For the past few years, we’ve actively supported the Island Food Pantry, which is the main food bank on Martha’s Vineyard. On behalf of our many summer renters, we collect non-perishable food they have left over at the end of their vacation, and deliver it on to the Food Pantry.
There is a hunger and poverty side to life on the Vineyard, that a lot of summer visitors never see. And even we are taking a new look at hunger on Martha’s Vineyard. The Vineyard Gazette ran an eye-opening article over Thanksgiving with the headline The Hidden Story Of Hunger On Martha’s Vineyard.
Teddy Bear Suite founder and Principal Broker/Owner of Point B, Wendy Harman, was moved enough to send a Thanksgiving email to our staff. It speaks to our goal to do more about hunger — especially with children. And it will be this year’s focus for the money raised by the Martha’s Vineyard Teddy Bear Suite.
Wendy’s Open Letter
The subject of hunger on Martha’s Vineyard is one that was a big eye-opener for me personally. Food is such a basic need and I have always assumed — even through Point B’s efforts to support the Island Food Pantry — that it was a much smaller issue here on the island.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working with Jessie Damroth, the new Executive Director of the Martha’s Vineyard Boys and Girls Club, and she too has made us aware of how hunger is affecting so many children that she sees come through the doors of the MVBGC. In fact, the Vineyard Gazette article mentions the launch of a new program that Jessie is spearheading for the MV Boys and Girls Club, called “Happy Healthy Kids” (or H2K for short).
In working with Jessie, and learning about how food insecurity is affecting island children, we recently decided that our fundraising efforts for this year’s Teddy Bear Suite will specifically support H2K — as it is a much-needed program for island kids.
The MVBGC needs to raise around $35,000 to support the H2K program for this coming year. The Martha’s Vineyard Teddy Bear Suite raised $15k for the Boys and Girls Club in 2015 and we hope that we can raise even more money this year.
Tax deductible donations can be made online. Help us make our $20,000 goal.