Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
It's where each week we come together right here we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is great to be back
with you again this week. I'm Nicole Davis. Well. I
think we can all agree that a dollar just does
not stretch as far as it used to these days.
Getting all the monthly bills paid is not as easy
(00:27):
as it used to be. And when you come to
the holidays, well that might make it even more complicated
to stretch those dollars and make sure that there's money
there to get some special presents for the kids. Action
Boston Community Development, which is based in downtown Boston, says
it's already received hundreds, if not thousands of requests for
help with toys. Unfortunately, they are struggling to get enough
(00:49):
toy donations just to keep up with all the demand.
That's where you come in. Sandra Scott Chandler, the President
and CEO of ABCD, is here. We're going to talk
about this all the other great programs. So Sandra, it's
good to have you for people who may not know
about ABCD, they might not live in Greater Boston. They
may not know about the work. You do, tell us
about it.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
ABCD has been around since nineteen sixty two, and we
are an organization called the Community Action Organization that builds
pathways out of poverty in partnership with families in the
communities so that everyone can thrive. That's our formal mission
that essentially looks like in practice, really a nonprofit that
(01:30):
takes a holistic approach that has many many different services
age serving ages ranging from actually pregnant moms, but early
education through people in their last decades, through our Foster
Grandparent program, which is a volunteer program for seniors and elders.
(01:52):
So in the middle we are doing workforce development, we're
doing energy efficiency and decarbonization, and we're doing housing supports
and homelessness prevention. We have youth programs, employment programs, food
security programs, and so many more. But it's really a
holistic approach to really fighting poverty and helping people not
(02:17):
only survive these crisis times, but also thrive and get
on a path toward economic mobility, toward you know, prosperity. Well,
I know, as long winded.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
No, no, it's it's not a bad thing. That's that's
a great thing. And frankly, you know, I'd be curious
to know how many people you touch with these programs
each and every year, because it's got to be quite
a few.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
It's a lot. We impact more than one hundred thousand individuals, wow,
and that you know, everything from a really sort of
I won't say deep touch, but you know, our early education,
our head Start program, we work not only with children
in an earlycation setting, but we work with the family,
(03:02):
so we're you know, really helping them to be better parents,
to uh prosper to get on the right track for themselves,
to providing fuel assistance, which is a you know, our
heating assistance program, and that might be just a one
time thing. We try to meet a whole household needs,
(03:24):
but sometimes that may be all that someone really needs.
And and so anyway, it's it's one hundred thousand folks
across Greater Boston because our our anti poverty catchment area
is Boston and the Myst we call the Mystic Valley area,
so Everett, Malden, and Medford. However, some of our programs,
(03:48):
some of our specific programs, reach into the northern suburbs,
reach into kind of the Metro West suburbs. Like with
fuel assistants, we serve you know, Newton and Brooklyn and
and Swampscott and you know, and some of the Mailrose.
(04:08):
Some of our family planning programs we serve the Quinsy area.
So a couple of the programs serve more than just
that anti poverty catchment area that we call, but in
those communities, particularly in Boston, because that's where we started,
and we have neighborhood service centers all across Boston and
every in every neighborhood, we really present that holistic approach
(04:35):
with all of the all of the services well.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
With so many families that you're connected to around Greater Boston.
Clearly you know that this time of year, this is
a really tough time being a parent of a child.
And if you are, namely if you are a parent
who is low income or struggling, all ready to put
food on the table, perhaps food insecure, and you just
(04:58):
want to make sure that your child has of fun
holiday that they don't have to think about the concerns
that you do around Christmas. But getting toys, I mean
things are expensive right now, there's inflation, there's just the
higher cost of everything right now. So you've got this
toy drive that's going on, tell me a bit about
what's going on with that.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
So exactly as you said, you know, families are in
a constant crisis. I mean, the cost of living, the
cost of basic essentials and basic needs including food and
heat and rent are too much. I mean, they're already
a heavy burden that families don't have enough money to
buy even a small gift or do anything for the holidays.
