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April 30, 2011: Thanks to everyone who has been sending us the
money they collected in their Labels Lent Jars. Keep it coming to 118 South
Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843. April 27, 2011: A shout out to the students at Mount
Alvernia Academy in Newton, MA for their support of Labels in recent months.
We’re looking forward to a new collaboration next fall! April 24, 2011: Happy Easter! We had a huge dinner at Cor
Unum tonight, serving 855 guests, 289 of whom were children! April 21, 2011: A couple wrote to us from Wisconsin with a
generous donation. The husband a few summers ago spent time with us in
Lawrence as a volunteer with Catholic HEART Work Camp. It’s good to keep
alive the connection! April 18, 2011: We’re coming to the culmination of Lent. If
you’ve been participating in the Labels Lent program, please send us your
Lent Jar collection in the form of a check or money order to 118 South
Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843. Thanks! April 15, 2011: A parent in Boston tells us that his
adolescent sons are “spoiled brats”. When they recently asked for the latest and
greatest material something, their Dad told them he would not consider the
request until they had volunteered serving five dinners at Cor Unum. April 12, 2011: Cor Unum’s Easter dinner will be served on
Sunday, April 24 from 4:00 to 6:30 pm. It will be a feast! April 9, 2011: A long-time Labels supporter volunteered at
Cor Unum tonight and left us a donation of $15,000. MUCHAS gracias!! April 6, 2011: If you’re interested in helping, spring clean-up
day at Cor Unum is on Saturday, April 16 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. This is a
great opportunity for helpers of all ages. April 3, 2011: Baseball season is here. For all you fans,
be sure to pick up a Hit for Hunger shirt from our store.
Shirts are available in blue and red for Josh Beckett, Mikey Lowell, David
Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon, and Dustin Pedroia. March 30, 2011: Be sure to take a look at our second new television PSA. March 27, 2011: We’re very pleased to release two
television PSAs this spring. If you’re in television and are interested in
broadcasting our spots, please call us at 978-984-0118. Here’s the first of the PSAs. March 24, 2011: Thank you for the note from a supporter who
works at Fidelity Investments and sent us a check for the second pile of money
she’s raised from her co-workers through the Labels jar she keeps on her
desk. March 21, 2011: Hooray for spring. Will there be no more
snow in Lawrence this season? We’re taking bets. March 18, 2011: We’re honored to have a teenager from suburban
Boston doing his Mitzvah project with Labels and Cor Unum. If you’re
interested in pursuing something like this yourself, give us a call at
978-984-0118. March 15, 2011: A big shout out for Daylight Savings Time.
Really. The increase in light hours at the end of the day means that many
guests at Cor Unum are able to walk to the meal center with greater personal
security. March 12, 2011: Thank you to the folks at Saint John’s Prep
in Danvers, MA for hosting a screening and discussion of Scenes from a Parish this week. It was great to see there a group
of teenagers from Lawrence! March 9, 2011: Today is Ash Wednesday. We invite anyone
who’s interested to participate in our 2011 Labels Lent program. To access
this year’s materials, click here. March 6, 2011: The mountains of piled snow that have
filled Lawrence since just after Christmas are finally melting away. A lot of
surprising stuff emerges from under those mountains . . . March 3, 2011: Here’s a trip around the USA for recent
donations received by Labels: $10 from Round Rock, TX: $15 from Whiting, NJ;
$20 from New York City; $25 from Apex, NC; $25 from San Diego, CA; $25 from
Canton, GA; $30 from Lake Worth, FL; $50 from Salem, NH; $100 from Newport,
RI; $100 from Annapolis, MD; $100 from Burlington, IA; $100 from Norwich, CT;
$200 from Woodland Hills, CA; and $2,500 from Findlay, OH. February 28, 2011: We
welcome to Lawrence for a week of volunteering at Cor Unum an Alternative
Spring Break group from St. Anselm College. February 25, 2011: Thank you to a Boston business for its gift
of $3,000 in honor of one of our Hit for Hunger players! February 22, 2011: One
million thanks to Magnet Film Works in Miami for the work they've done on our
TV PSAs. Check out Magnet! February 19, 2011: Labels Are For Jars involves people of a
huge range of religious faiths and no professed faith. For our Christian friends, Lent is on the
way – beginning the second week of March. Each year, we organize a Labels Lent
program, which has proven to be very popular and spiritually helpful for
thousands of folks. The Labels Lent program includes:
To access the 2011 Lent Guide, click here. February 16, 2011: We have completed production of our first
television PSAs and are beginning the process of distribution. If you work in
TV and have interest in seeing the clips, give us a call at 978-984-0118. February 13, 2011: Members of our Hit for Hunger team were
together in Miami tonight for our Mikey Lowell’s retirement bash. Mr. Lowell
has retired from baseball, but not from Labels. In fact, you can buy his
shirts in our online store. February 10, 2011: Feeding . . . Frenzy. February 7, 2011: A long-term supporter of Labels has
directed a very major financial contribution our way. Large or small, all
gifts sent to Labels are much appreciated. Every dollar contributed provides
a full meal at the Cor Unum Meal Center. February 4, 2011: Central Committee member Sean Casey is in
Boston today and contributing his design skills for a project we’re
developing for Massachusetts teenagers this spring. Stay tuned. February 1, 2011: Eighty-nine percent of Lawrence’s school
children are Latino and are, of course, a large percentage of the people we
serve through Cor Unum. A new study about the state of Latino students in the
Massachusetts educational system presents some sobering points about our
community. January 29, 2011: Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien
was the keynote speaker at today’s Spring Break Alternative conference at St.
Anselm College in Manchester, NH. We’re looking forward to a group from St.
Anselm’s volunteering at Cor Unum during spring break this year. January 26, 2011: An elementary school student’s mother and great
aunt contributed cash to Labels for every hit he had in Little League
baseball last season. He just sent us his very impressive collection. Great
idea for the 2011 season! January 23, 2011: Thank you to Labels fans in Round Rock,
Texas for gifts in both December and January! January 20, 2011: It’s been very cold and snowy in
Massachusetts. We are especially thankful to be able to provide hot,
nutritious meals every day to folks in Lawrence who suffer most in the bad
weather. January 17, 2011: We’re
grateful to one of our long-term supporters from San Francisco for her $2,000
donation. That gift will provide 2,000 full meals at the Cor Unum Meal
Center. January 14, 2011: Welcome to Cor Unum today to our friends
from Enfield Loaves and Fishes in Enfield, CT. They are a terrific,
growing anti-hunger organization. January 11, 2011: Please remember that when you empty your
Labels jar (have you done that lately?), you can either mail us the money in
the form of a check or money order, or also send it to us online with your credit card. January 8, 2011: We
are working with new partners on a super cool, limited release product. Stay
tuned. . . . January 5, 2011: We
were honored to welcome to Cor Unum tonight Cardinal Seán
O’Malley, the Archbishop of Boston, who was a key supporter of the
establishment of our meal center. January 2, 2011: Happy
New Year to all! Special thanks to everyone who sacrificed their treasure to
support us through their end-of-calendar-year financial contributions. We
witness remarkable generosity from our friends during the holiday season. December 30, 2010: Thank
you to our friends from the Babson College baseball team and Target’s for
having helped host tonight’s Christmas party for Cor Unum kids. It was a
great event. December 27, 2010: At
Cor Unum, 649 guests were served dinner on Christmas Day! Thanks to all the
volunteers who made possible this huge celebration. December 24, 2010: We’ve
received a Christmas Eve glimpse of the rough cuts of the Labels Are For Jars
TV PSAs that are currently in production in Miami. Very, very cool. December 21, 2010: We
welcome back to Cor Unum the Belmont Hill School hockey team, helping serve
dinner tonight. December 18, 2010: The
Massachusetts Attorney General reports that less than 50% of charitable
donations made in MA in 2009 actually stayed with the charity. We are proud
to say that 100% of donations to Labels go directly to providing meals at the
Cor Unum Meal Center.
One hundred percent. Donations may be sent to us at
118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843, or feel free to contribute online. December 15, 2010: Christmas dinner will be served at Cor Unum on December
25 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. The menu includes shrimp cocktail, garden salad,
roast sirloin, honey glazed ham, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, glazed
carrots, fresh baked rolls, and an assortment of wonderful desserts. December 13, 2010: A food pantry south of Boston sent us a big
donation with a note saying, “Hunger is a problem the whole community must
share. Our community had a successful year and we wish to share our surplus
with those in need.” Now THAT’s the spirit of the season! December 11, 2010: If you’re on Facebook, please be sure you’ve
joined or transferred to our new Facebook page. This will be our central Facebook spot moving
into the future. December 8, 2010: We’ve been reading some pretty cool reflections about Scenes
From A Parish posted online by students from St. John’s Prep in Danvers,
MA. December 5, 2010: The end of the calendar year is our biggest season
for receiving financial donations. So many folks are so generous in
supporting our daily fight against hunger in Lawrence. If you’re interested
in contributing to Labels during the holiday season, we welcome your
sacrifice. Gifts may be sent to us at 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843,
or contributed online. December 2, 2010: Shop until you drop in our online store. Browse our original line of
shirts, caps, and Hit For Hunger shirts for everyone on your holiday list.
Look good, give good. November 29, 2010: A Labels supporter who goes back to our earliest
days started off our holiday season with a donation of $20,000. This adds
another big blessing for which we’re thankful this season. November 26, 2010: Thank you to everyone who made yesterday’s
celebration of Thanksgiving at Cor Unum such a wonderful experience. We’ve
got hundreds of pounds of leftovers to serve over the next few days! November 23, 2010: The Thanksgiving feast at Cor Unum begins this
Thursday at 4:30 pm. All are welcome! November 20, 2010: One of our supporters writes that his two daughters,
age five and two and a half, have a Labels jar: “They love to put change in the jar and shake it. They know that we are
doing it to help those who are in need. We pray for you every day.” November 17, 2010: Shooting is beginning in Miami for our first
television PSAs. We’re really excited about this project! November 14, 2010: Thank you to the sixth grade students at the
McGlynn Middle School in Medford, MA for another generous classroom
collection for Labels Are For Jars. Their teacher writes: “Many of my kids
and their families are not doing so well themselves these days, so it meant a
lot to me that they wanted to help so much.” November 11, 2010: One of our donors submitted the paperwork for his
employer’s $1,000 match of his gift to Labels. We love matching gifts. If
your employer has a matching gift program, send the forms our way with your
donation, and we’ll take care of the rest. November 8, 2010: Central Committee member Conan O’Brien tonight
debuts his new show, which is cleverly titled Conan, on TBS. We are super proud of our man Coco. November 5, 2010: Voting continues in the online competition for Cor
Unum to win $25,000. People are allowed one vote per week from a
specific computer. If you haven’t voted or haven’t voted in a week,
go to NESN’s website. Click on the icon that has Cor Unum’s logo
and says “Mike Lowell/Cor Unum Meal Center”. November 2, 2010: Labels Are For Jars has transitioned to a new
Facebook page. Click here to join! October 30, 2010: Are you making plans to do a service project –
perhaps with your family and friends – during or after the holidays? Please
consider volunteering to serve a meal at the Cor Unum Meal center. To get
more information and to sign up online, click here. October 27, 2010: Let’s take a look at the communities in
Massachusetts from which we have recently received donations of $50:
Amesbury, Amherst, Andover, Arlington, Boston, Burlington, Haverhill,
Hingham, Lawrence, Lexington, Newton, North Andover, North Easton, Quincy,
Reading, Wakefield, Walpole, Wayland, Wellesley, Winchester, and Worcester.
That’s pretty good coverage of the alphabet! October 24, 2010: As part of Mike and Bertha Lowell’s After the Game appearance, they chose
Cor Unum as their charity to receive a check for $5,000. On top of
that, the Lowells and Cor Unum are now part of After the Game's online
vote for fans’ favorite of the charities that have been
recently highlighted on the show. The charity that receives the
most online votes will receive an additional $25,000. That would pay for
25,000 meals at Cor Unum! If you’re willing to help, go
to NESN’s website. Simply click on the icon that has Cor
Unum’s logo and says “Mike Lowell/Cor Unum Meal Center”. Consider forwarding
this to a friend! October 21, 2010: Mikey and Bertha Lowell will appear this Friday
night on the After the Game show on NESN. Check them out at 5:30
or 11:30 pm, and stay tuned for a very cool follow-through opportunity. October 18, 2010: We’re back to Concord, MA this week for
focus groups of high school students who are reviewing a possible new Labels
initiative. So many good things have begun for us in Concord. Wish us luck! October 15, 2010: We’re grateful to our senior knitting elves
in Florida who sent us another shipment of beautiful caps. It will soon be
cold enough to distribute these to Cor Unum guests. October 12, 2010: Did
you know that since 1974, no age group in this country has had a higher
percentage of people living in poverty than children? We witness this reality
every day at Cor Unum. Thank you to everyone who helps us battle this
national shame. October 9, 2010: Note from a donor: “So many people are
hurting, going without food, losing their homes, their jobs, their insurance.
. . . I’ve never seen anything like this, and I hope I never do again. I have
been thinking a lot about the virtue of solidarity over these past months. I
can only pray that other people will think about it, too.” October 6, 2010: We are happy to hear from a 14-year-old
supporter in Burke, VA, who collected $63 in his Labels jar. October 3, 2010: “Hit For Hunger” captain Mike Lowell was
honored with a very cool retirement ceremony at Fenway Park before
yesterday’s Yankees game. It was great that Labels Are For Jars was included
in the program. To watch some of Fox Sports’ video of the event, click here. September 30, 2010: Happy fourth anniversary to the Cor Unum Meal Center! Since last
September 30, more than 200,000 meals were served at Cor Unum. That’s a more
than ten percent increase in meals over the previous year.
While our economic situation is dismal, we are very, very happy to be able to
provide nutritious food every day for hundreds of hungry people in Lawrence.
Thank you to all who make possible our work! September 28, 2010: At the anniversary celebration for Cor Unum
guests on Sunday night, more than 800 people were served. Added to that
morning’s breakfast crowd, more than 1000 people were fed at the meal center
on Sunday. Amazing. September 25, 2010: Cor Unum tomorrow night will serve a huge
feast for our guests to mark the fourth anniversary of the beginning of our
meal service. Dinner begins tomorrow night at 4:00 pm. September 22, 2010: Mike Lowell retires from the Red Sox (but
not Labels) at the end of this season. October 2 will be Mike Lowell Night at
Fenway Park. Set your DVRs! September 19, 2010: We are approaching the fourth anniversary
of having opened the doors of the Cor Unum Meal Center. Want to guess how
many meals we have served during the past year? September 16, 2010: We’re taking a look at organizing a cool
new project on Facebook with high school and middle school leaders in MA. If
you’re a student who’s interested in participating, give us a shout. September 13, 2010: We appreciate a donation of $1,000 that
popped out of the Red Sox clubhouse. September 10, 2010: The MA Department of Public Health reports that Lawrence is the community with the
highest percentage of overweight and obese children in the state – 47 percent. This confirms the tragic connection
between low income and poor nutrition. Day by day, we are trying to address
this reality with the nutritious meals served to children at Cor Unum. September 7, 2010: We’re back to school this week in Lawrence.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us this summer in serving the largest
number of meals we’ve provided to date through Cor Unum. You have fed
thousands of kids! September 4, 2010: September is Hunger Action month. Take a
look at the Hunger Action Month website to read about activities across the
country. September 1, 2010: With deep police and fire department cuts
that began in July, Lawrence is in something of a public safety crisis. Life
is not getting easier here. August 30, 2010: Thank you to generous donors from Cape Cod
for their gift of $1,000 to support our mission! August 27, 2010: Back-to-school shopping? Stock up on Labels
shirts and caps at our store.
Carry a cool message back to school with you. August 24, 2010: This is the one-year anniversary of the launch of our “Hit for Hunger”
campaign. Thanks to everyone who has joined the “Hit for Hunger” team – it’s
been a great year! August 21, 2010: Note from a donor: “Your work is an authentic sign of God’s presence in
a very anxious, hungry, and confused world.” August 18, 2010: This has been our busiest summer to date at the Cor Unum Meal Center.
There’s no doubt that hunger is on the increase because of the bad economy.
There’s also no doubt that we every day defeat hunger in Lawrence. August 15, 2010: What a wild season for our friends on the Red Sox. In the midst of all
the injuries, we are especially proud of the recent play of our “Hit for
Hunger” captain, Mike Lowell! August 12, 2010: A person who recently visited Lawrence to see Cor Unum in action sent a
follow-up gift of $500 with a brief note: “You are so right. Labels really do
belong on jars.” August 9, 2010: Thanks to our friends at Wheaton College for another check – the second
of the summer! August 6, 2010: There have been major cuts in the fire and police departments in
Lawrence. The situation is definitely not safe. August 3, 2010: A donor who has been sending us at least one check each month for the
past five years writes, “It is difficult to believe that five years have
passed since I first learned about Labels and the wonderful work that you do
feeding the working poor of Lawrence. It is an honor for me and my family to
be able to support Cor Unum.” July 31, 2010: In the dog days of summer, what could be more fun than ice cream for kids at the Cor Unum Meal Center? July 28, 2010: A suburban Boston food pantry sent us a gift of $750 from their excess.
