Boston Elder Info is a elder hotline where one can call to inquire about elder services in the…read moregreater Boston area. BEI mains a huge database full of services info such as home care, VNA's, Adult Day Health Care, Home Delivered Meals, Money Management, Elder Abuse and Neglect, Senior Centers, Transportation, and more. One stop shopping for services or assistance. Best of all this service is FREE!

This was my first time visiting & it was for a corporate summer event. All transportation & food…read morewas taken care of and as a guest I thought it all went by smoothly. The boat ride was a short 20 min ride from the Wharf in downtown Boston. Once we got onto the island we walked on a dock then onto the grass before getting into the venue. My favorite part was the space that overlooked the Boston city skyline. There is plenty of lawn space for games & bon fire. The venue is open concept with no closed in walls which I thought was great for those that are covid conscious.

Our company had a lovely time at Thompson Island for our summer outing. They seem to have two…read moredifferent areas you can rent out for group events. You arrive by boat and are shown how to get to your groups area where we had food, drinks, lawn games, and more. Lots of fun was had by the group for sure.

If you're looking to work hard as a volunteer, the American Red Cross Food Pantry is the place…read more Especially on days when they're distributing food to clients. I was here on a Wednesday morning. Including the other group of volunteers (that my group didn't know) I'd say there were about 25 of us. So if you're looking for a big group activity, distribution day is your ticket. And for the the 4ish hours that we were there, I think we were busy about 98% of the time.. which for those frequent volunteers out there.. isn't always the case on site. Just a little background, the food pantry is in Roxbury. Easily reachable by T or tons of buses. From their website, it says their clients include "senior citizen immigrants, single parents, families in transition, low-income families, homeless individuals, and those living with HIV." Those that qualify can come in for groceries once a month if they meet the USDA guidelines. They must present an ID for each member of the household. Being curious, I checked the USDA website and interestingly enough, post college and pre - full time job I could have qualified for food assistance. Hmm.. We arrived around 8 AM and the day started off with packing "wet bags". Those coming in for food get a wet bag (veggies/salad/etc.), a dry bag (cereal/pasta/Slim Jims/etc), a can bag (more veggies/tomato sauce/etc), and a protein (that day it was beef and whole turkeys for families of 2 or more). Families with babies may also qualify for baby food but everyone pretty much gets the same thing. Later on, I was in the distributing line. Clients check in to the computer and then they come over with a laminated card stating how many family members they have. So of course, the more family members.. the more bags. It can get a bit hectic and it takes some coordination but you get the hang of it. After 12PM, is lock down. Things get put away and the place gets a good sweeping. It was a very interesting experience. The people walking in didn't seem like they needed "assistance". It was generally a diverse population with mostly minorities but they weren't dressed in a certain way, a few had cars, and one guy was listening to an iPod. One of the coordinators said that people would come in and say that they just lost their job earlier that week or this little bit of groceries is what gets them by. Many come every month without fail. In these difficult times, I can definitely see how a few days of groceries can make all the difference. Especially for a family. The coordinators said they saw a record number of people this Thanksgiving. We actually served 400 people that day (and that doesn't include the 1-9+ family members they were picking up food for). So as you can see, every hour of your time can make a world of difference. You can volunteer by yourself or with a group. OR you can run a food drive at your school or job. See the website for details and contacts.

Wow! I had a GREAT volunteer experience here. I went on a Wednesday morning from 8:30a-12 with…read moreBoston Cares. It's (the Red Cross Food Pantry) one of the most efficiently run, friendly, "helping" organizations I've seen. They get the people in and out QUICKLY, and with bags of NICE, QUALITY foods, not just some old beat up cans and a bag of beans. The Red Cross Staff is wonderful, and they will have something for you to do- be it helping to distribute bags of groceries, assisting with line control, packing bags, etc. They begin ON TIME, and end ON TIME If you need assistance, this is also a GREAT place to come. Not a lot of hassle, just basic stuff to be sure you need services, you're treated with friendliness and dignity, and as mentioned, you don't get crapola, you get GOOD, healthy food. In order to feed as many people as possible, you can only come once a month. 5 STARS! BRAVO, Red Cross!

I would like to extend my appreciation to Home Instead Senior Care for giving the Walpole, MA…read more Senior Center, Laurie and her Wheel of Fortune. I have made many new friends and Laurie is just great. She gives us an hour of fun and lots of laughs. Even though the Pandemic is here and we can't go to the center, I look forward to every Tuesday to talk to Laurie and play Wheel of Fortune.Thanks again. Loraine Ducat

From the owner: Home Instead provides Homecare services near you including Elderly Care, Senior Care, Personal…read moreCare, Companion Care, Respite Care, Alzheimer's Care, Dementia Care, Chronic and Acute Disease Care, Hospice Support, Palliative Care Support, Transition Home Care, Post-Operative Support, and Light Housekeeping to help with household tasks such as Meal Preparation, Medication Reminders, and Emotional Support. Our Care Professionals, some with CNA/HHA Certifications and others with years of Caregiving experience, undergo extensive training and ongoing education. Call us today to set up a free Care Consult. Let us help you make your today a better day!