(05:39):
And so we've been doing this for many for decades,
just trying to bring a little smile to a child's face,
trying to lift a little bit of that burden, especially
that emotional burden of not being able to provide something
that every other family gifts, which might be a gift
under the tree, or a gift for Hanukkah, or a
(06:00):
gift for for anything during this holiday time. It really
goes a long way for people's mental health. They're they're
just you know, they're just happiness during a season which
we all should be happy, and and they're struggling. So yes,
this this toy drive is really about bringing a small
(06:20):
piece of joy and happiness into into a scenario where
it might not be as as as happy as we
want them to be.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Of course, how many requests so far have you received
this year for toys?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
So we have roughly sixty five hundred requests then oh.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Okay, and how many have you been able to meet
at this point?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
So we have about a third of that those toys
in or that that third of the toys to meet
that demand.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Okay, so we you know, we.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
We have a call out, so we are hoping that
that quickly changes. But but yeah, that's where we are now.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Yeah, yeah, okay. So when you're looking for toys specifically,
is there an age range that you are especially falling
short on? Here, tell us what we can do to
get these toy requests fulfilled for you.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
You know, we definitely serve you know, sort of a
zero to thirteen or zero to twelve range, but I
know that I've heard from from our folks that in
particular that that ten to twelve, nine to twelve age
range as well as the zero to three okay, so
(07:36):
that's seemed to be the hardest to kind of come
up with. And and you know, we'll take toys of
any kind of measure, but you know, dolls and cars
and lego sets and similar things. Board games. Those are
typically the toys that we that we see and that
(07:58):
come in and that that every kid and toys. No, yeah,
so that's what It's a little bit different for the
zero to threes. But but those those are pretty easy
to find, yeah, in terms of you know, whether it's
soft soft books and chewy toys and those, you know,
things like that are always good.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Yeah, big old stuffed animal or something like that. I mean,
you really can't go wrong in that regard.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
You cannot go wrong.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
No, And I think it's important when you're buying toys
for toy drives to remember, even if you don't have kids,
you will to get stuff that you know your own
kids or kids in your life would like, because these
are kids that have those same wants and needs. And
you know, it's easy just to be like, oh whatever,
I'll just give them whatever. But I think a little
bit of thought has to go into it as well.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Absolutely absolutely, I mean, and that's that's sometimes why we
stay say, you know, kind of stick to the to
the to the classics and the you know, and the
standards of cars and legos and and dolls and things
like that. But but as you said, there were There
are a lot of options out there, and if you
have kids, then you know because you've been you know,
(09:06):
you've been shopping for those kinds of things, or over
the years you've shopped for them. But even if you don't,
there's there's plenty of kind of information or plenty of
ways to say, you know, is this something a kid's
really going to enjoy in twenty twenty four, you know.
So I think that's that's what we talk about with folks.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Although I will say I hear the vintage toys are
coming back, which I'm really excited about. As somebody who's
pushing forty, I very well might go buy myself some toys.
But yeah, I mean definitely, you can not go wrong
with like a board game. Just know, like pogo sticks
or e scooters or something that's going to land these
kids in the hospital. We don't want that.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Absolutely, no, no, definitely. Although we have had bicycles in
the past, and I mean, obviously what's different with a
bike is that you can't ride it right away, so
right you know, it's some times kids are like, oh,
that's a great bike, I would ride it, and there's
snow outside. You know, we have had bike people give bikes,
(10:07):
so you know, we we try to make sure they're
they're safe, but bikes are safe. Everybody has a bike.
That's not the typical toy, but we have folks had
folks donate those in the past, and so that's a range.
We also have a program right now and we've kind
of met that need. We have a program called Adopt
(10:30):
a Family, which is a is an element of our
Winter Fund campaign, and it tears families in need with
with families who want to help during the holiday season,
and that you know, that really is comprehensive and it's
around all the kind of meeting the needs of the
winter time, and that can mean anything from toys and
(10:51):
and and holiday items, but also blankets and and pay
a bill or other things where families can help help
each other. But we own that's a limited program and
so right now we already have donors matched with family recipients,
(11:14):
so we're not in need of that one. It's really
the broader toy giveaway that we are behind on.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
And cash donations are always a good idea if you
don't know what you want to get them at the
target or the wal Mart or whatever and you're kind
of struggling. Honestly, just a cash donation will help you
then go and get what you know, these kids are
looking for.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Absolutely absolutely any cash donation can be used to go
purchase toys, sometimes in bulk, because someone might give a
cash donation of one thousand dollars and obviously we can
buy multiple toys with that. We also and the folks
who do this would figure it out more than I
can articulate. But you know, gift cards. I mean, if
(11:58):
someone gets an Amazon gift card, we can give that to,
you know, especially the you know, sort of the older
youth who might want to look for their own. So
so we do it all. We will, we will manage,
we will make it work. We will because we have
so many requests, we can really make that work, even
(12:18):
even for families, uh, you know, giving a family a
gift card to then go, you know, purchase. But it's
it's it's flexible. We try to be as flexible as
possible for the donors and also for the families.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Okay, we'll talk about how people can donate here in
a moment, but I did also want to touch on
another big program this time of year, your Winter Fund,
Because the cost of heating a house is not cheap
at all these days, no matter if you've got a
heating oil or natural gas or pellets or whatever it is.