This is much appreciated! July 25, 2010: Thanks for recent donations from around the USA: $10 from Round Rock,
TX; $15 from Norton, KS; $25 from Sun City Center, FL; $30 from Salem, NH;
$40 from Westminster, CO; $50 from San Diego, CA; $70 from Annapolis, MD; $80
from Edison, NJ; $100 from Hollis Centre, ME; $150 from Charlotte, NC; $500
from Columbia, MD; $750 from New York City, NY; $1,000 from Pomfret Center,
CT; and $2,500 from Findlay, OH. July 22, 2010: The Cor Unum Meal Center releases e-newsletters a few times a year. If
you’d like to subscribe, there’s a new edition on the way. July 19, 2010: Central Committee member Sean Casey’s broadcast coverage of last week’s
MLB All Star festivities included this intelligent interview with Will Ferrell. Congrats to Hit for Hunger team member David Ortiz
for having won the Home Run Derby. July 16, 2010: We welcome new volunteers at the Cor Unum Meal Center, especially
during the summer – our busiest season. To learn more about volunteering at
Cor Unum and to sign-up online, click here. July 13, 2010: A Red Sox fan from Whiting, New Jersey
(enemy territory as far as baseball is concerned) sent us a donation in honor
of our Hit for Hunger players. Much appreciated! July 10, 2010: Long-time Labels supporters from Maryland visited Cor Unum for the
first time last night. If you’d like to visit the meal center, call us at
978-984-0118. July 7, 2010: We are once again experiencing a week of excellent
volunteer help at Cor Unum with the Catholic Heart Work Camp organization.
They are one of our favorite groups! July 4, 2010: Happy Independence Day! We are celebrating
the Fourth with an indoor cookout at Cor Unum. Stop by! July 1, 2010: We have our latest e-newsletter coming out
next week. If you’re not on our mailing list and would like to join, click here. June 28, 2010: Four
out of five children in Massachusetts who depend on school meal programs will
go without them this summer. We are blessed that Cor Unum is able to provide
two nutritious meals every day this summer to the children of Lawrence. June 25, 2010: We have more bad economic news in Lawrence.
Our
unemployment rate was 17.5% in May, up from 16.7% in April. The unemployment
rate in Lawrence in May 2009 was 16.2%. June 22, 2010: Students at Wheaton College in Norton, MA
continue to collect money for Labels Are For Jars. We first connected with
Wheaton in 2004. It’s been a great relationship! June 19, 2010: A family who for several years regularly
donated to Labels last fall wrote to us explaining that they’d been hit by
unemployment and would need to curtail charitable donations. We’re happy to
have heard from them again, with the great news of a new job. . . and a check
offered in thanksgiving. June 16, 2010: Members of the Boston Red Sox Wives group
returned to Lawrence tonight to help serve dinner at Cor Unum. Many thanks to
Holly Fisher, Bertha Lowell, Yuka Okijima, Tiffany Ortiz, and Stacy
Wakefield. To see some pics, click here. To see Yuka’s blog about the experience,
click here –
it’s an interesting read. June 13, 2010: The Wolfpack Volunteers at Boston Latin
School concluded the academic year by presenting us with the proceeds from
their creative Labels Are For Jars project. The students designed their own
versions of Labels shirts, organized the production process, and sold them at
school this year to raise money for our cause. This proves once again that
BLS is the finest high school in the United States. June 10, 2010: Muchas gracias for a super generous
donation of $10,000 from Canton, MA. That will fund meals for 10,000 people
at Cor Unum. June 7, 2010: Father’s Day approaches. Labels gear is the
perfect gift for Dad. June 4, 2010: Central Committee member Conan O’Brien
tonight did the first of the two Boston shows in his “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television
Tour”. Labels was well represented in the sold-out audience at the Citi Wang
Theatre. We agree that Conan is a ridiculous person . . . and one of our
faves. Click here for a review
of the silliness. June 1, 2010: Do you follow us on Twitter? Join us at “lafj”. One tweet a day. May 29, 2010: It’s the end of the month, which means many
people in Lawrence have the least money and the lines are longest at the Cor
Unum Meal Center. We are enormously thankful that, no matter the extent of
the nutritional need in Lawrence, we are able to meet it! May 26, 2010: We are honored to have received a donation of $5,000 from the estate of
a Labels supporter. If you have questions about including us in your estate
planning, give us a call at 978-984-0118. May 23, 2010: Spring has sprung across the USA. It’s a
great time to pick up new Labels gear for the summer. Please stop by our
online store. May 20, 2010: We are happy to learn that Extreme Sports
pioneer Dan Egan is wearing a Labels Are For Jars “hungry” cap. May 17, 2010: An
unemployed Cor Unum guest told us today, “The only food I’ve had in my
apartment for the past week is a can of sardines. You’ve saved my life.” May 14, 2010: Many thanks to employees at Fidelity
Investments for keeping a Labels jar in their department and regularly
filling it to support our cause! May 11, 2010: A married couple from suburban Boston has
been sending us $100 per month for 25 consecutive months. That totals $2,500,
which has provided 2,500 meals at the Cor Unum Meal Center. May 8, 2010: We appreciate having received a generous
gift from supporters in London, England. May 5, 2010: Here’s a great note received at Cor Unum, accompanying
a gift of $200: “I was unemployed and down and out. I came to you for my only
meal. I just would like to say thank you for helping me and all the people
who need a good meal. Now I’m working and have a good-paying job. Thanks to
my Lord for answering my prayers.” May 2, 2010: A doctor in New York City sent us a gift of
$750, matched with $750 from his employers. If your employer does matching
gifts, please consider submitting one for Labels Are For Jars! April 29, 2010: A Labels fan from Norton, KS writes: “I proudly wear my Slacker t-shirt and get
many stares and questions about it. Keep up the good work.” April 26, 2010: Thank you to everyone from St. Michael’s in
North Andover, MA who participated in yesterday’s walk to benefit Cor Unum.
It was a beautiful day and a beautiful event. April 23, 2010: Unemployment in Lawrence is now 18.4
percent. For people who have jobs, the end of the month is the time that money
most often runs short, so the number of meals served at Cor Unum increases
significantly. April 20, 2010: Folks from St. Michael Parish in North
Andover, MA are doing a walk to benefit Cor Unum this Sunday. For more info,
click here. April 17, 2010: Central Committee member Paul B O’Brien
spoke about the founding of Cor Unum and Labels Are For Jars at today’s
Boston Catholic Men’s Conference. To watch the broadcast of the talk, click here. April 14, 2010: Congratulations to Central Committee member
Conan O’Brien on the announcement of his new show on TBS, beginning this
November. This is huge news in Cocoworld. (Do you know there are almost a
MILLION members of I’m With Coco on Facebook?!) April 11, 2010: Thank you to a husband and wife from
Canton, MA for their super generous gift of $10,000 to help feed the hungry
through Labels Are For Jars. April 8, 2010: Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien is
one of the scheduled speakers at next weekend’s big Boston Catholic Men’s
Conference. If you’re interested in attending, click here. April 5, 2010: We had a wonderful celebration of Easter at
Cor Unum last night – a huge meal, great guests and volunteers, and lots of
presents for kids. Thanks to everyone who helped! April 2, 2010: Believe it or not, baseball season is about
to begin. Welcome back to Boston to ALL of our Hit for Hunger players: Josh
Beckett, Mikey Lowell, David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon, and Dustin Pedroia. March 30, 2010: The recent rain storms in the Merrimack Valley
did some damage to windows and walls in Cor Unum. We’re happy to report that
everything is being completely repaired. . . without any interruption of meal
service. March 27, 2010: We’re beginning Holy Week, which means Lent
is moving toward its climax. We hope that everyone who has used our Labels
Lent Guide has found it to be a helpful spiritual resource. This week, please
put the contents of your Labels Lent Jar in the form of a check or money
order and mail it to us at 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843. Your
comments and suggestions for next year’s Lent Guide are most welcome! March 24, 2010: Central Committee member Jon Jennings’
Maine Red Claws are moving toward the playoffs. For more info on the team,
click here. March 21, 2010: We’re looking for volunteer help at the Cor
Unum Meal Center to assist with breakfast service and cooking. To learn about
volunteer opportunities at Cor Unum and to communicate your interest in
helping, click here. March 18, 2010: The Merrimack Valley is experiencing much
flood damage. Cor Unum is in a safe spot vis-à-vis flooding, but we have had some
damage from the torrential rains. Repairs will begin immediately. March 15, 2010: Free Christian Church in Andover, MA hosted
a hunger banquet for their congregation this weekend, with part of the discussion
focused on Cor Unum and Labels Are For Jars. Thanks to our friends at Free
Christian for all their support of our work, and for their generous
contribution this weekend! March 12, 2010: Central Committee member Conan O’Brien is
launching a three month, 30 city tour of ridiculous behavior. To check out a
location and purchase tickets, click here. If you go, wear your Labels shirt! March 9, 2010: One of our supporters has been collecting
money in his Labels jar since the summer of 2004. The latest jar return he
sent us is his eighth, and brings the total he has collected to $838.95. March 6, 2010: We appreciate the continuing donations of a
bible study group from just outside Boston. Their most recent contributions
to our cause were checks for $155 and $235. March 3, 2010: Welcome to a group of freshmen from Boston
College who are pursuing service work during their spring break, and helping
out today at Cor Unum. February 28, 2010: Thank you to a teenaged sister and brother
in Andover, MA, one identified as “prisoner” and the other as “troubled
teen”, for their collaborative Labels jar return of $225. February 25, 2010: All of our “Hit for Hunger” team members
are present and accounted for at spring training in Fort Myers. We would
prefer that they all remain in one place. February 22, 2010: One of our loyal donors, who was just over 100 years old, recently
died. Her son sent us a copy of the Words of Remembrance that he read at her
funeral, which included a description of her love for our mission and the
name of our organization. Very cool. February 19, 2010: A couple in Acton, MA decided to clean out
their son’s bedroom after he moved away to college (in our opinion, a very
risky choice on the part of the parents). They were pleasantly surprised to
find his Labels jar with $100 in it. They added their own contribution and
sent us a check for $150. February 16, 2010: We had an event last year at the Glen
Urquhart School in Beverly, MA. One of the students, who bought a “geek”
shirt after the event, just sent in her first Labels jar return - $89.50.
Good job! February 13, 2010: Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien spoke
this week to the student body of Belmont Hill School in Belmont, MA. He was
introduced by none other than Labels pal Timmy Barnicle. February 10, 2010: We are very pleased to announce that the
Cor Unum Meal Center has passed the milestone of having served more than 500,000 meals!
It’s almost hard to believe – more than half a million meals since September
30, 2006. Thank you to everyone who has helped make possible this huge
project! February 7, 2010: We were happy this week to welcome to Cor Unum one of our very loyal
sponsors from Florida, who was visiting the meal center for the first time.
If you’re one of our many long-distance supporters, we hope you will visit
Cor Unum when you’re in MA. February 4, 2010: Thanks to everyone who has purchased our
“Hit for Hunger” shirts at Newbury Comics. We have received a check for
recent sales – the amount makes us very happy! February 1, 2010: Super duper recent jar returns from around MA: $19 from Allston, $50
from Malden, $50 from Fall River, $54.21 from Douglas, $123.25 from Methuen,
$150 from Winchester, and a collective $487 from folks who dropped off their
jar returns at our offices. Thanks to all! January 29, 2010: Note accompanying a $100 donation: “Thank you
so much for giving me this opportunity to share in your work of feeding God’s
hungry.” January 26, 2010: Central Committee member Conan O’Brien has
been a bit in the news lately. We have never been more proud of him! January 23, 2010: Labels Are For Jars involves people of a
huge range of religious faiths and no professed faith. For our Christian friends, Lent is on the
way – beginning the second week of February. Each year, we organize a Labels Lent
program, which has proven to be very popular and spiritually helpful for
thousands of folks. The Labels Lent program includes:
To access the 2010 Lent Guide, click here. January 20, 2010: Central Committee member Conan O’Brien has
been a bit in the news lately. We have never been more proud of him! January 17, 2010: One hundred dollar donations add up very
nicely. Here’s what donors in MA have recently produced: $100 each from
Newton + Allston + Lawrence + Harvard + Hingham + Wellesley + Somerville +
Melrose + Stow + Dedham + Marshfield + North Reading + Chestnut Hill +
Concord + Burlington + Framingham + Lexington + Carlisle + Andover + Methuen
= $2,000! January 14, 2010: We have been receiving communications and
donations from all over the country following the broadcasts of Scenes from a Parish on PBS. Welcome
to many new friends and supporters! January 11, 2010: We have a group of senior citizens in
Florida who knit caps all year long for distribution to guests at Cor Unum
during the cold months. Thanks to our knitters for having produced hundreds
of beautiful, warm caps for our guests this winter! January 8, 2010: It’s always good to begin the new year with
a bang. We’re knocked down by the bang of the donation of $50,000 from a
married couple who live outside Boston. This gift will go a very long way in
helping feed hungry folks in Lawrence. January 5, 2010: Our friends at the Walpole Community Food Pantry
in Walpole, MA reached out with a donation of $500 to help our mission. We
are so impressed to witness this generosity from another anti-hunger agency. December 30, 2009: We tonight had our second annual Christmas
party for kids who regularly eat at Cor Unum. Special thanks to Matt Noone
and the boys from the Babson College baseball team for bringing order out of
the chaos! December 27, 2009: We’re looking forward to the national
broadcast of Scenes from a Parish
on PBS’ Independent Lens on December 29. In the Boston market, the film will
be shown on January 3 at 9:00 pm on WGBH 44.
To check your local listing for broadcast times, click here. December 24, 2009: Our big Christmas dinner at Cor Unum will be tomorrow from 4:30 to 6:30
pm. Join us! December 21, 2009: Our production team for public service
announcements did a terrific job of producing radio PSAs for the 2009 holiday
season. Narrated by our pal Mike Lowell, the new PSAs have been running
widely this month in the Boston radio market. To hear the 60 second version,
click here.
All three versions are available at the top of the “Radio” section of our
“Jars in the News” page. December 18, 2009: Many thanks to our supporters who are sending us end-of-year donations.
We welcome all gifts at 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843. To donate
online, click here. December 15, 2009: Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien can be heard tomorrow at 9:00
pm on the NightSide program with Dan Rea on WBZ 1030 – both on the radio and via
internet streaming. December 13, 2009: The sixth grade class at the John J. McGlynn School in Medford, MA
collected $250 for Labels in five days. Great job! December 11, 2009: Attention baseball fans! Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon, Mike Lowell,
and David Ortiz have made available some unique gifts that we’re auctioning
on eBay: autographed copies of their “Hit for Hunger” shirts. Bidding is open
through December 18. Click on each player’s name to go to his auction area on
eBay: Pedroia, Papelbon, Lowell, Ortiz. December 8, 2009: Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien spoke yesterday to students in
the social entrepreneurship class at Babson College. One group of students
from the class has been doing a case study of Labels and Cor Unum during this
semester. December 5, 2009: Commonwealth Motors in Lawrence has
organized a food collection drive to doubly benefit Cor Unum. For every
non-perishable food item you drop off at Commonwealth Motors for Cor Unum,
the dealership will contribute $1 to Cor Unum – up to $10,000 total. Jump
onboard if you can – 1 Commonwealth Drive in Lawrence, directly off Route
495. December 2, 2009: To receive our upcoming e-newsletter, click here and register. Stay connected
with us! November 29, 2009: With the beginning of the holiday shopping
season, we’re hoping you’ll include lots of Labels gear on your gift list.
Everything can be smoothly purchased with a few clicks in our online store. November 26, 2009: Happy Thanksgiving to all! To see a report
on Cor Unum from last night’s news on WBZ-TV in Boston, click here. November 23, 2009: Cor Unum is buzzing with preparations for our
Thanksgiving feast, which runs every day from Thursday through the weekend.
