final tally for the Feinstein Foundation Challange is $13,660.89.

Thank you from all of us at Gathering Change, Inc., for far exceeding our expectations and for making what we hoped was possible no longer a dream but a reality!


Dorothy Goodwin, President

Choosing The Right Path

Next week I have to speak to a group of Juniors and Seniors who are involved in a Community Service Class. A few different organizations will be making presentations and after that they will decide which charities to work with. I heard the class is mostly made up of young men, so I am trying to think of what to open with that will keep their attention and peek their interest. Perhaps they will be impressed with the fact that although we are a young charity we have been able to help 33 communities. They may like that funds raised in their town stay in their town, no salaries come from these collections and what we collect, either food or funds, will make a difference in the lives of their neighbors.

It is at this same school over 36 years ago on their track that I watched a boy I liked throw shot put and discus at a meet. After the meet he and I spoke briefly. I had embarrassed him with my applause from the stands. It seems clapping is not proper etiquitte at such events. All these years later we are still together. Oh, yes, we are older, but I still look at him as my boyfriend, best friend, confidant, and the love of my life. I still see the smile that stole my heart and his sense of humor and intelligence along with our wanting the same things out of life. We both wanted to be parents, we both wanted to give back, we both wanted the other to be happy, we both supported the other when things got rough and we both will continue to be there for one another as we grow older.

So when I look out at the students I will be thinking of the years that have passed, the world that is open to each of them, the path I chose to take and the person I chose to take it with. Just as GCI began with a few friends who chose to walk this path we me, I hope they choose to join us!

Dorothy Goodwin

Healing Necessities

It has recently come to my attention that basic toiletries such as soap, deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo and toilet paper are hard to come by at our food pantries. They are just not donated that often. And it’s also been brought to my attention that Food Stamps cannot be used to purchase these items.

It made me realize that I take some of my basic necessities for granted, while others struggle to find a way to acquire them. I never have to think if there will be deodorant or shampoo never mind soap and toilet paper in my home. I just buy them and they are always there.

What about someone who is struggling to pay for rent and heat. What do they do?

What about the growing numbers of people frequenting the food pantries who find these items are not available. What do they do?

What if someone has Food Stamps and needs shampoo to go on a job interview or simply to feel good about themselves. What do they do?

If someone or some family can’t keep up with acquiring these items, What do they do? Do kids refuse to go to school, to Dads feel like they can’t go to work, do Moms feel ill equipped to leave the house and make outside contacts?

The more I contemplated this issue, the more I saw the huge connection between our physical hygiene and our mental well-being and physical health.

For many it’s heartbreaking to have to go to the food pantry and then to go there without being clean must feel even more demoralizing.

Gathering Change, Inc. is currently writing for a grant to make these items more accessible to those clients that need help at the food pantries. We see a direct link with an individual’s self-esteem and self-worth and their ability to stay clean and cared for. We believe this is not just a necessity but a basic right for all. We feel compelled to help others reclaim their dignity, a dignity that was lost when one does not have the items needed for self care.

Next time you make a donation to your local food pantry, consider giving these items. You won’t believe how how much they will be appreciated. To be able to care for ourselves and our families in this way, allows us to move forward in our lives and to take the next step to making changes that will help us. Let us not forget about these healing necessities.

Marianne Snow

I did not know....

Today I was told about the newest challenge, which affects our children and our schools. The motels in our area (specifically chosen by the State for their location to major highways) are seeing an increase in families who have been displaced due to job losses and home foreclosures. "I did not know" that the food pantries in certain towns are serving more children and are able to keep up, but the schools are not. There are not enough funds to cover additional lunches.

This is news that I could not keep to myself. I am sorry to say it is sad and worrisome, but it is real and happening in our own backyards.

I did not know but now I do and so do you!

Dorothy Goodwin