I mean, it is really taking a toll on a
(12:53):
lot of people. And you're adding that to a tough
situation that we already just kind of alluded to. Tell
me about your Winter Fund and what's going on with that.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Okay, So the Winter Fund really is, as you said,
it's trying to meet the broader needs during this winter season.
So we know that heat and warm clothing and food
even are are at the top of the list for
you know, kind of priorities for the winter season, and
(13:24):
so our Winter Fund really helps families get through this period.
So whether it's you know, turkeys over the holidays and Thanksgiving,
whether it's coats and clothing, hats, mittens, gloves, whether it's
you know, a getting dollars to help someone pay a
(13:44):
heating bill, you know, all of that Winter Fund goes
to the meeting those needs. You know, you probably know
we're doing our fuel assistance push, our heap push right
now because the government support and provide financial assistance for
helping to pay bills heating bills. But one that those
(14:09):
are income eligible and it's a pretty low you know,
relatively speaking, there are more people in need. And two
the maximum benefit is roughly a thousand dollars and change,
and that is not going to get people through the winter.
So a lot of what we use, the cash donations
(14:30):
or you know, the resources, is to help those in
emergency situations get through the winter, or get through the
next oil delivery, or get through the next heating crisis.
So yes, so our Winter Fund really supports those critical
needs that are that are actually exaggerated if you will,
(14:53):
in the winter months.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Yeah, and I really do appreciate too how you have
other almost a spin off services to help families better prepare.
You've got help with heating systems, You've got you partner
it up with ever source to work on you know,
a weatherization of homes and things like that. So there
are lots of other options here more than just you
(15:14):
helping to pay the bills.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Yeah, that's a big part of our program. And that
is all year round. I mean, we can replace a
heating system anytime of the year, but obviously a lot
of emergencies even even happen in the in the winter time,
and so we'll replace the heating system, we will you know,
weatherise a home, we will you know, fix fix things
(15:38):
that break down. And so yeah, that partnership on the
energy efficiency side is really a great compliment to the
other services helping people, you know, stay warm.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
And when it comes to staying warm, a lot of
families can't afford to get winter clothes for the kids
or themselves for that matter. So you've got access to
those essentials as well.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yes, so that is part of the Winter Fund. We
collect coats, hats, gloves, mittens, socks, blankets, everything in new,
new condition, and so we collect all of that and
give out to the families in need.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Okay, there is a lot going on here, and obviously
it takes a lot of volunteer work and a lot
of money too, let's be frank about it. I mean,
it takes money to get this done. So before we
talk about monetary donations, do you need volunteers and if so,
how can they help?
Speaker 2 (16:33):
So we always need volunteers. There's a variety of ways
that folks can volunteer at AVCD, and that's year round.
We end up with our toys, putting toys together and
you know, whether it's wrapping or assembling or matching or delivering.
(16:55):
So if folks want to volunteer from that perspective, we
absolutely you know, we have neighborhood sites that we you know,
that we can have people volunteer at. We also have
folks do clothing drives so you know, I mean it's
it's a little late in the season. Well actually not
(17:17):
of the clothing for the toys, but you know, we'll
have someone say, I work at X company and we'd
love to collect warm clothes, blankets, pajamas, you know, all
of that and bring it down to you in uh,
you know, this month or next month. I mean the
winter in New England, as we know, lasts a long time,
(17:37):
so you know, folks can volunteer in that way. We also,
and this is sort of off topic a little bit,
but we do free tax preparation for the community and
so we actually have hundreds of volunteers. They have to
train through the's an IRS tax training, but they volunteer
(18:01):
to do people's taxes. So this is the time because
it begins in January. We're doing the training now for
the tax preparation. But you know, if someone wants to
you know, as good at numbers, likes to do this
stuff or even wants to do you know, we've had
people who want to learn how to do their own taxes.
