Left to right: Dan Boynton and Susan Taylor, members of the First Parish Church Outreach Committee; Marilyn Lee-Tom, executive director of the Community Day Center; and Annie Preston Knowles, eldest daughter of Jean Wood Preston.
The Outreach Committee of the First Parish Church recently presented a check for $25,000 to the Community Day Center in Waltham to build a kitchen at their new site on Felton Street. This donation was made possible by a charitable fund established by Jean Wood Preston, a former member of the First Parish.
The Community Day Center of Waltham is the only day shelter in the MetroWest region. This drop-in center supports the homeless and those in need with legal, health, housing and job search assistance through counseling and case management. It also provides its guests with food, shelter and access to phones, computers and a mailing address.
First Parish Outreach contributed a total of $53,961 from the congregation this year to a variety of local and international charitable organizations. This is the result of the church’s commitment to donate 15 percent of its annual revenue to organizations that work to honor each person’s dignity and to cherish the living Earth.