The first big meal is on Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Join us! November 20, 2009: Independent Lens has a new website
dedicated to the December 29 national broadcast of Scenes from a Parish. To check it out, click here. November 17, 2009: The United States Department of Agriculture
reports that 14.6 percent of Americans were hungry last year, up from 11.1
percent of Americans in 2007 and the highest percentage since USDA hunger
surveys began in 1995. That means 17 million American households experienced
hunger last year. Amazing. November 14, 2009: The rough news from Lawrence is that our unemployment
rate is up to 18.3 percent. We are not seeing any signs of recovery on the
immediate horizon. This makes us more grateful than ever to be able to
provide hot, nutritious food to thousands of people each week at the Cor Unum
Meal Center. In the midst of economic darkness, we are no longer afraid of
hunger. November 11, 2009: Our PR team is in the process of putting
together our 2009 holiday gift campaign radio PSAs. We will share them with
you as soon as the editing is complete. November 8, 2009: A young man in West Newtonville,
MA collected $60 in his Labels jar and donated it to us in honor of his
grandmother on her birthday. She lives in Lawrence and is measurably the most
proud grandmother on the planet. November 5, 2009: A supporter writes: “Enclosed is a small
donation for Labels. As always, I wish it could be more. Things are tough in
America these days, and as I count my many blessings, I am keeping you and
the people of Lawrence in my prayers. . . . I don’t know what the answer is
to the problems of our economic system, but I do know that people are
hurting. I wish I could do more.” November 2, 2009: A note from a generous
donor: “Thank you so much for your care and concern for those in need. What
would our Lord do without people like you?” October 30, 2009: The kids at Cor Unum
have this week decorated pumpkins, cookies, and cupcakes for Halloween. They
should be set for the big night tomorrow. October 27, 2009: Thanks to supporters on Cape
Cod for their donation of $1,000. That will provide for 1,000 meals at Cor
Unum! October 24, 2009: Carol Sawyer Parks was
one of the first people to roll up her sleeves to help us build support for
Cor Unum when it was just a concept. She’s been the best friend we could have
since our get-go. This week, Carol’s new W Boston hotel opens – an incredible
place that she built from the ground up. Congratulations to Carol. Please
visit the W! October 21, 2009: Let’s run through the
alphabet of MA towns from which we’ve recently received $100 donations:
Andover, Boxford, Carlisle, Dracut, Framingham, Hyde Park, Lawrence, Methuen,
North Andover, Reading, South Weymouth, Tewksbury, and Wellesley. That’s 13
letters and $1,300 in gifts. October 18, 2009: It’s amazing how many
people do good for others during their lifetimes, and then continue doing
good after they die through planned giving. We are very grateful for an
estate donation of $20,000 from a supporter who intended to help the
economically poor even after his death. October 15, 2009: Thank you to friends in
MA who have sent big Labels jar returns: $150 from Provincetown and $350 from
West Newton. October 12, 2009: Gordon Edes did a Yahoo!
Sports piece on Mikey Lowell and Lawrence. Check it out here. October 9, 2009: Seven-year-old Frankie
K. of Dover, MA heard about our work and organized a cookie sale outside his
house to raise money for us. His total profits were $110! October 6, 2009: Central Committee member
Paul B. O’Brien and Scenes from a
Parish director James Rutenbeck spoke at a screening of James’ film for
the freshman class at Phillips Andover Academy. Beginning this fall, every
freshman at Phillips Andover will volunteer some time at Cor Unum. In four
years, no one will have graduated from Phillips Andover without having served
with us. Very impressive! October 3, 2009: Congratulations to our
pals on the Red Sox for making it into the MLB playoffs. There’s no better
time than now to purchase your “Hit for Hunger” shirt. To do so, simply go to
our online store. September 30, 2009: Happy third anniversary
today to the Cor Unum Meal Center! We’re pleased to announce that more than 450,000
meals have been served at Cor Unum – more than 185,000 during the last year! As
the economy has gotten tougher, our supporters have risen to the occasion to provide
for thousands of hungry people in Lawrence. Happy anniversary and thank you
to all who work to eliminate hunger through the Cor Unum Meal Center and
Labels Are For Jars! September 27, 2009: In anticipation of this week’s
third anniversary of the opening of Cor Unum, there was a celebratory feast
at the meal center tonight. We were thrilled to welcome 866 guests to the
anniversary dinner. Thanks to all who made it a fabulous anniversary
celebration! September 23, 2009: A senior citizen in
Lawrence broke open her piggy bank and donated the contents to Labels -
$19.83. That will provide 20 meals for hungry people at Cor Unum – a great
collection! September 20, 2009: Some of our donors send
gifts to Labels on a monthly basis. These really add up. A couple in Newton
Centre, MA, has been sending $100 every month for the past 16 months - $1,600
total, and 1,600 meals funded at Cor Unum! September 17, 2009: We received a generous
donation from a supporter who had been deliberating for a long time whether
to buy a gun. He ultimately decided not to buy the gun, and sent us some of
the money he’d saved for it to help feed hungry people at the Cor Unum Meal
Center. Super choice! September 14, 2009: On Saturday, “Hit for
Hunger” spokesman Mike Lowell surprised hundreds of young people in Lawrence
with football equipment for the Pop Warner and Mill City Junior Maulers
teams. It was a wild and very beautiful scene. To see some pictures, click here. September 11, 2009: The Wolfpack Volunteers
at Boston Latin School are working on a very creative project to support
Labels Are For Jars. If your school or youth group is interested in promoting
Labels in your community, email us at questions@labelsareforjars.org. September 8, 2009: Thanks to Central Committee
member Frank Mahon for having updates the Photo Gallery page of this website.
To check out pictures of Labels through the years, click here. September 5, 2009: We’ve passed the
430,000-meals-served milestone at Cor Unum. That means we provided more than
50,000 meals during the summer! September 2, 2009: It’s back-to-school week
in Lawrence. Thanks to everyone who supports our mission, the children in our
neighborhood are every day able to stop by Cor Unum on their way to school
for full breakfasts. There’s little learning on empty stomachs, but much more
potential with good nutrition. August 30, 2009: “Hit for Hunger”
spokesman Mike Lowell today did an in-store appearance at Newbury Comics on
Newbury Street in Boston. Lots of fans turned out in the midst of a big rain
storm. Huge thanks to Mike Dreese, Lisa Fehl, and all our friends at Newbury
Comics for sponsoring this event, and for all they do for Labels. Check out
the pics here. August 27, 2009: To see some cool photos
from Monday’s “Hit for Hunger” launch at Fenway Park, click here. August 24, 2009: We are excited to announce
today the launch of Labels are For Jars’ “Hit for Hunger” campaign. At a
media event at Fenway Park this afternoon, Red Sox stars Josh Beckett, Mike
Lowell, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, and David Ortiz were introduced as
our “Hit for Hunger” team. They officially released our new line of “Hit for
Hunger” shirts, which include each player’s name and number, as well as the
“Hit for Hunger” and Labels Are For Jars logos. Josh, Mike, Jonathan, Dustin,
and David are encouraging fans to purchase and wear our new “Hit for Hunger”
shirts as part of the team that is working to eliminate hunger in
Lawrence. The shirts come in blue and red and cost $20. “Hit for Hunger”
shirt are available for purchase through our online store, as well as at select Newbury Comics
retail locations. This is the beginning of a great new phase in the mission
of Labels Are For Jars! August 22, 2009: Yesterday’s Boston Globe had an article about Central Committee member Sean Casey. To
read it, click here. August 19, 2009: We’re sorry to report the death of Joe
McDermott, who was a major supporter of Labels and the father-in-law of
Central Committee member Tara McDermott. Joe was one of Boston’s great
connectors-of-people, especially for us. To read his obituary, click here. August 16, 2009: Thanks to Monkey Knife Fight for last night’s concert that benefitted
Cor Unum! August 13, 2009: We were happy last night to welcome to Cor
Unum a group of Red Sox wives, who helped served dinner and wore their Labels
shirts. To read an article about it, click here. To see some pics, click here. August 10, 2009: Thanks to donors who recently sent us their Labels jar returns: $41
from Stow, MA; $41.06 from Braintree, MA; $80 from Annapolis, MD; $95 from Newton,
MA; and $101.15 from Waban, MA. August 7, 2009: The good word is that Scenes from a Parish will be broadcast nationally on PBS on the
evening of December 29, 2009. Book your calendar! August 4, 2009: Financial sacrifices of every size are what
enable us to feed hungry people 365 days a year. We are very thankful to
friends in Greenwich, CT for their major donation of $11,000 to Labels Are
For Jars. This will provide for many meals! August 1, 2009: We are working on a very cool new Labels
product. TOP SECRET. July 29, 2009: A professional athlete in Boston just
participated in a sports clinic for kids and sent us his stipend - $6,250! July 26, 2009: We are very pleased to announce that the
Cor Unum Meal Center has passed the 400,000-meals-served milestone! July 23, 2009: The Boston Globe yesterday ran a cover story on the current economic crisis
in Lawrence. Our unemployment rate in June was the highest in MA – 17.3 percent,
which is nearly double the state’s 8.7 percent unemployment rate. To read the
article, click here. July 20, 2009: A Labels Are For Jars supporter is
sponsoring a child from Cor Unum for two weeks of summer camp in New
Hampshire. This is a huge gift. July 17, 2009: We continue to eagerly welcome volunteers for
the summer rush at Cor Unum. Interested? Click here. July 14, 2009: Let’s take a trip around America to check out recent donations from 16
states and the nation’s capital: $10 from Sligo,
PA; $20 from Apex, NC; $20 from Westminster, CO; $20 from Edison, NJ; $25
from Dover, NH; $25 from West Palm Beach, FL; $50 from Washington, DC; $100
from Annapolis, MD; $100 from Scarborough, ME; $100 from Newport, RI; $100
from Alpharetta, GA; $100 from Darien, CT; $100 from New York City; $100 from
North Scituate, RI; $100 from Minneapolis, MN; $2,000 from Plymouth Meeting,
PA; and $5,000 from Findlay, OH. July 11, 2009: We had a great time at tonight’s Wilco concert. Thanks to Wilco for
being so generous to us, and to all the new friends we made at the concert.
To see some pics, click here. July 8, 2009: If you’re not already on our e-mail list, click here to sign up and receive our
latest e-newsletter. We only send these a few times a year, to keep you up to
date on major Labels happenings. July 5, 2009: Central Committee member Sean Casey is in town this weekend doing
commentary on the TV broadcasts of the Red Sox games. Welcome back, Sean! July 2, 2009: We’re very pleased to announce that Labels is partnering with sensational
Chicago band Wilco at their concert on July 11 at LeLacheur
Park in Lowell, MA. To enter Wilco world, click here. On July 11, the gates open at 5:30 pm and the show begins at 7:00 pm.
It’s all ages – general admission is $36 and kids under eight enter for free.
To order tickets, use Wilco’s website or call 888-512-SHOW. (Did you see
Wilco on Conan’s show last week?) June 29, 2009: We’ve got some cool photos from our May 3 event at Fenway Park (see
Buzz item below). To see them, click here. June 26, 2009: We received a check for $1,100 from the Wolfpack Volunteers
organization at Boston Latin School – the proceeds of their Labels fundraiser
during this academic year. We’re looking forward to a continuing partnership
with the students at BLS in the 2009-2010 academic year! June 23, 2009: Welcome to our latest Labels baby, Anastasia Bridget Mahon, born to Barbara and (Central Committee member) Frank Mahon. June 20, 2009: Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien on
Friday night received a donation of $25,000 from the Mike Lowell Foundation. Mike
and Bertha Lowell presented the check at a ceremony at home plate before the
first pitch of the Sox game at Fenway Park. June 17, 2009: Cor Unum has a redesigned website. Very
cool. Check it out here, and while you’re browsing the site
consider volunteering for an upcoming meal. June 13, 2009: We’re continuing to serve increased numbers of guests at Cor Unum. In
April we served 15,455 guests. In May, we served 16,684. That’s 1,229 more
guests in one month! June 10, 2009: A note accompanying a $100 donation from
Burlington, MA says: “Thank you for all you do for God’s children in need.” June 7, 2009: Wilco has a concert at LeLacheur
Park in Lowell on July 11. Great national tour. Stay tuned for news. June 4, 2009: Summer is the busiest time of the year at
the Cor Unum Meal Center, and therefore the time when we most need
volunteers. Please consider lending a hand at serving dinner! For volunteer
and contact information, click here. June 2, 2009: In case you missed the news, Central
Committee member Conan O’Brien has kicked off his hosting of the “Tonight
Show” on NBC. We are hugely proud. May 30, 2009: Thanks to the youth group from Saints
Constantine and Helen Church in Andover, MA for their service at Cor Unum
last night! May 27, 2009: The DVD of Scenes from a Parish is now available for purchase online. To
pick up a copy, click here. May 24, 2009: We appreciate the contribution of $2,000
from Labels supporters in Byfield, MA. Muchas gracias! May 21, 2009: Wilco. One of our favorite bands. May 18, 2009: Welcome and thank you to a group of high
school students from Malvern Prep in Pennsylvania who are volunteering this
week at Cor Unum. May 15, 2009: During April of 2008, we served 11,572
guests at Cor Unum. During April of
2009, we served 15,455 guests. That’s
an increase of 34 percent over last year.
Amazing. May 12, 2009: Sometimes people wait a while to empty their Labels jars, and find
they’ve got a LOT of cash collected. Case in point: a jar return of $351.50
sent in from Concord, MA! May 9, 2009: The staff of the IT department of a large organization in MA had a
Labels Lent Jar in their office. With the donation of the money they
collected, they write: “We think this is such a great idea that we decided to
leave the jar out all year long. We have so many visitors during the course
of a day that we are hoping people will continue to give.” May 6, 2009: Join us on Twitter. Labels’ new Twitter account is “lafj”. This will be
the most up-to-the minute way to hear what’s going on at Labels and Cor Unum. May 3, 2009: We had a fabulous gathering at Fenway Park tonight to thank some of the
major donors to Labels Are For Jars and Cor Unum. It was a very memorable
night! April 30, 2009: Stay tuned for statistics about the number of guests served at Cor Unum
this April, as compared to April of last year. The increase is sobering. April 27, 2009: Lots of Labels Lent Jar returns are coming our way: $5, $5, $10, $20,
$20, $20.45, $25, $25, $40, $40, $40, $40, $40, $42, $45, $50, $50, $75, $80,
$100, $100, $100, and $100. Keep them coming! April 24, 2009: A number of Labels donors attended last night’s screening of Scenes from a Parish at
Boston College. We’ll keep you up to date about future screenings. If you’d
like to be notified when the DVD of the film is released, email jrutenbeck@gmail.com. April 21, 2009: Thank you to the third grade Religious Education class at Saint Thomas
More Parish in Braintree, MA for their Lent collection of $135 to help feed
families in Lawrence! April 18, 2009: A 12-year-old boy from Wellesley, MA sent us the money he had collected
in his Labels Lent Jar: $22. That’s a lot of generosity in 40 days! April 15, 2009: Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien
appeared with Scenes from a Parish
director James Rutenbeck on public radio’s “Radio Boston” program. To listen
to the interview, click here and go to the 4/7/09 show (“Boston Globe
Threatened”). Start at minute 41.45. April 12, 2009: We had a huge Easter feast at Cor Unum
tonight, with 746 people served! Thank you to everyone who helped organize
the celebration! April 9, 2009: Last night was the premiere of Scenes from a Parish at the Museum of
Fine Arts in Boston. To check out a great review from the Boston Globe, click here. April 6, 2009: Thanks to everyone who has participated in
our 2009 Lent program. Be sure to empty your Labels Lent Jar, put the
contents in the form of a check or money order, and mail your collection to us
at 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843. April 3, 2009: We recently received matching gifts from
Bank of America and Morgan Stanley for donations made by their employees. If
you need any information to process a match from your company, email us at questions@labelsareforjars.org. We’ll be happy to help! March 31, 2009: A couple from North Andover, MA at the end
of 2006 started making regular donations of $20 or $30 to Labels Are For Jars.
Around two and a half years later, their gifts have totaled over $2,500!
Their generosity has enabled us to provide many meals for hungry folks at the
Cor Unum Meal Center! March 28, 2009: With the blessing of better weather, we are
each day seeing more people coming for meals at Cor Unum. It’s good news that
people who cannot easily move around outside during the winter are now able
to make their way to us. It’s also good news that we are able to feed them! March 25, 2009: As we continue to make our way through
Lent, please keep your eye on filling your Labels Lent Jar! We are grateful
to everyone who supports our mission through their Lenten almsgiving. Two
weeks to go! March 22, 2009: Here’s a roundup of jar returns recently
received at our offices: $19 from Lawrence, MA; $28 from Winchester, MA; $30
from Lynchburgh, VA; $43.75 from Annapolis, MD;
$66.78 from Manchester, NH; $70 from Lexington, MA; $114 from Provincetown,
MA; $129 from Randolph, MA; and $130 from Lawrence, MA. That totals $630.53
to help feed hungry people at the Cor Unum Meal Center! March 19, 2009: Thank you to the members of the “Testament”
group at Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Hopkinton, MA, for having
invited Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien to speak to them last night.
Thanks, as well, for the group’s generous contribution to Labels Are For
Jars! March 16, 2009: James Rutenbeck is an award-winning
documentary filmmaker who will soon release his latest feature, Scenes from a Parish. Filmed in Lawrence
over four years, the film explores the personal stories of a diverse group of
people struggling to live their faith in a rapidly changing community and
nation. Woven through the film is the story of the development of Labels Are
For Jars and Cor Unum. To see the trailer on the film’s website, click here. March 13, 2009: A family of four write to us that they were
recently reading a newspaper article about poverty in Lawrence: “We can only
imagine the hardships the folks who come to Cor Unum are facing. Please
accept this gift, and know that you are in our prayers.” March 10, 2009: Cape Cod may slow down during the off
season, but donations to Labels Are For Jars continue to come in from the
Cape: $10 from Teaticket, $40 from Eastham, $50
from Chatham, $60 from North Chatham, $100 from South Chatham, $500 from
Osterville, and another $1,000 from Osterville! March 7, 2009: A jar return from Lowell, MA comes with the
following note: “I placed the donation jar in my office while I was on
medical leave for two months. When I returned, I was pleasantly surprised
that the jar was full, especially during these difficult economic times. I
hope this donation of $155 will help, and I hope that the jar continues to
fill up. Thank you for being there to make this possible.” March 4, 2009: We are grateful for the third consecutive
year to be the beneficiaries of the Souper Bowl of Caring event sponsored by
the youth groups at St. Mary’s in Ayer, MA. This year’s haul? $431.11,
bringing the three-year total to $1,261.11! March 1, 2009: Thank you to the members of the varsity
hockey team at Belmont Hill School for serving tonight at dinner at Cor Unum.
We look forward to future collaboration! February 27, 2009: A sports coach near Boston who runs clinics
for high school students wanted to be sure a portion of his profits were
shared with people in need, and so sent us a donation of $200. Thank you for helping
feed the hungry in Lawrence! February 24, 2009: Our designers have put together a number of
cool new promotional flyers for volunteers, local media, and national media.
If you could use these in promoting Labels Are For Jars, email us at questions@labelsareforjars.org. February 21, 2009: Central Committee member Conan O’Brien last
night wrapped up his late night show in New York City. We are looking forward
to Conan’s shift to hosting the Tonight
Show in LA, beginning in June. February 18, 2009: We’re happy to hear that Valentine’s Day
chocolates were sold at Boston Latin School to benefit Labels Are For Jars.
Great news from America’s first (1635) public school! February 15, 2009: We are pleased to be receiving inquiries
about Labels’ 2009 Lent Guide. Ash Wednesday is just ten days away! To
download our 2009 Lent Guide materials, simply click here: Lent Guide. February 12, 2009: Congratulations to Central Committee member Sean Casey for his new job
as an analyst on the MLB Network. To read the news release about this, click here. We only hope Sean will be able to overcome his crippling shyness to
succeed in this new venture. February 9, 2009: Our latest Labels Baby is Eamonn James Martin O’Brien, son of Central Committee
member Luke O’Brien and his wife Ilse, as well as nephew of Central Committee
member Conan O’Brien. Welcome to the team! February 6, 2009: In this difficult economy, we are
especially thankful to our supporters who send donations to Labels Are For
Jars on a monthly basis. Your choice each month to sacrifice to help feed the
hungry is a huge inspiration to us! February 3, 2009: For the fifth year, we are happy to release
this week the Labels Lent Guide. Labels Are For Jars includes people of many different faiths and no professed faith. We are proud that our project has been embraced by a hugely diverse body of supporters!
For Christians, Lent is a particularly graced season of spiritual renewal. Lent 2009 begins the last week of February. For anyone interested in checking it out, the Labels Lent program includes:
To access the 2009 Lent Guide, click here: Lent Guide. January 29, 2008: Labels is in the running for $25,000 care of Virgin Air’s philanthropic program, Virgin Unite, which will donate $25,000 to a Massachusetts charity in honor of its arrival at Logan International Airport. To vote for us, click here.
January 26, 2008: Confirming the suspicion that there’s a website for everything, we
heard recently from “The O’Brien Store”, which posted a page about Central
Committee member Conan O’Brien, including his work with Labels. To read it,
click here. January 23, 2008: When a former resident of Lawrence recently died, her family asked that
memorial donations be directed to Labels Are For Jars. We are honored to have
already received more than $1,500 in gifts as a result of this family’s
kindness. January 20, 2008: Thank you for the following recent gifts from around Massachusetts: $10
from Walpole, $10 from Westwood, $15 from Holden, $15 from Charlestown, $20
from Bedford, $20 from Reading, $25 from Georgetown, $25 from Falmouth, $30
from Jamaica Plain, $30 from Newton, $50 from Hingham, $50 from Wellesley,
$60 from Melrose, $60 from Brighton, $100 from Boxborough, $100 from Norwood,
$150 from Essex, $150 from Braintree, $200 from Newburyport, $200 from
Pepperell, $500 from Osterville, $500 from Revere, $1,000 from Concord, and
$1,000 from Natick. That’s a lot of territory and a lot of sacrifice! January 17, 2008: The Winchester, MA street team was recently selling Labels gear at
Saint Mary Parish in their hometown. An attorney approached the team and told
them that he’d read about Labels and that he represented the estate of a
deceased man who wanted his assets distributed to anti-poverty groups like
ours. The result? A $5,000 donation to Labels from the estate! January 14, 2008: Thank you to generous supporters around the country for the following
gifts: $20 from Savannah, GA; $25 from Fernandina Beach, FL; $30 from Apex, NC;
$40 from Orange Park, FL; $50 from Saco, ME; $75 from Nashua, NH; $100 from
Woodland Hills, CA; $500 from Summit, NJ; $2,000 from Pomphret Center, CT;
and $3,500 from Plymouth Meeting, PA. January 11, 2008: We’re grateful to the many Boston-market radio stations that ran our
holiday PSAs. If you are connected with any radio stations and want to make a
pitch for our PSAs, give us a shout – more are on the way! January 8, 2008: Bang Camaro truly rocked on Late
Night. Thanks to Central Committee member Conan O’Brien for being such a
good guy. To see a couple of pics from the evening, click here. January 5, 2008: We’re looking forward to Bang Camaro’s
appearance on Late Night With Conan
O’Brien this Tuesday night. Be sure to tune in or set your DVR! January 2, 2008: Thank you to the guys from the
Babson baseball team, especially head coach Matt Noone, for coming to
Lawrence during Christmas break to help host a party for a big group of kids
from Cor Unum. It was a wild night, but everyone survived! December 30, 2008: How do you raise $5,000 to help
feed people in Lawrence? You add up twenty separate $50 gifts from caring Massachusetts
neighbors in Acton, Amesbury, Andover, Arlington, Boston, Burlington,
Chelmsford, Groveland, Lawrence, Methuen, Newton, Norfolk, North Andover,
North Easton, Norwell, Stoneham, Walpole, Wayland, Wellesley, and Woburn. December 27, 2008: Seen waitering at dinner at Cor
Unum tonight: Central Committee member Conan O’Brien, his wife Liza, and the
rapidly-growing Neve and Beckett O’Brien. They make a great service team. December 24, 2008: We’re looking forward to a big
Christmas dinner at Cor Unum tomorrow night. The menu: shrimp cocktail, fruit
salad, fish chowder, roast sirloin of beef, honey glazed ham, roasted garlic
mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, glazed carrots, fresh baked rolls, and an
assortment of wonderful desserts. Join us! December 21, 2008: With ten days to go in the calendar year, we are especially thankful to
all who are sending end-of-year donations to meet the tax deadline. We
welcome your end-of-year gift at 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843. To
donate online, click here. December 18, 2008: It’s one week to Christmas, and there’s still time to purchase Labels
Are For Jars shirts and caps as the perfect holiday presents – gifts that
directly help people in need and invite your loved ones to do the same. To
make purchases from our online store, simply click here. December 15, 2008: A woman in Revere, MA wrote to us: “This year my family decided not to give
Christmas gifts to the adults, only the kids. God has blessed me by giving me
a family to be with and love, plus loving friends and a good job to pay the
mortgage and buy what I want. So I thought that I’d give you the money I
would have spent on my family.” She enclosed $500 to help feed the hungry in
Lawrence. December 12, 2008: A young man in Wellesley, MA who last month celebrated his fourteenth
birthday asked his friends to make donations to Labels as his birthday gifts.
He received a total of $490, which he hand-delivered to Lawrence. Many happy
returns! December 9, 2008: For some pictures of Thanksgiving at Cor Unum published in Rumbo, click here (photos are on pages one and
16). December 6, 2008: We are soon sending out the latest version of our e-newsletter. If
you’re not on our e-mail list and would like to subscribe, click here. December 3, 2008: We have a very simple promo GIF that we’re hoping friends of our cause
might place on their websites or blogs. To download or link to the GIF, click
here. If you have any questions, email us at questions@labelsareforjars.org. December 9, 2008: For some pictures of Thanksgiving at Cor Unum published in Rumbo, click here (photos are on pages one and
16). December 6, 2008: We are soon sending out the latest version of our e-newsletter. If
you’re not on our e-mail list and would like to subscribe, click here. December 3, 2008: We have a very simple promo GIF that we’re hoping friends of our cause
might place on their websites or blogs. To download or link to the GIF, click
here. If you have any questions, email us at questions@labelsareforjars.org. November 30, 2008: Thanks to Concord, MA blogger Rob Robillard for
writing a post that includes Labels (to read, click here). We’re always happy when people spread the word
about us through the blogosphere. If you include us in a posting on your
blog, please send us the word! November 27, 2008: Happy Thanksgiving! We today celebrated our third
Thanksgiving dinner at Cor Unum, with hundreds of guests and a fabulous meal.
Unbelievably, we almost lost the meal when the walk-in refrigerator at Cor
Unum, filled with thousands of pounds of prepared food, broke last night. To
the rescue? The Labels Are For Jars refrigeration truck! The truck was parked
outside the Cor Unum kitchen, all of the food was transferred into it, the
refrigeration unit was plugged into Cor Unum’s electrical source, and the day
was saved! For morning and evening TV news reports, click here and here. To see some photos from the day, click here. November 25, 2008: The novelist Philip Luber has written his first
book-length collection of non-fiction, called The Clorox Chronicles. We very much like the book, and think it’s
incredibly cool that the final chapter, in which Luber experiences “that perfect
moment, the happiest one I had ever known. . .” is connected with
Labels. To find out about ordering a
copy of The Clorox Chronicles,
click here. November 22, 2008: Just about a year ago, Bang Camaro was helping
Labels at their show at the Roxy in Boston. With the band in the midst of a
national tour, we’re pleased to share the word that on January 6, 2009, Bang
will appear on Late Night with Conan
O’Brien. Good stuff comes full circle. November 19, 2008: The Babson College baseball team has begun sending
a group of volunteers to Cor Unum every Wednesday night, and every member of
the team has purchased a Labels shirt. Thanks to head coach Matt Noone for
having made the connection with us! November 16, 2008: In addition to our Facebook pages, Labels has a cool MySpace page.
Please be sure to join – just click here. November 14, 2008: We heard from young man in Wellesley who, in lieu of gifts, has
requested donations to Labels Are For Jars from the guests at his 15th
birthday celebration. Happy Birthday! November 11, 2008: A member of a local police force keeps his Labels
jar on his desk and aggressively solicits donations, especially from officers
who swear. His latest jar return?
$130! November 8, 2008: Are you a member of the Labels Are For Jars
Facebook page? If you’ve got a Facebook account and would like to join, click
here. Labels is also now on the Facebook "Causes"
application. To join, click here. Don't forget to invite all your friends and family to join! November 5, 2008: Our ace Labels PR team has been joined by a group of talented and
generous professionals in Boston to produce our first radio, TV, and print PSAs.
We look forward to the roll-out of these ads in upcoming months, beginning
with the holiday season. November 2, 2008: A group of 82 sixth graders at the John J. McGlynn Middle School in
Medford, MA recently took up a three-day collection for Labels. The yield?
$121 to help feed folks at Cor Unum! The students’ teacher wrote to us:
“These are scary times in America, but I have been thinking that – for the
poor – it is almost always a scary time.” October 30, 2008: Thanks for recent jar returns of various sizes: $26.87 from Delray
Beach, FL; $50 from Reading, MA; $54 from Cincinnati, OH; $108 from
Lexington, MA; $141.26 from Boston; and $400 from New York City. Whenever
you’re ready to empty your Labels jar, please put its contents in the form of
a check or money order and mail it to us at 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA
01843. October 27, 2008: In these very difficult economic times, we are especially grateful for
the major gift of $5,000 from a couple in Belmont, MA. We’re hoping that some
folks who may be less affected by the economic downturn will be able to dig
deep to support our work! October 24, 2008: The latest news from Cor Unum is that we have never had as consistently
long lines of people waiting for meals. The nutritional need in Lawrence
would be overwhelming if we did not have so many Labels Are For Jars donors
promoting our mission! October 21, 2008: We’re sorry that the Red Sox’ playoff run came to an end with a loss to
the Rays last night. Thanks to all of the folks in the Red Sox clubhouse for
their active support of Labels during the 2008 season. We’re looking forward
to next year! October 18, 2008: The office crew at Trader Joe’s in Needham, MA took up a collection
that yielded $186 for Labels Are For Jars. Thanks very much for this! October 15, 2008: Spotted at a table of kids at dinner tonight at Cor Unum: none other
than Mr. Labels Cap himself, Mike Lowell, along with his wife, Bertica, and
their children. October 11, 2008: We’re currently dominated by baseball. Check out this interview of Kevin Youkilis by Central Committee member Sean Casey. Beyond the
intellectual content, we’re interested in the cap. October 8, 2008: Congratulations to the Red Sox for their victory over the Angels. At
the post-victory celebration at Game On!, we saw our friend David Ortiz MC’ing the party in his Labels cap – click here to view. October 5, 2008: We love Mikey Lowell. He appeared today with his Labels cap in USA Today and the Boston Globe, and
we’re seeing him online in blogs like this, and even on mlb.com. October 4, 2008: As mentioned in the previous Buzz item, we’re really happy that Red Sox
players are wearing Labels’ Hungry Cap
by John Varvatos during their defeat of the Los Angeles Angels. For an
example, click here for an interview from tonight’s news . . . or here for some on-field shots. October 1, 2008: Just before the Boston Red Sox headed out to California to play the Los
Angeles Angels in their division series, Central Committee member Sean Casey
distributed the Labels Are For Jars Hungry
Cap by John Varvatos to every player on the Sox. Keep your eye open for
those Labels caps on the Sox during the playoffs. Our Hungry Cap by John Varvatos is available to you through our online
store. September 30, 2008: Today is the second anniversary of the opening of the Cor Unum Meal
Center. We are very pleased to announce that during those two years, we have
served more than 265,000 meals at Cor Unum! We hope that all
of the supporters of Labels Are For Jars recognize the remarkable good that
has been accomplished through their generosity. Two years . . . more than
265,000 meals . . . two million thanks to you! September 28, 2008: We had a huge dinner at Cor Unum tonight to celebrate our
just-around-the-corner second anniversary of operations. More than 800 people
came to tonight’s meal! A big thank you to the many volunteers who made tonight’s
meal such a big success! To see some photos of tonight’s feast, click here. September 26, 2008: A group of students from the Brooks School in North Andover, MA began
volunteering tonight at dinner at Cor Unum, and plan to make this a regular
commitment. If you would like to explore the possibility of volunteering at
Cor Unum, please click here. September 23, 2008: The Boston Red Sox clinched their playoff berth tonight. In the
post-game celebration, Central Committee member Sean Casey showed the world
that he really needs to come out of his shell. Stay tuned for a Labels
connection to cap the regular season for the Red Sox. September 20, 2008: This week we received matching gifts from two donors’ companies – one
for $150 and another for $2,500. These matching gifts really add up. If your company
offers this opportunity, we are very eager to take advantage of it. September 17, 2008: Our big celebration of the second anniversary of Cor Unum’s operations
will be a feast for our guests on Sunday, September 28 from 4:00 to 6:30 pm.
If you’d like to join us, we’ll be happy to see you in Lawrence! September 13, 2008: Spotted today at Fenway Park: Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell with a
“troubled teen” Labels shirt. September 10, 2008: We are approaching the second anniversary of having opened the doors of
the Cor Unum Meal Center. In our first year of operations, we served just
over 100,000 meals. What’s your guess for how many meals we’ll have served in
our second year? September 8, 2008: Central Committee members Sean Casey and Paul B. O’Brien today welcomed
to Lawrence one of our major donors from Ohio. If you’re a Labels supporter
visiting the Boston area, please give us a shout if you’d like to come by for
a visit! September 4, 2008: School’s back in session in Lawrence this week, which makes us
especially thankful that we are able to offer our local children breakfast at
Cor Unum before they go to school. Breakfast is served daily from 6:00 to
8:00 am at Cor Unum. If you’re in the neighborhood, please join us for a
meal. September 1, 2008: Today is Labor Day. Thank you to all who sacrificed their time and
talent volunteering at Cor Unum this summer. Summer brings out highest number
of guests and biggest stretch for volunteers, so your help has been deeply
appreciated. August 29, 2008: We know that lots of young people are returning to school these days.
If you are interested in pursuing the possibility of forming a Labels Are For
Jars street team at your school, please contact us at questions@labelsareforjars.org, or 978-984-0118. August 25, 2008: Thank you to the four supporters who recently dropped off their Labels
jars in Lawrence. The total count came to $399.98! August 21, 2008: We appreciate the following contributions from around Massachusetts: $5
from Salem; $20 from Chelmsford; $25 from North Andover; $25 from Falmouth;
$25 from Wilmington; $25 from Wellesley; $25 from Lawrence; $30 from Newton;
$30 from Woburn; $32 from Roslindale; $35 from Brighton; $40 from Reading;
$40 from Methuen; $40 from Andover; $50 from Chatham; $50 from Jamaica Plain;
$50 from Melrose; $50 from Hingham; $70 from Winchester; $75 from Walpole;
$75 from Allston; $100 from Marshfield; $100 from Concord; $150 from
Littleton; $200 from Newburyport; $200 from Braintree; $300 from North
Reading; $300 from Arlington; and $1,000 from Carlisle. That’s a lot of
territory – and a lot of generosity! August 17, 2008: A number of companies have programs that allow employees to make
regular contributions to charitable organizations by having certain amounts
of money drawn directly from their paychecks. If your company has such a
program, please give us a shout if there’s a possibility of adding Labels to
the list of organizations that benefit from employees’ contributions. August 13, 2008: In the depths of the summer, we are once again thankful that Cor Unum’s
air conditioning offers our guests a respite from the heat. Especially for families
with children, not having AC at home is not a lot of fun. August 9, 2008: We had a visit today from a 78-year-old Labels supporter from Boston,
who hand-delivered his full Labels jar. We’re looking forward to his
continuing to fill his jar for many years to come! August 6, 2008: We are grateful for recent gifts from the town of North Andover, MA,
which borders Lawrence: $25, $25, $25, $25, $25, $25, $35, $50, $50, $60,
$100, and $150! August 3, 2008: Central Committee members Sean Casey and Paul B. O’Brien filmed an
interview at Fenway Park with Liz Walker, whose “Sunday with Liz” program is
broadcast on WBZ-TV. If you’re in the New England media market, you can catch
or TiVo that segment next Sunday, August 10, at 11:00 am. July 31, 2008: We last night had another great meeting of the Cor Unum Book Club, with
an army of kids of all ages receiving brand new books. Some are preparing to
write reviews of the books they’re reading through the Book Club. We’ll keep
you up to date on that. July 28, 2008: We welcome to Lawrence this week a group of teenagers and adults who
are participating in the Catholic HEART Work Camp. Catholic HEART Work Camp
each summer brings together thousands of young people across the United States
for week-long service projects and spiritual development. We are grateful
that one of the Boston CHWC groups has linked up with Cor Unum and Labels Are
For Jars! July 25, 2008: A couple in Wellesley, MA began in December 2005 sending us a generous
gift every few months. Their regular donations have now been written into
their electronic check-writing system. The grand total of their gifts to
date? $4,500 to help feed hungry
people through Cor Unum! July 22, 2008: The latest milestone passed at Cor Unum was our having served more than
230,000 meals since we opened the doors on September 30, 2006. Without all of
our Labels Are For Jars supporters, this would never have been possible! July 19, 2008: Connor Smith was one of the original members of the Saint Sebastian’s
Street Team and is now a student at Notre Dame. It was great to see Connor
back in Lawrence, serving breakfast at Cor Unum this morning. If you’re a
street team alum who’s back in the area for the summer, please stop by to say
hello. . . and put on an apron! July 16, 2008: Thank you for recent Labels jar returns: $16.29 from Delray Beach, FL;
$23.15 from Winchester, MA; $24.36 from Minneapolis, MN; $70.75 from
Brighton, MA; $75 from Lawrence, MA; $107 from Newton, MA; and $175 from
Lawrence, MA. Keep filling your jars, and keep feeding the hungry! July 13, 2008: A Massachusetts foundation that operates beneath the radar to fund
creative efforts that assist the economically poor has in recent months sent
us two gifts totaling $5,000. We are honored to receive your support! July 11, 2008: We know that many youth group leaders are working this summer to plan
programs for the upcoming academic year. If you’re interested in getting your
group involved with Labels Are For Jars, please
contact us at questions@labelsareforjars.org, or 978-984-0118. July 8, 2008: Online sales indicate you should see people wearing Labels gear in the
following communities: Manchester, NH;
Amston, CT; New York City, NY; Princeton, NJ;
Horsham, PA; Annapolis, MD; Washington, DC; Alexandria, VA; Mooresville, NC;
Buford, GA; Jacksonville, FL; Chicago, IL; Findlay, OH; Ypsilanti, MI; St.
Paul, MN; Milwaukee, WI; Monument, CO; Richardson, TX; San Francisco, CA;
Portland, OR; and Peoria, AZ. July 5, 2008: It’s been a fun Independence Day weekend at Cor Unum, with a big feast
yesterday on the 4th and the celebration continuing today and
tomorrow. We appreciate all the volunteers who lent a hand with dinner last
night, including Labels Central Committee member Dan O’Brien and his family. July 2, 2008: A friend of Labels recently helped launch the Cor Unum Book Club, which
has begun to meet regularly to offer high-quality, new books to children of
all ages who eat at Cor Unum. There are books for tots to teens. After a Book
Club member chooses a book, a Cor Unum Book Club bookplate is added with the
owner’s name inscribed in it. (Thanks to Central Committee member Dan
Caldicott for producing the bookplates!) Our hope is that Cor Unum Book Club
members will gradually build up home libraries filled with the books they’ve
read through our Club. June 29, 2008: Seen volunteering tonight at Cor Unum: Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, who
represents Massachusetts’ 5th Congressional District, which
includes Lawrence. Representative Tsongas has increasingly identified herself
with anti-hunger and anti-poverty initiatives both nationally and locally. We
are grateful for her personal support of Cor Unum. June 26, 2008: The numbers of people eating at Cor Unum continue to significantly
increase, as does our need for volunteers – especially at dinner. If you are
able to help us this summer serve meals at Cor Unum, please click here. June 23, 2008: Since our inception, Labels Are For Jars has been a 501(c)(3)
organization, which means that all contributions are tax-deductible. Our 501(c)(3)
status was originally drawn from Labels’ legally being a part of Saint
Patrick Parish in Lawrence. Thanks to the hard work of Central Committee
member Luke O’Brien, we now have independent 501(c)(3) status as Labels Are
For Jars, Inc. One result of this shift is that organizations that do not
make grants or match donations to religiously-affiliated charities will now
be able to donate to Labels Are For Jars. If you are connected with such an
organization, we hope this will allow you to help expand our mission. June 20, 2008: We are always pleased to find support for our project from folks in
other countries. We are especially pleased to have recently received a major
gift of $10,000 from donors in London, England. Many thanks!! June 17, 2008: Muchas gracias for the following donations from across the USA: $50 from Nashua, NH; $100 from Syracuse,
NY; $110 from Annapolis, MD; $50 from Cary, NC; $30, $50, and $100 from
Westminster, CO; $100 from Woodland Hills, CA; and $150 and $500 from San Francisco,
CA. June 14, 2008: The eighth grade social studies classes at Wellesley Middle School in
Wellesley, MA took up a collection to help feed hungry people in Lawrence. We
appreciate their donation of $80 to Labels Are For Jars. June 11, 2008: The Winchester Street Team tonight had a meeting to review some of the
great stuff they’ve done for Labels during this academic year. The group
presented Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien with some very big checks
to support the Cor Unum Meal Center. It’s been a great year! June 9, 2008: Central Committee members Sean Casey and Paul B. O’Brien appeared on
the popular “TV Diner” program on NECN, which broadcasts throughout New
England. To watch the segment, click here. Thankfully, Sean did not get
involved in any scuffles and was not suspended from three future programs. June 6, 2008: Joe McCafferty, who helps with the Winchester Street Team, was at
Labels headquarters today to pick up inventory for his team to sell at
tomorrow’s Winchester Day celebration. We are so impressed by the enthusiasm
and dedication of the Winchester Street Team. June 3, 2008: Our favorite Frenchman, Stephane Colinet, tonight hosted a wine tasting
at the Cafe Escadrille in Burlington, MA, where he serves as wine director
and manager of the Gourmet Room. Stephane and co-host Billy Costa managed to
extensively promote Labels during the event – for which we are very grateful! May 31, 2008: Gifts to Labels Are For Jars come in a range of amounts – from a few
dollars to many dollars. We are very pleased to have received a donation of
$10,000 from supporters in Canton, MA. That’s many dollars, and will feed many, many people at Cor Unum. May 28, 2008: Thank you for the following recent donations from folks who live in
Lawrence: $10, $19, $19, $19.79, $20,
$20, $20.40, $25, $25, $25, $30, $30, $40, $50, $50, $60, $75, $80, $100,
$150, $230, $500, and $1,000. It means a great deal to receive so much
support from our local community. May 25, 2008: Friends of Labels in Jamaica Plain, MA, organized a garage sale and
sent us the profits. Great idea! If you’d like to clear out your house and
help feed the hungry in the process, we will welcome the proceeds! May 22, 2008: We were really happy to have members of the Winchester street team volunteering
at Cor Unum this week. You guys are a huge help! May 19, 2008: A bible study group in Wellesley, MA has done two collections from its
members and sent us donations of $110 and $185. We are very grateful for
these sacrifices. May 16, 2008: Thank you for $100 donations from supporters in the following
communities around Massachusetts: Newton Centre, Lexington, Andover, Hingham,
Concord, Brighton, Beacon Hill, Medfield, Wareham, Lawrence, and North
Reading. May 13, 2008: Spring has sprung in this part of the USA, which brings us into T-shirt
weather. There’s no better time to pick up a new Labels shirt or two. To
purchase Labels gear, simply click into our online store. May 10, 2008: Spotted volunteering at Cor Unum: Ralph Jaccodine, manager of Bang
Camaro, along with his two children and Central Committee member Lisa Fehl.
Thanks to Ralph for all he has done to promote our work! May 7, 2008: Stephen M. Mills, a great friend of Labels, recently received his
graduate degree from the University of Michigan School of Art and Design.
Stephen’s final project was a cutting-edge vehicle for homeless people called
the Homeless Utility Vehicle. To check out Stephen’s very cool project, click
here. (Is that a Labels Skullcap by John Varvatos that
Stephen’s sporting in one pic?) May 4, 2008: Muchas gracias to a Labels pal in Arlington, MA who invited guests at
his 30th birthday party to make contributions to Labels Are For
Jars. His friends kicked in $205 in donations, which we are happy to put to
work at Cor Unum! May 1, 2008: We are grateful to Labels supporters who regularly send us the contents
of their collection jars. Thanks for recent returns from around
Massachusetts: $13.77 from Chestnut Hill, $25.33 from Stoneham, $26.54 from
Concord, $29.50 from Chelmsford, $100 from Arlington, and $125 from Concord.
One hundred percent of the money sent to us from Labels collection jars is
used to feed people at the Cor Unum Meal Center. Every penny is put to good
work! April 28, 2008: Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien spoke today to an assembly of
the upper school students at the Glen Urquhart School in Beverly, MA. Thank
you to Head of School Raymond Nance, as well as all of the students and
faculty, for their warm welcome to Glen Urquhart. We’re looking forward to
future collaboration! April 27, 2008: It is very clear in Lawrence that the economy is in a bad place. Recent
increases in food and fuel prices are hitting our people particularly hard.
The numbers of people eating at Cor Unum each day are significantly
increasing, with the line stretching through our parking lot each evening
before dinner. With this larger number of guests, we also have need for more
volunteers at dinner. If you are interested in serving at Cor Unum, click here. April 24, 2008: A married couple who live just outside Boston began in 2005 to make a
monthly financial contribution to Labels. With their latest donation, their
total gifts have reached the milestone of $10,000! We are continually amazed
by this sacrificial generosity. April 21, 2008: A senior at Wellesley High School in Wellesley, MA heard about Labels
Are For Jars from his parents, and took it on himself to spread the word about
Labels to members of the student body and faculty at his school. He sent us
the returns from an initial collection at school, and is planning another
drive toward the end of the school year. He writes, “I hope to be working
closer with this organization as the end of the school year approaches and
through my college career.” It is this kind of grassroots support and viral
marketing that continues to expand the success of Labels Are For Jars. April 19, 2008: Members of the youth group from St. Mary Parish in Chelmsford, MA were
driving to Lawrence to help serve dinner at Cor Unum. During the drive, the
conversation somehow led to the teenagers’ emptying their own pockets to
collect $53 to help support Cor Unum. We like this kind of conversation. April 16, 2008: A couple who were recently married in Chestnut Hill, MA placed cards at
each place setting at their reception that informed guests that, in lieu of
traditional party favors, a donation had been made on their behalf to Labels
Are For Jars. The card included basic information about our mission and our
website address. We are grateful whenever a newly married couple shares the
blessing of their marriage with the people of our community! April 13, 2008: The Boston Globe Magazine
today published a super article about poverty in Lawrence, including a focus
on the Cor Unum Meal Center. To access the article, click here. Many thanks to Charlie Pierce, editor of the Globe Magazine and author of the article, for his beautiful work. April 10, 2008: Teenagers from Saint Anthony of Padua Parish in Shirley, MA and Saint Mary Parish in Ayer, MA once again organized a “Souper Bowl of Caring” to benefit Labels on Super Bowl Sunday. The total proceeds were $997! We are very grateful for this donation, and for the many hours that teens from these parishes have devoted to volunteering at Cor Unum. April 7, 2008: We mentioned in January that Central Committee member Dan Caldicott had been overseeing a new project that would soon be hitting the streets. The streets have now been hit – with the very cool Labels Are For Jars design of Cor Unum’s refrigeration truck. To see some pics, click here. The truck, which was donated by friends of Labels, is used to transport food to the meal center each week. It’s now a moving billboard for Labels. Thanks to Dan, Mike and Zack Toth, and all the folks at Toth Brand Imaging for their creativity and dedication! April 4, 2008: Let’s take a trip around the USA to thank
supporters who have sent donations of $200 from Hampton, NH; $50 from Rye, NH;
$100 from Edison, NJ; $1,000 from New York City; $30 from McKnightstown, PA;
$130 from Washington, DC; $130 from Alexandria, VA; $20 from Cary, NC; $30
from Apex, NC; $25 from Savannah, GA; $500 from Smyrna, GA; $50 from Amelia
Island, FL; $5 from Evansville, IN; $100 from Kohler, WI; $25 from
Westminster, CO; $750 from Denver, CO; $100 from San Francisco, CA; and (to
return to the East Coast) a big $6,000 from Old Tappan, NJ! April 1, 2008: If you haven’t recently checked out media coverage of Labels, click here to scan updated postings on our “In the News” page. March 29, 2008: As Central Committee member Sean Casey (who is now fluent in Japanese) approaches
the beginning of the baseball season, we are very grateful to one of his fans
who mailed us a donation of $10,000 for the second consecutive year. As Sean
would say, どうもありがとう! March 26, 2008: We occasionally publish an electronic
newsletter for Labels supporters, and we’ve got a new one on the way. If
you’re not on our e-newsletter mailing list and would like to be, simply send
us your e-mail address at subscribe@labelsareforjars.org. March 23, 2008: A huge Easter feast was served today at Cor
Unum to more than 600 guests. The menu included seafood salad, honey glazed
ham, roast prime rib of beef, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms,
glazed carrots, and an amazing assortment of desserts. Thank you to all who
made possible this celebration, especially Diane Jarvis, Director of the Cor
Unum Meal center. March 19, 2008: As we come to the end of Lent, we encourage
all who have participated in our Lenten program to empty their collection
jars, put the contents in the form of a check or money order, and mail them
to Labels Are For Jars, 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843. If you have
any suggestions for next year’s lent program, please send them along. March 16, 2008: A Labels supporter from Duxbury, MA makes
golf junkets to the Carolinas with a group of his friends. When he returns
from these trips, he sends us a $500 donation as a thank-you gift to his
friends. We are encouraging his game! March 13, 2008: The American Ireland Fund tonight threw a
huge bash in New York City, honoring Central Committee member Conan O’Brien
with their 2008 Irish Spirit Award for his work with Labels Are For Jars. We
are very grateful to the American Ireland Fund for the accompanying donation
of $10,000 to Labels, and to Conan for all he has done to advance our
mission. To see some photos from the
event, click here. March 10, 2008: If it’s getting any warmer in your part of
the country, you may want to ring in the spring with the purchase of a Labels Skull Cap by John Varvatos. Our
super-cool caps are made from 100% marino wool, which is perfect material for
not-so-cold weather. To make your purchase, simply visit our online store. March 6, 2008: How much do we love New York? It’s impossible to describe. We especially
love the folks who have made online purchases of Labels gear in the following
New York communities: Brewster, Brooklyn, Dobbs Ferry, Flushing, Hamilton, Kenoza Lake, Liberty, Lynnbrook,
Manhattan, North Salem, Pavilion, Queens, Ronkonkoma, Scarsdale, Shoreham,
and Watertown. March 3, 2008: Elizabeth O’Brien, Gillian O’Brien, and
Jessie Tardif of Winchester, MA organized a lemonade stand to rake in some
cash for Labels Are For Jars. The profits from the venture totaled $4, which
we received gratefully and put straight to work at the Cor Unum Meal Center. February 29, 2008: Happy Leap Year, and many thanks to a
Labels donor in New York City who submitted to his company the matching gift paperwork
for his contribution to Labels Are For Jars. This simple effort doubled his
original $750 to $1,500 to help feed hungry people in Lawrence. We love
matching gifts. If you need help processing yours, please contact us at questions@labelsareforjars.org, or 978-984-0118. February 26, 2008: A bible study group in Wellesley, MA
decided to organize a collection to assist our work at Cor Unum. We are very thankful
for their donation of $185. If you are part of a fellowship group, would you
consider promoting a similar sacrificial collection among your members? February 23, 2008: Central Committee member Conan O’Brien will
be honored next month for his work with Labels Are For Jars by the New York
Young Leaders Group of the American Ireland Fund. The event will take place
on Thursday, March 13 at Cipriani 23rd Street in New York City. To
purchase tickets for the event, click here.