You know, they get trained, they do other people's taxes.
(18:22):
It brings a skill for them. So that's another big
volunteer opportunity during this time. It's a little unrelated to
Winter Fund, but hey, it all helps, right.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
I mean, we've got to pay our taxes. It doesn't
really matter.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Absolutely absolutely, and that's a big we We held over
four thousand households each tax season beginning at the end
of January. So those are three ways that folks can
can volunteer, okay, and.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Then when it comes to fiscal donations and the toys,
because we're really focusing on the toys right now. This
is a time sensitive situation. How can people get the
toys or the cash you for this toy drive?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
So two ways. One is, at this point, the best
way to do a toy donation is for someone to
fill out what we call it toy drive form on
our website. It's Boston ABCDDEBT dot org slash toy drive
form and what happens is the volunteer will fill that
(19:23):
out with some information and then someone will follow up
to you know, to figure out do you want to
drop it off, do you want us to pick it up?
Do you? And they can answer any questions. But that's
what happens. Someone fills out the form, it's really a
contact form, and then someone will we'll get in touch
with them just to see how they want to how
(19:44):
they want to you know, deliver the toys.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Okay, okay, and cash donations. They can do that on
your website as well.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Correct, Yes, so cash donations would be the Boston ABCD
dot org slash donate.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Okay, and they can say that this is for the
toy drive on the website, right, yep, yep.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
They can specify absolutely that it's the toy drive or
the winter fund.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Oh that too, because you know you need to help
people pay the rent and heat their homes too.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Absolutely, absolutely okay. And again as you said earlier, you know,
if they specify and they have a cash donation, then
that means will know, Okay, this is for the toy drive,
we'll go out and buy toys. Or if they say
this is for the winter fund, we know, okay, if
we need more winter coats or or blankets or things.
(20:33):
Then we can use that cash to purchase items for folks,
for families who would need.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
BOSTONABCD dot org super simple BOSTONABCD dot org slash donate
for the cash, donations for the Winter Fund, or for
the toy drive BOSTONABCD dot org slash Toy Drive form.
And we're going to put these links up on our
Facebook page and we'll put this on the podcast too,
so everybody knows where to find it. And yeah, this
(21:01):
is going to be again a bit of a time
sensitive rush for the toys, but we can make these
kids holidays. We can get it done.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Oh, thank you. I will. For the old schoolers, we
actually have still a give line. Oh if there's i'd
say the old schoolers. If someone wants to call, our
ABCD give line is six one seven, three four eight,
six five five.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Nine okay cool. So people can call and give, they
can write you a check and give, they can give online.
The most important thing, just give.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Yeah. Yeah, it's that time of year. Hopefully, hopefully people
are feeling very generous.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
I hope so too, and really all year long. I
mean this is really important right now because it's the
holidays and we want the kids to be happy and
people to be warm and fed. But this is an
all year mission that you're on, so hopefully they feel
just as generous. And I don't know May, because we need.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
That absolutely, absolutely, no, absolutely, And as I said, you know,
sometimes there's a different emphasis or focus because in May
we may be really pushing our youth employment programs and
trying to raise money so that we can put more
kids to you know, teams to work. So there's there's
(22:20):
general need all year round. I mean, whether it's clothing,
whether it's rent support, whether it's you know, again air
conditioning in the summer is becoming more and more important,
so there's still that piece. But in addition, you know,
we have a lot of different programs that we are
seeking support for all year round and different different ones
being priorities at different times of the year, and folks
(22:44):
can just engage with our website and and learn about
all the broader programs.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Phenomenal All right, Well, Sharon Scott Chandler over at ABCD,
this has been such a great conversation. Hopefully we can
get you the help you need to keep these kids
being healthy and these families warm and fed. So thank
you so much for your time and all the work
you do.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Thank you, Nicole, and we really appreciate your support, your
interest and really helping us do what we do best.
So thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio