The gift of kindness

“A single act of kindness throws out
roots in all directions, and the roots
spring up and make new trees.
The greatest work that kindness
does to others is that is makes them
kind themselves.” - Amelia Earhart


On November 9th we will be celebrating our generous and dedicated volunteers who have gathered change for neighbors in need, who have spread the word about Gathering Change, and have even danced for change (see video clip below).

Please join us at The Lynnfield Meeting House at 7pm for our annual meeting which will include a special guest speaker plus light refreshments.

Click here to view.

To RSVP, kindly call 781.334.6773 or email cindyzavala@comcast.net

To receive a kindness is a great gift, but
to give a kindness is an even greater one!

Sharing our gratitude

THANK YOU

to our volunteers (big and small!) who helped us
gather change and pass out raffle tickets at our
first Breakfast Fundraiser held this past Saturday
at the Thomson Club in North Reading.




THANK YOU

to the Lynnfield High School A Cabellas who
shared their musical gifts with our guests.

THANK YOU

to the local students who collected coins
in their classrooms and helped to spread
the word about Gathering Change.

THANK YOU

to the local businesses who generously
donated wonderful items for our raffle and their
professional services for our silent auction.

THANK YOU

to the many sponsors whose advertisements
in our program helped make this breakfast
fundraiser possible, and to our guests
who joined us at the table!

AND THANK YOU ...

for continuing to gather your change!





Click here to find out how easy it is to make
a difference in the lives of those in need.

Click here for links to our breakfast sponsors.

Open publication

Come to the Table

You are invited to “Come to the Table” for a
Hunger Awareness Breakfast Fundraiser
hosted by Gathering Change, Inc. on
Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 9:30 am at the
Thomson Country Club, North Reading, MA

Join us as we increase hunger awareness and
share healthy eating alternatives.

Speakers include Dorothy Goodwin, President of Gathering Change, Inc. and Sandy Carriker of the North Reading Food Pantry.



Auction items include:

JULIE ADEY SODERBLOM

Dinner for 6 to 12 people prepared by certified holistic health counselor Julie Adey Soderblom of Soderblom WELLNESS.


LIZ BARBOUR

Cooking demonstration
for 12 with chef Liz Barbour
of The Creative Feast.

Additional raffle items include Golf Clubs, Home Decor Items, Spa Packages, Art Instruction and more.

Tickets are $30 per person at the door or pay online in advance by clicking here. All donations will support local food pantries and a percentage will be matched by the Feinstein Foundation “One Million Dollar Hunger Challenge.”

An easy way to make a difference

Gathering Change, Inc. is proud to announce we now have a secure online payment option powered by JustGive.org “the destination for online charitable giving.” Simply click here and specify where you would like your donation to go (choose a town, a food pantry, etc.) and you, too, can help support neighbors in need with the click of a mouse!

Discover how donations – large and small – are making a big difference by visiting the following links:

Lynnfield Patch.com ...
Can you spare some change?
Lynnfield woman raises $1,100 for local charity
Collect your change and help your community

Westborough Patch.com ...
Change is good!

Stoneham Patch.com ...
A penny earned: change for the better

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