Congratulations to Conan! February 20, 2008: It’s great to see online Labels sales from people in different parts of California: Westminster, San Luis Obispo, Diamond Bar, San Francisco, Pleasanton, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Tarzana, Alhambra, and Loma Linda. Hooray for the West Coast! February 17, 2008: We have received several inquiries about trends among guests at Cor
Unum during the past year and a half. While the kinds of people who eat at
Cor Unum remain very mixed, the most significant increase is consistently
among families with children. We firmly believe that no child should ever be
hungry. Thank you to all who put this belief into practice through your
support of Labels Are For Jars. February 14, 2008: A friend e-mailed us about what he heard yesterday morning on a popular Boston sports radio show. In talking about the Westminster Kennel Show, the show’s host “began to complain about how they classify dogs by ethnicity and parentage and appearance. After a minute or two of fake ranting about how we should have evolved past this sort of divisiveness, he blurted out, ‘C'mon....Labels are for Jars...that's what Sean Casey always says.’” February 11, 2008: We received a message from a Labels
supporter who reported that she’d spotted several Labels Lent Jars at her
workplace. Great news! If you are interested in the Labels Lent program,
which includes our daily guide for prayer and reflection, click here: Lent Guide. February 8, 2008: Thank you for recent donations from around
Massachusetts: $5 from Walpole, $10 from Wellesley, $25 from North Andover,
$39 from Stoneham, $50 from Melrose, $50 from Concord, $50 from Amesbury, $50
from Medford, $100 from Maynard, $50 from Lexington, $100 from Winchester,
$100 from Brookline, $100 from Brighton, $100 from Dracut, $100 from Hingham,
$150 from Newburyport, $200 from Lawrence, $210 from Cambridge, $250 from Arlington,
$250 from Mattapoisett, $250 from Westwood, $500 from Weymouth, $500 from
Osterville, and $1,000 from Medfield. From all locations, your sacrifices are
amazing! February 5, 2008: There is much joy in Mudville today, as
Central Committee member Sean Casey has signed a contract to play first base
with the Boston Red Sox! The deal was sealed today at Fenway Park, with an
afternoon news conference at which we heard plenty of inquiries about Sean’s
work with Labels Are For Jars. After many years of having Sean with us in
Lawrence only during the off season or when his previous teams have been in
town to play against the Red Sox, we are thrilled that he will be here for
much of the year! February 2, 2008: There’s been lots of interesting buzz around
Boston on the baseball front . . . but we need the deal sealed before we
speak. . . . January 30, 2008: We haven’t offered in a while an update on
the number of meals served at Cor Unum. Sometime recently, we passed the
150,000-meals-served mark, and we’ll pass 160,000 this week. You may remember
that we served just over 100,000 meals during our first year of operations
(September 20, 2006 to September 30, 2007). Looking at the latest numbers and
last year’s seasonal patterns, it is likely we will serve around 200,000
meals in our second year of operations at the Cor Unum Meal center. Amazing! January 27, 2008: In response to inquiries about offering
assistance to the victims of the Lawrence fire, we are glad to report that people
who were forced out of their homes by the fire have found at least temporary
housing, and that relief organizations are now working to find permanent
residences. It seems that most immediate physical needs – clothing, food,
etc. – are currently being met. If you are interested in making a financial
contribution to assist the long-term needs of the victims of the fire, we
encourage you to donate through the Merrimack Valley Red Cross. January 24, 2008: We are very aware this week of how blessed
we are to have Cor Unum – not just for providing thousands of meals every
week, but for being able to respond to emergencies like this week’s fire in
Lawrence. Thank you to all supporters of Labels Are For Jars – Cor Unum would
not exist without you! January 21, 2008: The immediate neighborhood of the Cor Unum
Meal Center suffered a devastating fire this morning, with at least 14
buildings destroyed and more than 200 people left homeless. Many of the
victims of the fire were sheltered, fed, and interviewed by relief workers at
Cor Unum this morning, before being moved to more permanent shelters. This
has been a terrible disaster for Lawrence, but we are thankful that no one
was killed, and – amazingly - only one person injured. January 18, 2008: From our online sales records, we think you
should see people wearing Labels gear in Quebec, Ontario, New Hampshire,
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, D.C., Virginia,
North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, California, Nevada, Arizona,
Oregon, and Hawaii. That’s a pretty cool geographic sweep! January 15, 2008: For the fourth year, we are happy to
release this week the Labels Lent Guide. Labels Are For Jars includes people of many different faiths and no professed faith. We are proud that our project has been embraced by a hugely diverse body of supporters!
For Christians, Lent is a particularly graced season of spiritual renewal. Lent 2008 begins the first week of February. For anyone interested in checking it out, the Labels Lent program includes:
To access the 2008 Lent Guide, click here: Lent Guide. January 12, 2008: Central Committee member Dan Caldicott has been overseeing a very cool
Labels project that should be wrapped and ready for the world to see in the
next week or so. Stay tuned! January 9, 2008: Thank you to all who have recently sent us the money they have
collected in their Labels jars: $11 from Minneapolis, MN; $20.17 from West
Newbury, MA; $26.10 from Lynchburg, VA; $50 from Cambridge, MA; $50 from
Lawrence, MA; $75 from Reading, MA; $100 from Amesbury, MA; $100 from
Medford, MA; $105 from Somerville, MA; $125 from Concord, MA; and $150 from
Columbia, MD. Whenever you’re ready to send us the money you’ve been
collecting in your Labels jar, please put it in the form of a check or money
order and mail it to Labels Are For Jars, 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA
01843. Keep filling your jar, and keep feeding the hungry! January 6, 2008: Folks in Lawrence continue to be very generous in financially
supporting Labels Are For Jars. We appreciate recently having received a pile
of gifts from people in Lawrence: $20, $25, $25, $25, $40, $40, $40, $40,
$40, $40, $40, $40, $40, $50, $50, $50, $50, $50, $50, $50, $50, $75, $80,
$80, $150, $500, $500, $500, and $500 – 29 gifts totaling $3,245! January 3, 2008: At the end of the summer we mentioned a Labels supporter in Virginia
who had chosen our project as the beneficiary of his first triathlon (see
August 26, 2007 Buzz item). That supporter was the fantastic Albert Iarossi,
who completed his Ironman Triathlon at the beginning of November and in the
process raised over $5,000 for Labels Are For Jars! Many thanks to Albert for
all he has done to spread the word about our mission. We are so proud of you! December 31, 2007: We are happy to finish
2007 and begin 2008 with a gift of $25,000 from a Labels supporter in Boston!
Thank you to everyone who helped us battle hunger in Lawrence during the past
year. We are looking forward to providing more meals and touching more lives
in 2008! December 28, 2007: Friends from the London
and New York offices of Bear Stearns visited Cor Unum this week to volunteer
as servers and see first-hand the work that they have been so generous in
supporting through Labels Are For Jars. December 25, 2007: Christmas dinner was served
tonight to over 400 guests at the Cor Unum Meal Center! Thank you to all of
our sponsors and volunteers for making this holiday a time of love, warmth,
and health. December 23, 2007: The Christmas tree has
been put up and decorated in the dining room at Cor Unum, and our volunteers
are pushing hard to prepare the big feast that will be served from 4:00 to
6:30 pm on Christmas Day. If you’re in the Lawrence area, please stop by to
visit Cor Unum during the Christmas season. We believe the experience will
warm your heart. December 21, 2007: If you’re doing your
holiday shopping in downtown Boston, consider visiting the fabulous folks at
Motley Home at 652 Tremont Street. In addition to being a super cool store, Motley
Home has recently begun to sell Labels gear. Many thanks to Motley’s Jimmy
Ward and Honah Lee Milne for bringing us on board! For some photos of a
December 11 Labels event at Motley Home, click here. December 18, 2007: We appreciate reading this
entry from the “c for cooking”
blog. December 15, 2007: We love this slideshow:
click here to view. How did we ever end up with all of these friends? December 12, 2007: Labels Central Committee
member and organizational wonderworker Selene Angier has a fabulous
collection of photos from the Bang Camaro concert at the Roxy that helped
launch our holiday gift campaign. To see the photos, click here. Remember, you can
purchase Labels gear to fulfill your holiday gift needs via our online store. December 9, 2007: Students from Phillips
Andover Academy continue to be very loyal volunteers at Cor Unum. To read a
recent article about the Cor Unum experience by one of our Phillips Academy
friends, Juliet Liu, click here. December 6, 2007: We have just released the
latest version of the Labels Are For Jars e-newsletter. If you’re not on our e-mailing
list and would like to subscribe to the e-newsletter, click here. December 3, 2007: How far does our website
allow us to extend the message of Labels Are For Jars? Our online visitors
during the past month came from (in descending order of total number of
visits): the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia,
Germany, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Singapore, Sweden, Norway,
Portugal, Ireland, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Italy, the
Czech Republic, Kuwait, Mexico, Belgium, and Jordan! November 30, 2007: Caps off to our friend John Varvatos, who was named yesterday as GQ Magazine’s Designer of the Year.
The December issue of GQ features actor
Casey Affleck in a six-page editorial dressed in the John Varvatos
Collection, John Varvatos USA, John Varvatos Eyewear, and Converse by John
Varvatos. We cannot guarantee your appearance in GQ, but we are definitely able to offer you the Labels Skullcap by John Varvatos,
which John personally designed and produced for our project. To purchase the Labels Skullcap by John Varvatos,
click here. November 27, 2007: Central Committee member
Paul B. O’Brien today spoke to an assembly of the student body and faculty of
The Governor’s Academy in Byfield, MA. Thank you to headmaster Marty Doggett
and everyone at the school for offering such a warm welcome and manifesting
such active interest in the issue of hunger in our country. We’re hoping to
welcome some folks from The Governor’s Academy to Cor Unum in the near
future! November 25, 2007: Ace Central Committee
member Frank Mahon has done an A+ job in reorganizing the Photo Gallery
section of this website. To check out photos from a variety of Labels events,
click here. November 22, 2007: We celebrated today our
second Thanksgiving at the Cor Unum Meal Center, with a big feast for several
hundred guests. We are thankful to everyone who continues to make Cor Unum a
reality – our guests, our volunteers, our sponsors, and everyone who helps us
eliminate hunger in Lawrence through Labels Are For Jars. November 19, 2007: The PR leading to the Bang
Camaro concert featured news about Labels Are For Jars on a wide variety of
entertainment websites and blogs, further spreading the word about who we are
and what we do. We appreciate all the hard work of our crack PR team,
especially Selene Angier and Tracy Murphy, who oversaw Labels outreach for
the Roxy event. November 16, 2007: Tonight’s concert at the
Roxy was an unbelievable experience. It was a great crowd and of course a
fantastic show from Bang Camaro and the Marc Andre Belliveau Band. Many of the members of Bang
Camaro wore Labels shirts and caps during the concert, and couldn’t have been
more aggressive in driving people to our side of the Roxy to purchase Labels
gear. Thanks to everyone from Bang and Teton Gravity Research for offering
such enthusiastic support to our project. It is great to be partners with
you! November 13, 2007: Olivia Rodrigues, a Labels
supporter in London, England, invited her friends who attended her birthday
party to make donations to Labels Are For Jars. The gifts totaled $150 to
help feed hungry people at the Cor Unum Meal Center. Thank you, Olivia, for
being so thoughtful – and happy birthday! November 10, 2007: We are very pleased to
announce the release of a limited edition Labels
Are For Jars “rock star” shirt, inspired by local music sensation Band Camaro, in association with extreme sports film-house Teton Gravity Research. Bang Camaro is a gang metal choir
that offers up a platter of Iron Maiden, Dio and
Thin Lizzy. They don’t have one lead singer, they have twenty. Their debut
full-length album has been featured on MTV, RollingStone.com, and in the
Boston Globe. For more information, visit www.bangcamaro.com. Teton Gravity Research is the
nation’s premier action sports entertainment and production house. Founded in
1996, TGR's elite team consists of award winning producers, directors, and
cinematographers. The team includes the most recognized professional athletes
in skiing, snowboarding, surfing, and related action sports. To learn more,
visit http://www.tetongravity.com. The new label will debut
at the local premier of TGR's latest epic film, “Lost and Found”. The screening will feature live music sets from Bang
Camaro and the Marc
Andre Belliveau
Band. The premier will take place on Friday, November
16, at The Roxy in Boston (279 Tremont Street). Doors open at 7:00 pm, and
the event begins at 7:15 pm. Tickets for the 21+ show are $20, and may be
purchased at the door. The first 700 people get a free lift ticket to Mount Snow! Event sponsors include Mount Snow, Ski Market, Bern
Helmets, Orlio Organic Beer, Magic Hat Brewery, and N'East Magazine. We are thrilled to
introduce our new “rock star” label (now available on our
online store), and we applaud Bang
Camaro and Teton Gravity Research for their enthusiastic participation in our mission. Bang Camaro and Teton Gravity Research are on the cutting edge not just of music and sports, but
of helping to eliminate hunger in this country. November 7, 2007: Central Committee member Paul B. O’Brien
received the “Heroes Among Us” award from the Boston Celtics at tonight’s
game against the Denver Nuggets at the TD Banknorth
Garden. This was a great chance to have our story shared with a big crowd at
a sold-out arena, and to further spread the word about our mission of
eradicating hunger in Lawrence. November 3, 2007: Central Committee member Dan O’Brien joined
a large group of high school students at Saint Mary’s in Winchester, MA, to
discuss possibilities for a new Labels street team in their town. The student
leaders who had visited Cor Unum a few days ago helped coordinate the
gathering. The meeting was a big success, with lots of enthusiasm and great
ideas for street marketing Labels Are For Jars in Winchester. We are looking
forward to working with these new members of the Labels team! October 30, 2007: We were happy to welcome to Lawrence
tonight a terrific group of high school leaders from Saint Mary Parish in
Winchester, MA, who were following through on a Labels informational session
that had been held in Winchester last spring. The students helped serve
dinner at Cor Unum, and then met to discuss their next steps for organizing a
street team in their town. Stay tuned! October 27, 2007: The leaders of the Walpole Community Food
Pantry in Walpole, MA, sent us a big donation to help purchase food for meals
at Cor Unum. Now THAT’S generosity. October 24, 2007: A married couple who have been active
supporters of Labels in New York City sent us a gift of $750, with matching
gift materials from one of their businesses. We are always eager to receive
matching gift opportunities, as they allow us to serve twice as many folks
with your generosity. If you have questions about matching gift processing,
contact us at questions@labelsareforjars.org, or 978-984-0118. October 21, 2007: We had a celebration today for volunteers
who serve at the Next month will bring a cool new
partnership for Labels Are For Jars. Stay tuned for a BANG. Many of our major donors gathered tonight
at Cor Unum for a thank-you reception marking our first anniversary of meal
service. It was a beautiful evening, a good chance for us to update our
sponsors on our progress during the past year, and an opportunity for sponsors
and volunteers to spend time together. We appreciate having received the following
jar returns from around Massachusetts: $29 from Dracut, $30 from Lawrence,
$36 from Wellesley, $40 from Andover, $56 from Amesbury, and $85 from Revere.
Whenever you like, please empty the contents of your Labels jar, put the
money in the form of a check or money order, and mail it to us! Muchas gracias for many recent gifts from
friends in Massachusetts: $25 from Andover, $25 from Cambridge, $25 from
Concord, $25 from Lawrence, $25 from North Andover, $40 from Lawrence, $50
from Newburyport, $50 from Lawrence, $50 from Wellesley, $50 from Melrose,
$50 from Lexington, $60 from Melrose, $75 from Melrose, $80 from Lawrence,
$100 from Hingham, $100 from Andover, $190 from Lawrence, $250 from
Arlington, $300 from North Andover, $300 from Concord, $500 from Arlington,
$500 from Lawrence, and $500 from Wellesley. Our second year of operations
continues to receive generous financial support! As we begin our second year of service at
the Cor Unum Meal Center, we know that we will be busier than ever. The
economic situation in Lawrence remains very difficult, and heating costs this
winter will be significantly higher for many of our families. The need for
nutritious meals is tremendous. We are enthusiastic about meeting this need
through the work of Cor Unum, and we are grateful to all who make this
possible. Knowing that we have many of thousands of meals to serve in the
year ahead, we are especially grateful for the huge gift of $50,000
from a Labels supporter in October 3, 2007: We appreciate having received the following
gifts from around Massachusetts: $20 from Andover, $20 from Melrose, $25 from
North Andover, $25 from Woburn, $50 from Wellesley, $100 from Concord, $100
from Hingham, $150 from Stow, $250 from Arlington, and $2,000 from
Osterville. September 30, 2007: Our first anniversary dinner at Cor Unum
tonight was an amazing experience. The total number of guests served at the
meal was 821! It was a fantastic celebration of our first year of providing
meals that are eliminating hunger for thousands of people in Lawrence. To all
who have sacrificed through Labels Are For Jars to build and operate the Cor
Unum Meal Center, one million thanks! September 28, 2007: WBZ-TV 4 in Boston today broadcast a
terrific report on our first anniversary and 100,000th meal. To see
the segment, click here. September 27, 2007: Another milestone. At breakfast at Cor Unum this morning, we
served our 100,000th meal! One
year. 100,000
meals. 1,000,000
thanks to you! September 25, 2007: Here’s the menu for our first anniversary
dinner at Cor Unum this Sunday night: shrimp cocktail, baked brie, hummus
with flat bread, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry
sauce, squash casserole, fresh baked rolls, and all of the desserts under the
sky. September 23, 2007: We are one week away from the first
anniversary of the opening of the Cor Unum Meal Center. A major feast is
being planned for our guests next Sunday night. If you are in the Lawrence
area, please come by to help us celebrate! September 20, 2007: Thank you for the gift of $5,000 from a
Labels supporter in Belmont, MA. Your sacrifice will provide thousands of
meals at Cor Unum! September 17, 2007: We are very grateful for the kindness of a
congressional candidate in Indiana who sent us a donation of over $2,000 from
his campaign committee. Hooray for the Midwest! September 14, 2007: Labels Are For Jars shirts are very
durable, thanks to the quality control of our production team. While we don’t
want people to retire the Labels shirts they’ve been wearing, we do want to
encourage additional purchases. In the mood for a new label? Head to our
online store. September 10, 2007: A Labels supporter who was wearing one of
our “homeless” shirts in his local gym was asked by a woman on an elliptical
machine, “Are you really homeless?” This gave the opening for an explanation
of Labels Are For Jars, and hopefully another connection to help eliminate
hunger in Lawrence! September 7, 2007: Labels’ Central Committee members Conan
O’Brien and September 4, 2007: With the opening of school in Lawrence this
week, we are particularly grateful to be able to provide a nutritious
breakfast to our kids every day before classes. Hungry children do not learn.
