Be Kind on November 20: Give Back to Those Who Need it Most for Random Acts of Kindness Day
In celebration of MelroseKind’s Random Acts of Kindness Day on Monday, November 20, the City of Melrose is asking residents to consider the following three ways of being kind: Donating to the Melrose Emergency Fund; “adopting” an older adult in Melrose; and/or celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Day early by donating cranberry sauce to a MelroseKind Porch by tomorrow, November 17.
Why Donate to the Melrose Emergency Fund:
Since 1996, the Melrose Emergency Fund has provided financial relief to Melrose families found in emergency need with a focus on ensuring basic needs such as food, rent, and utilities are met. Over the past fiscal year, the fund provided over $78,000 in financial aid to Melrose families in need but only received approximately $35,000 in donations between July 2022 and June 2023.
Aware that the community could be at risk of losing this valuable resource, the Mayor’s Office and the Council on Aging recently announced their goal of raising “50k by the Holiday”—or $50,000 by New Year's Day 2024. To help continue Melrose’s tradition of neighbors helping neighbors, consider donating to the Melrose Emergency Fund as a way of being Kind on Random Acts of Kindness Day. The fund depends entirely on donations from the public, and every penny goes to direct aid to Melrose residents.
How to Donate: Send a check to Melrose Emergency Fund, Mayor's Office, 562 Main St., Melrose, MA 02176, or bring it directly to the Mayor's Office on the second floor of City Hall. Checks should be made out to the City of Melrose, with "Melrose Emergency Fund" in the memo line. Contributions may also be made through the City of Melrose Online Bill Payments webpage, www.cityofmelrose.org/payments. For questions regarding the Emergency Fund, call (781) 979-4440.
How to “Adopt” a Melrose Older Adult:
Melrose residents aged 65 and over often rely on social security benefits to make ends meet. This limited income can make it difficult for older adults to set aside funds to maintain their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical health through extracurricular activities including the engaging events and trips provided by the Melrose Council on Aging.
Melrose community members looking to be Kind to our older adults this November 20 can adopt a Melrose older adult by purchasing a Milano Center Gift Certificate to be added to a Milano Center member’s virtual “Wallet”!
What is a Virtual “Wallet”? The Milano Center runs a “Wallet” Program that allows Milano Center members to deposit funds into a secure and virtual “wallet” that enables them to pay for events/trips from the comfort of their home and in turn can request that funds be taken out of their “wallets” and put towards events and trips provided by the Milano Center.
Melrose residents who want to provide a loved one, a friend, or perhaps a stranger with the gift of engaging experiences can visit the Milano Center to purchase a Milano Center Gift Certificate to be deposited into the “wallet” of their intended recipient. The best part? The “Wallet” program helps build equity among Melrose’s older adults! Previously, those who lived close by would be the first to purchase their tickets for events and trips, and now, every member has equal opportunity because anyone can simply call in and pay for events using their wallet.
To learn more about the “Wallet” program, contact the Executive Director of the Council on Aging, Erica Brown, at ebrown@cityofmelrose.org or by phone at 781-665-4304.
Donate a Thanksgiving Essential—Cranberry Sauce—Now Through November 17:
MelroseKind is collecting canned cranberry sauce (Ocean Spray Jellied and Whole Berry) for the food pantries served by Melrose nonprofit The Food Drive now through November 17. Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple that is rich in antioxidants outranking nearly every fruit and vegetable, second only to blueberries. Cranberries are also rich in vitamin C and fiber, as well as manganese, according to Healthline. When the gift of cranberry sauce is given, we not only provide the gift of tradition but also nutrition.
Donate at any of the following Kindness Porches: 89 Walton Park; 160 West Wyoming; 647 Main St (Follow Your Art); 249 Grove Street; or donate via MelroseKind's Amazon Wish List.
However you choose to demonstrate kindness on November 20, community members who participate in Kindness Day can share their experiences with Melrose Kind by emailing the organization at maribeth@melrosekind.com or stephanie@melrosekind.com and tagging #melrosekind on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Submitted photos and videos will be included in videos in our kindness video.