The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

charity/volunteer

My Turn: Please donate during food pantry annual appeal

By SVdP Lincoln/Weston

Yes, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston operates a food pantry, right here in our beautiful communities, that serves over 100 households facing food insecurity. And yes, we also provide emergency financial aid to those experiencing difficulties, and vocational scholarships for those seeking better job opportunities. We serve our neighbors in need who live, work, or whose children go to school in Lincoln and Weston. Just this past year, we spent:

  • $80,000 on food
  • $90,000 on assistance for rent, utilities, and other basic needs
  • $11,000 on scholarships for education and training

Weston residents Sarah Hasselbeck (left) and Christine Hayward volunteer at the food pantry behind St. Joseph Church in Lincoln.

The need among our most vulnerable neighbors continues to grow, especially during these uncertain times, your support is crucial! Your donation, regardless of the amount, can have a huge impact on someone’s life. Donate now, and the Ogden Codman Trust in Lincoln will match your contribution with a matching gift challenge.

  • Donate online: go to svdplincolnweston.org
  • Mail a check: SVdP of Lincoln and Weston, PO Box 324, Lincoln MA 01773
  • Spread the word: share our mission with friends and family.

Thank you for believing in the power of neighbors helping neighbors. We appreciate your compassion and continued support, especially now, during our annual appeal. With sincere gratitude from all of us at SVdP Lincoln/Weston.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: FELS seeks donations (and pie purchases) on its 25th anniversary

By Nancy Marshall and Tara Mitchell

It’s a year of numbers for our towns and for FELS.

2024-25 marks a wide array of reasons to celebrate. Lincoln and Sudbury are celebrating 250th anniversaries. Our beloved Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School is in its 70th year, and its 20th in the “new”” building. FELS, the Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury, www.FELSGrant.org, is celebrating 25 years of providing grants to teachers and staff at LSRHS to pursue their individual and professional interests and passions. 

In our 25 years, FELS has given out well over 100 grants, totaling in excess of $150,000. Funding for the grants has been thanks to the support of many people responding to our Annual Appeal and purchasing pies through our annual Thanksgiving pie sale, which kicks off once again on October 15. 

Please, in this special season of celebration, consider a donation to FELS by matching an anniversary number, ($25, $70, or $250), or by buying a pie for your Thanksgiving table or to share with a local food pantry, police and fire department, or a particularly special teacher or staff member at L-S. Your contribution will be impactful. 

Our motto is “Inspired Teachers Inspire Students.” We encourage applicants to dream big and act on that dream by submitting a thoughtful application. Grant recipients speak of the level of refreshment and renewal they find in dreaming big and checking that dream off their bucket list. In returning to their important work with our kids in the classroom, they carry with them satisfaction in their personally fulfilling accomplishment, coupled with the understanding that we, Lincoln and Sudbury, have supported them in achieving that accomplishment.  

FELS was founded by Lincoln L-S parent, Peter von Mertens 25 years ago. Our mission is deeply personal to us as a board, to the grant recipients, to families and, inevitably and intangibly, to our kids in the classroom and well after they leave LSRHS. Thank you for considering a donation to FELS or purchasing a pie. 

Marshall and Mitchell are co-presidents of the Foundation for Educators at LSRHS.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

1774 crackdown on town meetings roused more ire in Lincoln than tea tax

By Donald Hafner

Or so it seemed. Right after patriots in Boston dumped 46 tons of tea into Boston Harbor, Boston’s Committee of Correspondence asked all surrounding towns to join in opposition to the tax on tea that had been imposed by the British parliament.

Lincoln held a town meeting to discuss a fiery reply composed in the main by Eleazer Brooks, one of Lincoln’s own Committee of Correspondence members, but it was a bit too fiery at that point for Lincoln’s tastes. Town Meeting toned down the language, and most pointedly, asserted its support only for “lawful means” of opposition to the tea tax. The dumping of the tea was anything but “lawful.” Even so, when it came time for the members of Town Meeting to put their signatures on a pledge not to purchase or consume tea, only 51 residents signed the pledge (there were 120 adult men in town).

1774 satirical cartoon of “Bostonians Paying the Excise Man.” It shows John Malcolm, British customs agent in Massachusetts, tarred, feathered, and forced to drink tea on January 24, 1774.

But in June of 1774, Parliament retaliated for the dumping of the tea by imposing the Massachusetts Government Act, which essentially allowed only one town meeting each year, to elect town officers and set the town taxes. No other meetings and no other topics allowed, unless approved by the Royal Governor. Now this roused Lincoln’s revolutionary fervor. Town Meeting voted to punish Britain by pledging not to purchase any British goods. This time the pledge was signed by 87 of the town’s men.

On Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. in Bemis Hall, come hear Professor of History Robert J. Allison explain why and how the American Revolution began well before April 19, 1775 – even in politically cautious Lincoln — in “When Enough Is Enough: How Resistance Turned to Revolution in 1775.”

“Lincoln’s History” is an occasional column by members of the Lincoln Historical Society.
Did you know that in 1774, town government roused more revolutionary fervor in Lincoln than the tea tax?

Help out with Lincoln cemetery restoration work

Eagle Scout Jake Fox and conservator Ta Mara Conde during earlier work in a Lincoln cemetery.

(Editor’s note: This article was updated on September 21 to correct the location of the October 12 session.)

Volunteers are invited to help clean some of the gravestones in two Lincoln cemeteries under the guidance of professional conservator Ta Mara Conda on three upcoming Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (rain date is the next day).

  • September 28 — Meeting House Burial Ground behind Bemis Hall
  • October 5 — Arborvitae Cemetery, 16 Trapelo Rd. 
  • October 12 — Precinct Burial Ground within the Lincoln Cemetery on Lexington Road

The work, which builds on the Eagle Scout project by Jake Fox almost 10 years ago, will include leveling tilted stones and washing off lichen. Conda (who runs Historic Gravestone Services) will ensure that stones aren’t inadvertently damaged. She’ll also offer some history and do repairs on some of the stones. The project is made possible by donations and is co-sponsored by the Cemetery Commission, the Lincoln Minute Men, who will volunteer time as well.

Children welcome with parents (no dropoffs). Come to any or all sessions, but please RSVP to Town Clerk Valerie Fox at foxv@lincolntown.org.

Lincoln teen swims to fight breast cancer

Zoe Borden (right) with her aquatic physical therapist and Team Making Waves teammate Laura Diamond.

Lincoln resident and recent L-S graduate Zoe Borden will again join Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC) at the annual statewide Against the Tide event this weekend to pair her passion for swimming with her commitment to fighting breast cancer.

For Zoe, MBCC’s mission to target and prevent environmental contributors to breast cancer is personal. “This event is all the more meaningful to me as I remember my aunt undergoing [successful] surgery and treatment for breast cancer. The diagnosis was a surprise to us all as she’s a nurse practitioner and has always been so health-conscious and fit. Despite this and without an established family history, she developed breast cancer.”

That unexpected diagnosis fueled Zoe’s passion to support MBCC. She believes that understanding and eliminating environmental causes of this disease will have such an overwhelming impact on the lives of so many people. By participating in Against the Tide, she not only honors her aunt but also actively supports the broader efforts toward cancer prevention while doing something she loves: swimming.

She was first introduced to MBCC by Laura Diamond, her long-time aquatic physical therapist. Every year, Laura and Megan Cohen assemble a fundraising team called Team Making Waves to support Against the Tide and MBCC’s mission. Zoe has a neuromuscular condition called nemaline myopathy and started swimming as a toddler.

The water has always been a place where Zoe has felt strong, happy, and at ease. “I’ve been swimming with Laura since I was three years old, and remember her talking about Against the Tide every year. I was so excited when I was finally strong enough to not only support MBCC but participate myself,” she said. This is the fourth year she’s participated.

Zoe and her team will swim in Against the Tide in Hopkinton on Saturday, June 15. For details about the event, which includes several recreational and competitive swims and walks, click here. The website also has donation pages for Team Making Waves and Zoe herself. Funds raised support community education programs, the MBCC Webinar Series, and the newly expanded student environmental health program, all of which are provided free of charge.

This article was based on a press release from MBCC.

Art sales pull in funds for Boston Bridges Initiative

The Schrader-Johnson family of Lincoln with their new painting. 

The Schrader-Johnson family of Lincoln are the proud new owners of an original painting titled “Changes” by James Leonard. They purchased the painting at a recent event hosted by Boston Bridges Initiative (BBI), a nonprofit that facilitates cultural exchange and meaningful social interaction between city and suburban families in the greater Boston area.

The art sale was a fundraiser through BBI’s Downsize for Diversity program, which accepts donations of artwork and sells it at greatly reduced prices — and whose earlier iteration resulted in this 2022 book. The sale focused on art donated by the global consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

Framed paintings and photographs from this collection are still available along with hundreds of additional pieces of art at a home gallery in Lincoln. If you’re interested in purchasing art at discount prices for a good cause, contact Joanna Schmergel at owenjoanna@yahoo.com or 617-645-9059.

My Turn: Neighbors helping neighbors via the SVdP food pantry in Lincoln

By Ursula Nowak

A friend and I used the break in the rain a couple of days ago and headed out into the wonderfully wet woods. As we were walking, we brainstormed about questions people might have about the work of St. Vincent de Paul and the food pantry. Here are some we came up with:

Is there need in a town like Lincoln?

Yes, there is — it’s just more hidden than in other towns. The Greater Boston Food Bank estimates that 580 food-insecure individuals live in our town. 

Who comes to you for help? 

People whose income is not enough to cover their basic needs, and individuals or families facing sudden hardship, like job loss, illness, or unexpected large expenses like car repairs.

How do you help?