Thanks to our donors, no child in Lawrence needs to be hungry in school. September 1, 2007: We are just a month away (September 30)
from the first anniversary of the opening of the Cor Unum Meal Center. The
guessing has started on how many meals we will have served when the
anniversary date arrives. Your prediction? August 29, 2007: Thank you for recent donations from around
Massachusetts: $20 from Melrose, $25
from North Andover, $25 from Woburn, $25 from Lawrence, $50 from Wellesley,
$50 from Hingham, $50 from Boston, $100 from North Eastham, $200 from
Andover, $250 from Arlington, $1,000 from Osterville, and $1,700 from
Concord. You are making a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of people
in Lawrence! August 26, 2007: A Labels supporter in Alexandria, VA
contacted us to say that he will be competing in a triathlon and wants to
have Labels be the beneficiary of the money he raises from his sponsors. We
were very pleased to send him Labels’ 501(c)(3) tax documentation, which the
triathlon’s organizers needed to make this possible. If you have similar
creative ideas with which we may be of assistance, please contact us at questions@labelsareforjars.org, or 978-984-0118. August 23, 2007: This has been a particularly busy week at
the Cor Unum Meal Center, with over 500 people served each night at dinner. It
is almost hard to believe that the thousands of people who each week receive
nourishing meals at Cor Unum would otherwise have little or nothing to eat.
With your continuing support of Labels Are For Jars, no person in Lawrence
has to worry about suffering from hunger! August 20, 2007: We appreciate having received a very
generous donation from Immaculate Conception Church in Stoughton, MA.
Immaculate Conception is a tithing parish, which means that they donate ten
percent of their weekly offertory collection to a charity outside the parish.
If your faith community has a similar program and would consider contributing
to Labels Are For Jars, we would be very happy to dedicate your gift to
feeding the hungry at Cor Unum. August 17, 2007: We are very pleased to announce that we
have reached the milestone of serving breakfast seven days a week at the Cor
Unum Meal Center. That means we are now offering both breakfast and dinner
365 days a year. Thank you to all of the donors and volunteers who have made
possible this great work! August 14, 2007: Part of the simple concept of Labels Are
For Jars is that if a person sacrifices a modest amount of money over an
extended period of time, it can add up to a significant amount of money to
help feed the hungry. One couple who last November began sending $20 to $30
to Labels every other week has now contributed a total of $550. A donor who
in April of 2006 began sending $40-or-so a month has contributed a total of
$940. A gentleman who in October of 2005 began most months mailing us $50 has
contributed a total of $1,150. Very impressive! We are very pleased to announce this
weekend that we have passed the 75,000-meals-served milestone at Cor Unum. We
have been averaging more than 400 guests at dinner each night during the
summer, and have even served more than 500 people at one meal. Thank you to
all who make possible this fantastic experience through their support of
Labels Are For Jars. August 8, 2007: Our PR team is working this summer to place
Labels gear in gift guides for the 2007 holiday season. If you have gift
guide connections that you’d like to pass on, please contact us at questions@labelsareforjars.org. One of our youngest Labels supporters,
five-year-old Alexandra Colinet of August 1, 2007: We are grateful to a family whose sons have
been connected with Labels through the Saint Sebastian’s street team for
sponsoring a week of summer camp in Thank you for recent Labels jar returns:
$10 from Sales from our online store indicate you
should be able to spot folks wearing Labels gear in We were taken aback this morning when a
Labels supporter from July 18, 2007: Thank you to all the members of the Rotary
Club of Sayville, NY for their contribution of $600 to Labels Are For Jars.
If you are a member of a community organization that might be interested in
contributing to Labels, we are very interested in hearing from you! Because of volunteers’ summer vacations and
the increasing number of guests at Cor Unum, we eagerly welcome new
volunteers at dinner (seven nights a week) and breakfast (Sundays through
Wednesdays). If you are interested in volunteering at Cor Unum, click here. During recent weeks, the number of folks
eating at Cor Unum has continued to steadily grow. The largest increase is in
children and teenagers. Presumably this may reflect many of our kids’ not
eating lunch or breakfast at school, as they do during the academic year.
Whatever the reason for our ever-growing numbers, we are thankful for being
able to provide nutritious meals, seven days a week, to the young people of Saint Patrick Parish has a big Sunday night
basketball program for teenagers in July 4, 2007: Cor Unum today celebrated the Fourth of
July with a huge indoor picnic for almost 400 guests. The decorations were
beautiful, the food was superb, and the spirit was great. We have heard from a number of youth
programs that are interested in building Thank you for recent donations from around
Massachusetts: $10 from Wellesley, $21 from Concord, $25 from North Andover,
$32 from Swampscott, $50 from Wellesley, $50 from Melrose, $50 from Hingham, $50
from Lexington, $50 from Medford, $100 from Andover, $200 from Methuen, $200
from Charlestown, $200 from Salisbury, $250 from Arlington, $405 from
Bedford, and $500 from Lawrence. One hundred percent of these donations will
be used to help feed the hungry at the Cor Unum Meal center! June 25, 2007: This week has brought scorching weather to
much of the Northeast, including A supporter from We are very happy to announce the birth of
Paget Clare O’Brien, the daughter of Central Committee member Luke O’Brien
and his wife Ilse, as well as niece of Central Committee member Conan
O’Brien, with whose red hair Paget has been blessed. At Labels
Are For Jars, our goal is to attract people’s
attention, inform them about the reality of hunger, and give them the
opportunity to feed hungry people. Wherever and however the word spreads
about Labels, we find generous people who are eager to sacrifice to feed the hungry.
A recent example of this is a couple in The numbers of people served every day at
the Where are you likely to see people wearing Labels
Are For Jars gear? Recent online sales show purchases from June 8, 2007: The A friend was waiting in the crowd outside One of the founders of Labels Are For Jars
was today approached by a very enthusiastic stranger who asked, “Aren’t you
the person behind that Too Many Labels For the Jars project?” We are always
pleased to see the word spread about Labels, whatever we’re really called. The students in the LEO Club from the May 24, 2007: We appreciate having received recent Labels
jar returns from supporters in Thank you for recent donations from around
the country: $10 from Sean Casey’s visit to The “skilled waiter” mentioned in the May 9
Buzz item turns out to be Central Committee member Sean Casey, who is in town
with the Detroit Tigers for four games against the Boston Red Sox. Sean came
up to May 13, 2007: When dinner service began at Cor Unum last
fall, there was a ramped-up schedule that gradually progressed from three
nights a week to seven nights a week. We’re following the same pattern with
breakfast. This week, breakfast will be served on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
and Wednesday from The A fine group of students from Central Committee member April 29, 2007: The worship community at the Hanscom Air
Force Base Chapel in Bedford, MA once again dedicated their Lenten almsgiving
to Labels Are For Jars. We appreciate the very generous contribution to
Labels, and the Hanscom community’s continuing support of our mission.
Special thanks to Father Michael B. Medas for his leadership! April 26, 2007: We are excited to announce that another milestone
has been reached at the Cor Unum Meal Center – over 40,000 meals have been
served since we opened the doors last autumn! The number of people coming to
dinner each night is in the 300 range, which is pretty amazing. If you are
able to join us in Lawrence for a meal at Cor Unum, there is a seat waiting
for you. April 23, 2007: One hundred percent of the money
contributed to Labels Are For Jars goes directly to feeding people through
the Cor Unum Meal Center. At the same time, some people who have connected
with the people of Lawrence through Labels have extended their generosity in
additional ways. One Labels supporter last summer visited the indoor
basketball court at Saint Patrick’s that is used by hundreds of kids in the
Lawrence, including many who now eat regularly at Cor Unum. The floor of the
court is made of often-slippery tile. Seeing the tile floor was a negative
surprise to the visiting Labels supporter. As a follow-through, the visitor
recently donated $70,000 to have a professional, wooden basketball floor
installed to replace the tile. This was a huge gift to the young people of
Lawrence. They – and we – are very
grateful for it. April 20, 2007: Thank you to the many folks who have been sending
us the contents of their Lent Collection Jars, Once again, people’s Lenten
almsgiving to Labels Are For Jars has yielded thousands of dollars to help
feed the hungry through Cor Unum. April 17, 2007: Spring has arrived in many parts of the USA,
and is even allegedly on the way to New England. This may be a good time to
stock up on some new Labels gear for the warm weather. Our success has
everything to do with word-of-mouth, so whenever you wear a Labels shirt, you
help spread our message. Purchases may be made through this website by
clicking above on “STORE”, or at any Newbury Comics retail location. April 14, 2007: A friend of Labels Are For Jars who lives
in Belmont, MA, recently wrote “I am glad to hear that Labels Are For Jars
and Cor Unum are booming. You are bringing joy and hope to many. Thanks for
all that you do.” Enclosed was a check for $5,000! April 11, 2007: Matching corporate gifts for donations of
$75 from New Jersey and $750 from New York City double the generosity of
Labels supporters. If your company features a matching gift program, simply
send us the relevant forms with your contribution, and we will be happy to
take care of the rest of the process. April 8, 2007: We celebrated our first Easter dinner at
Cor Unum today, with over 400 guests. The menu was fantastic, and there were
take-home Easter baskets for kids and packages of chocolate for adults. Thank
you to all the volunteers who did an exceptional job of organizing the Easter
feast, and to all the supporters of Labels Are For Jars who helped make it
possible! April 5, 2007: We appreciate having received the following
donations from around Massachusetts: $10 from Wellesley; $20 from Bedford;
$25 from Concord; $25 from North Andover; $25 from Woburn; $25 from Malden;
$40 from Lawrence; $50 from Melrose; $50 from Hingham; $50 from Lexington;
$100 from Newton; $100 from Fitchburg; $100 from Charlestown; $175 from Cambridge;
$200 from Braintree; $200 from Brighton; and $250 from Arlington. April 1, 2007: This week will bring the conclusion of
Lent. We are very thankful to all who have participated in the Labels Are For
Jars Lent program. As Lent comes to completion, we encourage you to empty
your Lent Collection Jar and put the contents in the form of a check or money
order. Please mail your contribution to Labels Are For Jars, 118 South
Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843. We welcome your comments about our Lent
program, and your suggestions for next year. March 29, 2007: We have received numerous positive comments
about the ongoing improvements to this website. For the past several months,
this hands-on work has been managed by the amazing March 26, 2007: A supporter sent us the following quotation
from Thomas Merton in Seasons of
Celebration: “If a person has to be pleasing to me, comforting,
reassuring, before I can love him, then I cannot truly love him. Not that
love cannot console or reassure! But if I demand first to be reassured, I
will never dare to begin loving. If a person has to be a Jew or a Christian
before I can love him, then I cannot love him. If he has to belong to my
political party or social group before I can love him, then I cannot love
him. If he has to wear my kind of uniform, then my love is no longer love
because it is not free: it is dictated by something outside itself. It is
dominated by an appetite other than love. I love not the person but his
classification, and in that I love him not as a person but as a thing. I love
his label which confirms me in my attachment to my own label. But in that
case I do not even love myself. I value myself not for what I am, but for my
label, my classification. In this way I remain at the mercy of forces outside
myself, and those who seem to me to be neighbors are indeed strangers for I
am first of all a stranger to myself.” March 23, 2007: The people of Lawrence continue to very actively support the work of Labels Are For Jars. Thank you for the following recent donations from Lawrence: $5, $25, $40, $40, $40, $40, $40, $40, $50, $50, $50, $80, $80, $86, and $100! March 19, 2007: People use their Labels collection jars in many ways. Some folks have a regular schedule for emptying their jars and sending us whatever is in them, and some folks wait for their jars to be full. However you do it, we are grateful for your dedication to actively using your Labels jar to gather money to support the Cor Unum Meal Center. Special thanks for these recent jar returns: $10 from Lawrence, MA; $36 from Andover, MA; $39.50 from Boston, MA; $52.90 from Worcester, MA; $72 from Wellesley, MA; $83.23 from New York City, and $461.99 from Lawrence, MA. March 16, 2007: We appreciate the kindness of the folks at
Digitas in Boston, who sent a generous contribution from their charitable
gift fund. If your company has such a fund, would you consider applying for a
donation to Labels Are For Jars? March 13, 2007: Central Committee member March 10, 2007: As they did last year, teenagers from Saint Anthony of Padua Parish in Shirley, MA organized a local “Souper Bowl of Caring” on Super Bowl Sunday. This year, they were joined by teens from Saint Mary Parish in Ayer, MA. The director of both programs, Donna Vaira, made a personal visit to Cor Unum to deliver the proceeds from the effort – a total of $722.35! Thank you to everyone who donated to the Souper Bowl of Caring in Shirley and Ayer. Your gifts will be put to work to help feed the hungry in Lawrence! March 7, 2007: Welcome to the world to Dalton McDermott,
son of Central Committee member Tara McDermott and her husband, Joe. Tara has
been with Labels since our first days, and Joe is both a member of the
Central Committee of the Cor Unum Meal Center and the Operations Manager at
Saint Patrick’s in Lawrence. We are very happy to greet Dalton as our latest
Labels Baby. March 4, 2007: Thank you for recent donations from around
the country: $10 from Mulkilteo, WA; $25 from Westminster, CO; $50 from Cary,
NC; $50 from Fairfax, VA; $50 from Lynchburg, VA; $50 from St. Cloud, FL; $50
from Barefoot Bay, FL; $200 from Greenville, SC; and a SUPER generous $5,000
from Boynton Beach, FL! March 1, 2007: If you haven’t recently checked it out,
there are many updates on the Cor Unum Meal Center’s website. Click here to visit. February 27, 2007: It’s terrific to read another piece about
our new Labels Skull Cap by John Varvatos, this time in stuff@night. Click here to view. February
24, 2007: George Martell is one of Boston’s most
acclaimed photojournalists. We love his slideshow and music commemorating the
cocktail party for sponsors and opening press conference at Cor Unum last
fall. To see the slideshow, click here.
(Click two times on the left side of the tool bar below the slideshow to
start it.) February 21, 2007: There was a terrific piece about the Labels
Skull Cap by John Varvatos on the cover of the “Sidekick” section of today’s
Boston Globe. Take a look! February 18, 2007: Labels Are For Jars is made up of people of a wide variety of faiths and people who do not profess religious faith. We are eager to promote the Labels mission within any and all faith communities.
For Christians, the season of Lent begins this week. For this important spiritual season, Labels has released our third annual Lent Guide. The Labels Lent program includes:
We hope you find these
useful! February 14, 2007: A thousand thanks to our
friends at Newbury Comics for doing such a great job promoting the Labels Skull Cap by John Varvatos at
their retail stores, and for featuring the caps for sale in their online
store. Where would we be without Newbury Comics? We are very pleased to
announce the release of our much-anticipated new product, the Labels
Skull Cap by John Varvatos,
personally created by celebrated menswear designer John Varvatos. The Labels Skull Cap by John Varvatos is 100 percent marino black wool, with the
label “hungry” on the front and the Labels Are For Jars and John Varvatos
logos on the back, with grey stitching along the rim. Each cap is packaged in
a plastic Labels Are For Jars collection jar. One hundred percent of the
profits from the sale of the caps, plus all of the money collected in the
Labels jar, will be used to help feed the hungry through the John Varvatos is one of today’s premier fashion designers, honored three times by the Council of Fashion Designers of America – with an American Fashion Award for New Menswear Designer (June 2000) and Menswear Designer of the Year (June 2001 and June 2005). John has an eclectic point of view that pairs the luxurious with the casual, ultimately creating a look of easy elegance. Launched in 2000, the John Varvatos
Lifestyle Collection is comprised of the John Varvatos Collection, John
Varvatos With the release of the Labels Skull Cap
by John Varvatos, John
has explained to the media, “I am very pleased to be part of a cause with
such an important social message.” Labels’ Central Committee member Sean
Casey this week told the press, “We are so thankful to John Varvatos for
stepping up to the plate. It’s not often you see something like this - a guy
as influential as John Varvatos using his talents to help feed the hungry.
