Solomon's Temple Lodge AF&AM is my affiliate lodge. Located in Uxbridge in metro west it is a blue…read morecollar blue lodge that accepts every brother. The beat group of Masons I've ever met and know. Oldest lodge building still in use, in Massachusetts. Slightly haunted, and creepy, I was the Building Guy for a year and had a blast maintaining it at it glory. Downstairs is wonderful and so much work has been done. Great group of brothers I'd do anything for. Relocated out to Quincy, but still keep my membership dues up. Second Thursday. 19:30, meal afterwards. "Brother, where's your mother F$&@$ due card?!"

We've been working with a Haitian family that settled in Boston after being forced to leave their…read morehome country. Over the last couple of weeks, they were facing an extremely tight deadline to move out of shelter and secure approval for an apartment under the state's HomeBASE program. The staff of MHSA's Dorchester office went above and beyond to make that happen, including working nights and weekends to secure the approval. The family -- parents and three children -- as well as those of us supporting them are extremely grateful.

This organization does amazing work giving to the Waltham , and surrounding areas . On the 3rd…read moreSaturday of each month is a mobile Food Pantry with an assortment of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other items . It is well worth the wait and the Staff and volunteers make this event a most enjoyable day .

I wanted to thank the staff here helping the less fortunate that have health issues, drug problems,…read morefinancial issues, mental issues and so on. The staff is always very grateful whenever my friend and I donate anything here. I wish everyone there the best!

It seems to be geared towards mostly men, as the title "Rescue Mission" would imply. They've opened…read moreup first one now two floors for women, but it's basically the "last resort before sleeping on the streets" sort of place. You have to queue outside no matter how inclement the weather. Even if it's freezing or below. You're queuing with filthy, smelly, disgusting, addicts and alcoholics who are usually chain-smoking (hopefully tobacco). I'm a domestic violence victim and I'm only there because it's the only thing that would take me when I landed here with my luggage. I've been in worse since I got back to Boston; places where the men and women are on mats on the floor in the same room so this could be worse. You have to queue outside to wait to get in, they let you in when they feel like it; then you have to queue to go downstairs for dinner whether you want to eat or not, before they let you upstairs to select your bed; leading to fights among the women for bottom bunks because in order to accommodate more women they resort to bunk beds. I've had a stroke which numbed my left side so I can't climb up ladders to a top bunk but no one in this godforsaken racist shithole of a city seems to believe me in not one, not two but THREE shelters so far. So I have to resort to skipping dinner, cutting my day of trying to find a job, short, to do all this queueing and waiting to make sure I get a bottom bunk by being there "first." But since what feels like every woman in town has the same idea there's no getting there "first" except to waste your whole day queuing outside; they don't open the doors until 5pm but the queue starts at like 2:30 sometimes. What they "should" do is let us choose our beds and put our stuff away first and THEN go down to dinner like a normal shelter (at least the other 4 I've tried since I've been back.) This is the "last resort" shelter and the Airport is cleaner. At the moment they've banned paper towels in the bathrooms just because apparently there are people there so mentally ill they use those in the toilet and the toilets got clogged. They regularly run out of toilet paper and as for showers - they make you "check out" towels by surrendering your I.D.

What an amazing place that carbs about the community. Was here for volunteer work and quality…read morematters when it came to separating items for donations. I like that care is put into this organization. Donations that were damaged, stained, smelled, etc were trashed. Just because people get donations doesn't mean the deserve poor quality items. I truly enjoyed volunteering here and would definitely do it again. Please donate any new or gently used goods here. It helps people who need it.

I've volunteered here 3 times in last 4 or so months and it's truly incredible. I need to sign up…read morefor more! You get grouped off to different stations (shoes, big sort, sizing, or building outfits, etc.), and by the end of the two hour shift, the staff is able to summarize everything each station completed. You can see and hear the immediate impact you're making on children at risk of clothing insecurity in the Greater Boston Area. It was super easy signing up online as a volunteer group, and I couldn't recommend it more.

I have donated to this organization for years and its one of the most organized non-profits in the…read morearea.

Last night I volunteered/attended the Champions for Change gala after seeing it listed as a last…read moreminute event in a YAVA newsletter. Wow.. what a night. As a volunteer I helped with set up, registration, the silent auction, and the after auction payment. I definitely stayed for 5 hours instead of the 1 hour I was originally scheduled for, but what's 4 extra hours when all I'd be doing at home is watching TV on the interwebs (and they pretty much checked with me to see if it was okay). Plus I got a free dinner that I didn't expect and of course, I got to work for an amazing organization. On top of the fact that everyone was really nice, the conversation and fast paced work helped the time go by quicker. During the dinner, I was able to hear two of the speakers. Janet Yassen, one of the co-founders of BARCC and Dory Cote, the first person to ever call the BARCC hotline. Janet and many of her friends (I think she said there were about 20 co-founders) started the group in 1973. They went to various orgs and police departments at the time and there were NO resources for rape victims. Sounds ridiculous, but thank goodness these women came along. Like I said above, the first call was from Dory Cote. Man, what an unbelievable story. A friend of hers had seen the hotline featured in the Boston Globe the day Dory was raped by a stranger in her Boston apartment. Dory called and on the other line was.. Janet. BARCC was there to support her and be with her.. even after her rapist was acquitted. Dory's amazing resilience and strength are incredibly awe inspiring. She now runs a healing center in Maine and she's just living life.. all thanks to BARCC's support when she needed it most. In addition to my exposure to the organization last night, I dealt with BARCC briefly in college as an orientation leader. People from BARCC visit college campuses in the area and give talks to everyone from resident assistants to just general college populations. I can't say enough about BARCC. Since 1973, 50,000+ calls have been answered and the center now serves women, men, and children. They're just a truly amazing organization.. but to keep their services free.. they need people to volunteer. I encourage you to check out their website and volunteer when you can. They have all kinds of positions.. full time.. yearly.. and one time commitments. A couple hours of your time.. could mean a lifetime of difference in someone else's. www.barcc.org PS - The phone number up there is the office.. their 24 hour a day hotline is: 800.841.8371

I volunteered for this organization. I find them to be very biased and their mission for…read moreorganization is not genuine at least to it's volunteers. When a family membered die, I did not get any condolences, instead they were concerned that I missed a shift. I would never work for like this organization EVER again!!!!

Great Events, Great People, Promoting Awareness and Stirring up Research Funds!…read more The CF Foundation has a lot events - from celebrity pool tourney's, to Charity Walks, poker tournaments, to bike events. Events are year round and do not ask for much of your time or even money. The people in the office are awesome and super helpful. I just moved to the area, and when I was trying to get connected with the various charities I was a part of in Colorado, the CF was the most responsive and enthusiastic about my coming out east and joining in. They are not an in your face charity, which I greatly appreciate! They are just as happy with your time, not just after your money, which is a nice change from the norm. If you are looking to get involved - this is a great place to start!

Great team doing great work for a very worthy cause. Check into the annual xtreme hike!read more

I've lived in five cities in the past three years and have visited even more churches, but my four…read moremonths with King's Hill were unbelievable. If you are a young adult in Boston seeking Christ-centered community, this is the place to be. King's Hill is full of people truly doing life together all throughout the week. Sunday mornings are theologically deep and Gospel-focused. They are also serious about discipleship and helping their members grow in their faith, and truly seek to serve the city of Boston. King's is an amazing church to be a part of. In Boston, which can be a lonely and busy city, I found instant friends at King's and was immediately made to feel at home. When it became clear that I live too far away to become a member (tragically), King's encouraged me towards a partnering church closer to home. Their graciousness speaks volumes to the type of church they are.

Have you ever been to a church where you walk in awkwardly and no one really engages in…read moreconversation with you? Then you sit down alone in a row of empty chairs and no one sits next to you? And once the service is over you walk out wondering if anyone even noticed you were there? Well, I have. A few times. It's difficult finding a church and I've been on the hunt for one for a while. I went to King's Hill today, making this Sunday, a special one. When I got to the doors and admitted I was new, a lovely young woman said "let me walk with you!" and escorted me in. Once there, multiple people came to talk to me--and it wasn't forced, it wasn't fake. The worship music has two stunning female singers. Most importantly, the message was so good! Connected directly to the word, to us the congregation, and to our daily lives. It wasn't hard to follow, but it was full of scripture at the same time. The pastor runs an honest and passionate ship of believers. Imma get myself onboard. For logistics: service takes place on the first floor of the Hilton hotel. Parking is next door in a garage. The church will give you a ticket to validate your parking (you won't have to pay). They set out bibles for you to take home. No tea or coffee, but a whole lot of conversation.