SVdP offers three programs to our neighbors in need:

  • Food Pantry: We offer shelf-stable, refrigerated, and frozen items, bread, vegetables, toiletries, and cleaning supplies.
  • Financial Emergency Assistance: We have made payments for rents, utility bills, car repairs, medical bills, and other necessary expenses.
  • Scholarship Program: The services mentioned above help clients stabilize their situation. Our scholarship program for adults for career advancement empowers our neighbors to build a better life.
How much has the need increased in recent years?
  • The need in our community continues to increase year over year. From 2019–2023, the number of food pantry clients more than doubled. In 2023 we served 417 neighbors. Our clients include people who live, work, or go to school in Lincoln and Weston, with 65% of households in Lincoln.
  • Our yearly cost for food have risen fivefold from $18,000 in 2020 to $90,000 in 2023.
  • Our expenses for financial emergency assistance have nearly doubled within the last two years. In 2023, $111,000 was granted to our neighbors in need.
Do you have paid staff?

No — SVdP is an all-volunteer organization with 18 board members and approximately 50 volunteers. Because we don’t have to pay salaries, donations can directly benefit our neighbors. The varied life experiences and professional backgrounds of our members and volunteers help us stay a dynamic organization. Volunteers provide most of the services we need. Chris Knollmeyer here in Lincoln oversaw the construction of our pantry in 2018, and a professor and student at Framingham State University created our website. Instead of a paid food pantry manager, two amazing women lead the operation and split responsibilities up among many volunteers.

Do you have any success stories?

Yes! Here are a couple:

  • A restaurant worker broke her ankle and had no access to sick pay. Our rent payments helped her through this difficult time, and she is now self-sufficient again.
  • A single mother took a two-year medical technician course, graduated with straight As and does not need our support anymore. 
  • A senior got help with a rent payment. She is a regular pantry client and can make ends meet now.
How can I help?
  • We are always in need of food donations. They can be dropped off at the back porch of 142 Lincoln Rd. behind St. Joseph Church.
  • We’re also looking for people to organize neighborhood food dives (see “News Acorns,” March 4, 2024).
  • You probably received a recent letter about Spring Fundraiser. The Codman Trust has generously offered a matching grant for up to $20,000 for all donations we receive till the end of March. Please help us reach this goal; respond to the letter or donate here. We are grateful for the amazing support the Lincoln community has given us!

Nowak is president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Ogden Codman Trust pledges $500K for community center

The Ogden Codman Trust has pledged $500,000 to help defray the cost of the community center, which is estimated at $24 million.

The trust, which began making grants for Lincoln facilities and projects in 1972, helped pay for the town pool years ago. It has distributed an average of about $200,000 in grants and loans annually in recent years. The largest single grant in the past three years was $95,000 to historic New England for repairs at the Codman Estate in 2021, and most grants are in the range of $10,000 to $25,000, so this is by far the largest grant that the trust has made in some time.

“We are deeply appreciative of your generosity, and the timing of your gift couldn’t be better,” said Community Center Building Committee Chair Sarah Chester said at the February 5 Select Board meeting when the gift was announced.

The grant will be paid in five installments starting with $350,000 in the first year and the subsequent installments over the following three-year period, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. “Hopefully this will help power the fundraising effort that’s going on and leverage some additional generosity,” he said.

“We’re grateful to have the opportunity to participate in this really exciting project,” Ogden Codman trustee Susan Monahan said. She praised “the work that’s gone into documenting and making the [planning] accessible and transparent… we wish you the best in pulling in some additional funds in support of that.”

A group of residents has launched a fundraising effort targeting individuals, corporations and other organizations. Together with funds from the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging (FLCOA), which has promised to match every donation dollar for dollar up to $1 million, the group hopes to raise several million dollars. 

Most of the project will be paid for through bonding, but the segment of the building for LEAP (a private entity) can’t be paid for through tax-advantaged municipal bonds, so other sources of funding will be needed. Residents will vote on a bonding amount at Town Meeting next month.

“We hope the March votes goes the right way, though you’ve given us every reason to be optimistic,” Monahan said.

Doo-Wop Singers fundraiser benefits food pantry

Food Pantry Coordinator Karen Boyce accepts the check from Doo Wop Singers Harold McAleer (left) and Peter Stewart.

In December, the Lincoln Council on Aging and Human Services’ Doo-Wop Singing Group held a concert at Bemis Hall that raised over $300 to benefit the Lincoln food pantry. “It’s just a start; more is yet to come!” said group leader Peter Stewart (the group is already planning a second benefit concert some time this spring).

Demand on the food pantry has steadily grown over the past decade (332 clients in December 2022, up from an average of 28 per month in 2012). To learn more about how to donate to the food pantry, click here. If you are a family in need of nutritional support, please contact the Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services at 781-259-8811. The Doo Wop Singing Group welcomes new members and meets every Monday at 10:00 a.m. in Bemis Hall.