It’s no secret that Nantucket residents and visitors are some of the most generous people on earth. Virtually every community event is held to benefit a cause or organization in need. Attend the renowned Boston Pops Concert on Jetties Beach and benefit the Nantucket Cottage Hospital. Gather your family for a festive mid-summer clambake and the Nantucket Boys and Girls Club receive the proceeds. With over 100 non-profit organizations on the island, the opportunities to “give back” are endless.
Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start isn’t it? I find myself wanting to meet all the needs and of course that’s just not possible. Beyond the big fundraisers sometimes there are small actions we can take that will make a big difference in someone’s life. I heard a story once that really drives this point home. I was attending a conference where the keynote speaker told that recently someone who heard her speak sent her a pair of hand knitted baby booties. This seemed strange to the speaker since her children were all grown and she had no grandchildren. She called the woman to thank her and inquire about the gift. The woman replied, “It’s what I do…I knit baby booties. And what you said in your speaking presentation made such an impact on me that I hope what I do will impact you as well.” The speaker noted it was the most meaningful gift she ever received.
Sometimes, we just need to do the simple and the obvious – what we can do – and hope it matters.
One growing and obvious Nantucket need made its way to the front page of the Inquirer and Mirror a couple of weeks ago. The Nantucket Food Pantry reported breaking a record. In a single two-hour period, 61 “shoppers,” representing 135 people visited their space at St. Paul’s Church on Fair Street where Andy Reis, the Director, along with 12 volunteers, handed out 144 bags of groceries. Andy reports demand has skyrocketed, jumping 173% since 2008 when they went from serving 1,400 people to 4,455 by the end of 2010. In addition to the numbers increase, he reports that food prices have increased as well. In 2010 they spent over $50,000 in food purchases (which broke another record) and was significantly over their budget of $37,000.
In an effort to contribute in a small way, NAREB (Nantucket Association of Real Estate Brokers) has decided to rally its member real estate firms to assist with this growing need. They will be spearheading an effort to collect unopened food from the rental homes this summer and contribute these items to the Nantucket Food Pantry. As part of this effort, we at Lee Real Estate want to make the process as easy as possible for our homeowners and tenants, therefore we will be leaving a food collection bag at each home when we open the home for the tenants.
If you are a tenant and would like to actively engage your family in the cause, you can personally deliver your unopened items to the Food Pantry before you depart. Otherwise, you can simply leave the items in the bag on the counter and we will pick them up when we do our walk through after check out and deliver the items to the Food Pantry. If we all work together – tenants, homeowners and real estate agents – maybe we can help Andy and his volunteers set a new record for 2011 – “most food ever donated in a summer season!”
It’s what we can do…
Shellie Dunlap