It’s amazing. John Varvatos is the man.” Typical John Varvatos branded products retail
for hundreds of dollars, but in keeping with the spirit of our project, the
caps are retailing for only $20 – the same price as Labels Are For Jars
shirts. The Labels Skull Cap by John
Varvatos is available for purchase through our online store and at all Newbury Comics retail
locations. All of us at Labels Are For Jars have been
taken aback by the generosity of John Varvatos. We are excited to extend our
product line to include the “hungry” label – a label that is too prevalent in
our society. We witness the reality of hunger every day, and we are working
to eliminate the reality of hunger in A donor from February
5, 2007: The segment about Cor Unum and Labels that
appeared on the Today Show on Thanksgiving morning may now be viewed on this
website. Just click the Today Show box on our homepage, or click “In the
News” on the toolbar to your left. We appreciate the dedication of the folks
who manage our product inventory at Labels headquarters, especially for their
extra work during recent days in preparing for our new product release. Bev
Ouellette is our Inventory Queen, and her husband, Bryan, has been a huge
support. Caps off to both of you! January
30, 2007: Central Committee member January
27, 2007: We appreciate having received recent donations
from around Massachusetts: $20 from Woburn, $36 from West Newton, $40 from
Lawrence, $50 from Melrose, $50 from Dracut, $70 from Wellesley, $80 from
North Andover, $100 from Hingham, $150 from Weston, $150 from Charlestown,
$200 from Brighton, $250 from Arlington, and $1,000 from Medfield! A supporter in Volunteers at Cor Unum tonight included our
faithful friends from Thank you for recent jar returns from January 16, 2007: We are happy to announce
that, beginning tomorrow night, the
January 12, 2007: Labels purchases come from all around the United States. Recent online buyers live in Cape Neddick, ME; Dover, NH; Trumbull, CT; New York City, NY; Shrewsbury, NJ; Olney, MD; Washington, DC; Harrisburg, PA; Wilkesboro, NC; New Orleans, LA; Orlando, FL; Elkhart, IN; Dubuque, IA; Kentwood, MI; Minneapolis, MN; Austin, TX; Chandler, AZ; and Los Angeles, CA. Thank you all for spreading the word about Labels Are For Jars and helping feed the hungry in Lawrence, MA!
January 8, 2007: We mentioned several months ago that Labels is planning to release a very hot new product. That release is just around the corner. Stay tuned for the news!
January 4, 2007: We begin 2007 with our
appreciation for recent gifts from Labels supporters around Massachusetts:
$25 from North Andover, $25 from Malden, $25 from Acton, $30 from Lawrence, $50
from Melrose, $50 from Concord, $50 from Hingham, $50 from Amesbury, $50 from
Burlington, $60 from Wellesley, $100 from Hyde Park, $100 from Dracut, $150
from Charlestown, $200 from Brighton, $200 from Brookline, $250 from
Arlington, $500 from Boston, $500 from West Newton, and $1,000 from Byfield.
One hundred percent of your contributions help battle hunger in Lawrence
through the Cor Unum Meal Center! December 29, 2006: Thank you for recent gifts from around the country: $15 from Savannah, GA; $25 from Lake Worth, FL; $40 from Westminster, CO; $100 from Cary, NC; $200 from Hampton, NH; $200 from Edison, NJ; $200 from Columbia, MD; $500 from New York City; and $500 from Smyrna, GA. Your support means so much to us!
December 25, 2006: Christmas dinner at Cor Unum was served to almost 300 guests and many happy volunteers. The menu was shrimp cocktail, turkey, stuffing, honey glazed ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, fresh baked rolls, and an assortment of wonderful desserts. It was a very blessed Christmas! December 23, 2006: We’re happy to report that holiday sales have been very good at Labels Are For Jars. Thank you to all who have helped feed the hungry in Lawrence and spread the word about Labels through their purchases of Labels gear this season!
December 19, 2006: A couple in Wenham, MA made a contribution to Labels in honor of their friends’ 50th wedding anniversary. If you are interested in making a gift to Labels in honor of friends or on a special occasion, simply send that information to us with your donation, and we will be happy to write to the people you are honoring.
December 15, 2006: Thank you to Immaculate Conception Church in Stoughton, MA for having contributed ten percent of one week’s offertory collection to Labels Are For Jars. December 11, 2006:
December 9, 2006:
December 7, 2006: December 5, 2006:
December 3, 2006:
December 1, 2006:
November 29, 2006: November 27, 2006:
November 25, 2006: November 23, 2006:
November 21, 2006:
November 19, 2006:
November 17, 2006:
November 13, 2006:
November 11, 2006:
November 9, 2006: November 7, 2006:
November 5, 2006:
November 2, 2006:
October 31, 2006:
October 29, 2006:
October 27, 2006:
October 24, 2006: October 21, 2006:
We reached today another historic milestone
in the history of Labels Are For Jars – the official announcement of the
successful completion of the
A media event, held this morning at Cor
Unum, featured the leaders of Cor Unum and Labels Are For Jars, including
Labels' Central Committee members Conan O'Brien,
Just over a year ago, we established the mission of trying to raise $400,000 by the time the doors of Cor Unum opened, to be used to fund the operations of the center.
We were THRILLED today to announce that over $500,000 has been
raised – far exceeding our $400,000 goal! Of that $500,000, over $300,000 has come through Labels Are For
Jars – an amazing accomplishment! Thank you to everyone who has contributed
to Labels. You have done more than anyone might have ever imagined would be
possible to help feed the hungry in
Since Labels went to market in the winter of 2004, our supporters
have contributed over $775,000 to help feed people through the
Because of so many people's generosity, we begin the operations of Cor Unum in a solid financial position.
Our mission continues! We
still need to actively raise funds to operate Cor Unum. We also have before
us a number of major, previously unforeseen needs. For example, we announced
today a partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank, through which the
majority of the food served at Cor Unum will come. With that positive
development, we now know we need a refrigeration truck to manage food
transportation to and from
So please stay tuned to this website for
the continuing adventure of Labels Are For Jars. Please keep filling
your jars, please continue to build this grassroots effort by promoting
Labels in your community, and please continue to work with us to creatively
build support to feed the hungry in
We reached an extraordinary milestone today, and we're looking
forward to more great milestones in the future!
Major donors to Labels Are For Jars and Cor
Unum, as well as many of the folks who have been instrumental in building the
meal center, gathered tonight for a pre-opening celebration. A reception was
held at Cor Unum, with tours of the facility and the official blessing of the
new building. A dinner followed in Saint Patrick's parish center. We are very
grateful to the many friends of Labels Are For Jars and Cor Unum who fully
sponsored tonight's events! Today's
In these days leading up to the opening of
the doors of Cor Unum, we are very grateful for a donation of $2,500 from a
Labels supporter in
Construction work at Cor Unum continues at a rapid pace. Today, final preparations were made for the paving of the center's parking lot, and much landscaping was done. We are moving quickly toward opening!
Thank you for a jar return of $76.56 from
A number of folks have asked to be reminded of our fundraising goal for the opening of Cor Unum. When we announced last September that we had successfully raised the funds to build Cor Unum, we established the very ambitious goal of raising $400,000 for the operations of the center (see the September 22, 2005 Buzz item on this website). How close to that goal are we? The drum roll begins now and the answer will be announced on September 25!
September 10, 2006: Leaders from Cor Unum organized their first volunteer fair this weekend, offering tours of the yet-to-be-completed meal center to members of Saint Patrick Parish, and providing information on a wide range of volunteer opportunities. More than 100 folks signed up as future volunteers – a great start! Stay tuned to this website for future information about volunteering at Cor Unum. September 8, 2006: We are very thankful for a super generous donation of $5,000 from a Labels supporter in Belmont, MA. Your gift will go a long way in helping feed the hungry through the Cor Unum Meal Center.
September 6, 2006: The latest economic statistics released last week by the Census Bureau offer sobering information about the reality of poverty in Lawrence. The latest figures (for 2005) show that in Lawrence the average per capita income is now $14,743. Of the 82,191 people in Lawrence, 33.1 percent live below the poverty line. 49.9 percent of children under the age of 18 live below the poverty line in Lawrence, as do 27 percent of people aged 65 years and over. The need in Lawrence is great – as is the generosity of all who are helping to feed the hungry in Lawrence through Labels Are For Jars.
September 4, 2006: Thank you for recent gifts from around Massachusetts: $25 from Newton, $25 from North Andover, $40 from Lawrence, $40 from Andover, $50 from North Reading, $50 from Wellesley, $50 from Melrose, $75 from Methuen, $100 from North Eastham, $250 from Arlington, and $1,000 from Concord!
September 2, 2006: Our friends at Newbury Comics have been collecting donations through Labels jars at the registers in their Newton, MA store. We were pleased to receive a big jar return check of $594 from the Newton store! Many thanks to everyone at Newbury Comics for being such aggressive supporters of Labels Are For Jars. September 1, 2006: We received a generous donation from the community at Hanscom Air Force Base, honoring the retirement of a member of the United States Air Force. Thank you for having thought of us!
August 29, 2006: We are just about a month away from the opening of the Cor Unum Meal Center. Cor Unum will begin serving dinners on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights. Service will expand to additional nights, and then addition meals, as we learn the pattern of demand and have enough volunteers trained to operate the center. We plan to serve our first dinner on Saturday, September 30!
August 27, 2006: The Labels Are For Jars elves have been working on a very cool new item that will be released for the holiday season. Right now, it's a secret! August 25, 2006: Are you headed off to college now or in the next couple of weeks? Don't forget to pack your Labels shirt, or to pick up a new one through our online store!
August 23, 2006: With the opening of the Cor Unum Meal Center just over a month away, our construction team is very hard at work. The paneling of the walls in the dining room is nearing completion. Walls throughout the center are being painted. Much kitchen equipment is being installed. The property around the center has been leveled in preparation for a road, sidewalks, and landscaping. There's much to be accomplished in the next few weeks, but great progress is being made!
August 20, 2006: We have received a number of inquiries about the possibility of volunteering to work at the Cor Unum Meal Center as it enters its operational phase at the beginning of October. We are happy to welcome volunteers – and we're going to need a great deal of help in running the center. Stay tuned for more information in upcoming weeks.
August 17, 2006: We were glad to see notes about Sean Casey's visit to Cor Unum in today's Boston Herald and Boston Globe.
August 16, 2006: Central Committee member Sean Casey, in
Boston to aggravate Red Sox Nation, visited Lawrence and Cor Unum today. Sean
is one of several Labels Are For Jars leaders who live far from Lawrence, so
this was his first chance to see the meal center in person. August 14, 2006: Thank you for a jar return of $185 from a family in Newton, MA. If you haven't recently emptied your Labels jar to send us the contents, this would be a great time to do so!
August 11, 2006: We appreciate having received the following donations from around Massachusetts: $20 from Sudbury, $20 from Lawrence, $25 from Chestnut Hill, $25 from Revere, $25 from North Andover, $25 from Everett, $50 from Concord, $50 from Wellesley, $50 from Danvers, $50 from Melrose, $100 from West Roxbury, $100 from Brighton, $100 from Malden, $250 from Arlington, $400 from Acton, and $500 from Hopkinton.
August 8, 2006: Thank you to recent anonymous donors of gifts of $100 and $285. Wherever and whoever you are, your sacrifice brings us one step closer to opening the Cor Unum Meal Center.
August 6, 2006: We have once again benefited from the matching gift program of the company of a generous contributor to Labels Are For Jars. In this case, a New York City company matched an employee's gift of $2,000. If you need any information to have your company match your gift to Labels Are For Jars, please give us a shout!
August 4, 2006: If you're considering forming a Labels Are For Jars street team in your community, we would be happy to discuss possibilities with you. Starting a street team is a great way for friends, family, and groups to get involved in feeding the hungry in Lawrence. Feel free to shoot us an e-mail at questions@labelsareforjars.org .
August 2, 2006: July 31, 2006:
Labels Are For Jars continues to benefit from the kindness of folks who make donations to memorialize their loved ones at the time of death. If you would like to memorialize someone by making a contribution to help feed the hungry in Lawrence, simply send your donation and complete memorial information to us at 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843. If you include contact information about others who should be informed about your memorial donation, we will write to them to tell them about your thoughtfulness.
July 17, 2006: Did you ever wonder how it's possible that
100% of the money people send us from their Labels jars goes directly to the
Cor Unum Meal Center? Here's how it works. When we began Labels Are For Jars,
we started out with our own seed money and used it to produce our first
inventory. A portion of the sale of every Labels shirt is used to produce
more inventory. The rest of the money from sales goes directly to Cor Unum.
The money to cover all of our non-inventory expenses – things like operating
this website, producing print materials, etc. comes directly out of the
pockets of our Central Committee members, all of whom are volunteers (see
“Who We Are” on “The Project” section of this site). That means that when you
send us the money you collect in your Labels jar, 100% of it goes directly to
Cor Unum - not a penny is used for administrative purposes. We're proud to
have stuck with this approach since the inception of Labels Are For Jars! July 14, 2006: WINDOWS! After several months of wall building and framing, windows were installed this week in the Cor Unum Meal Center. The glass is huge and looks terrific – another big step forward in our construction project!
July 11, 2006: People in the Lawrence community have been generous in getting involved with Labels Are For Jars, sacrificing to help folks in their own city. Recent donations from Lawrence include checks for $40, $50, $100, $100, $150, and a big $2,500. A thousand thanks to all of our Lawrence supporters!
July 8, 2006: We are grateful to have received a contribution of $150 from the students at Newton Country D ay School in Newton, MA. Many thanks to everyone who has helped support Labels at Newton Country Day, including Sister Barbara Rogers, R.S.C.J., your legendary headmistress.
July 5, 2006: With the summer thaw and the end of second semester, another generous gift has been received from the fantastic Labels street team at SUNY Plattsburgh. You guys have been with us practically from the beginning of our project and are THE BEST!
July 2, 2006: Thank you for donations from supporters in Massachusetts: $25 from North Andover, $25 from Brighton, $50 from Wellesley, $50 from Arlington, $50 from Melrose, $100 from Hingham, $200 from Charlestown, and $300 from Chestnut Hill. Muchas gracias! June 28, 2006: We received an online message from a young woman who lives outside of Boston, who is working this summer in a camp. She says “I hope to get some donations and collect change and spreads the word about Labels Are For Jars by wearing my shirt around camp and provoking conversation.” We like your style!
June 26, 2006: We are continuing to make rapid progress on the construction of the Cor Unum Meal Center. During the past two weeks, the metal roof was fully installed on the building, the framing work for our huge windows moved forward, and most of the external brick work was completed. We remain on schedule for the completion of construction of Cor Unum in September!
June 23, 2006: A jar return from Reading, MA came with a check for $200 and the note, “This took a lot of spare change.”
June 21, 2006: A donor who sent us the $50 she collected in her Labels jar during Lent wrote, “I am happy to be able to contribute to such a worthy cause – feeding the hungry. I look forward to volunteering at the meal center once it opens.” We look forward to offering information about volunteering at Cor Unum toward the end of the summer!
June 19, 2006: We just received a check for $300 sent by a family who were belatedly offering a Christmas 2005 gift in honor of one of their friends. It is NEVER too late to catch up with gifts like this! June 17, 2006: We appreciate having received donations from supporters in Massachusetts: $10 from Wellesley, $25 from Wenham, $25 from North Andover, $25 from Natick, $25 from Chestnut Hill, $25 from Tyngsboro, $40 from Lawrence, $50 from Melrose, $60 from Wellesley, $50 from Boston, $100 from Brighton, $100 from Westwood, $100 from Newtonville, $100 from Belmont, $150 from Lawrence, $200 from Framingham, $200 from Concord, $250 from Arlington, $250 from Acton, and $500 from Braintree. Many thanks!
June 15, 2006: Recent jar returns received at our offices include collections of $27, $50, $53.50, $56.50, $82, $90, and $100. We seem to have more people sending us jar returns on a regular basis, rather than waiting for their Labels jars to be filled. One hundred percent of all jar returns help us reach our goal of raising $400,000 for the operations of Cor Unum!
June 13, 2006: We are thankful for recent gifts of $35 from Lilburn, GA; $100 from Goffstown, NH; $100 from New York City; $115 from Alexandria, VA; $500 from Pomfret Center, CT; and a big $2,000 from Summit, NJ.
June 11, 2006: During this graduation season a number of folks have chosen to honor graduates by making donations to Labels Are For Jars. If you're interested in this idea, you may make your donation online or by mail. Be sure to give us the name and address of the graduate whom you're honoring, and we will contact the graduate to inform him/her of your generosity.
June 9, 2006: We are grateful for the donation of $150 by the students at Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Newton, MA. Many thanks to them, and to their legendary Headmistress, Sister Barbara Rogers, R.S.C.J., for their outreach to the hungry in Lawrence!
June 7, 2006: We received a jar return of $50 from a student at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. If there are any other end-of-the-academic-year Labels jars to be emptied, please send the contents our way!
June 5, 2006: Thank you for recent gifts from across Massachusetts: $25 from Chestnut Hill, $25 from North Andover, $25 from Charlestown, $40 from Lawrence, $50 from Watertown, $50 from Melrose, $50 from Waltham, $80 from Brighton, $100 from Framingham, $100 from Canton, $100 from Bedford, $250 from Arlington, and $500 from Wellesley.
June 3, 2006: The community that worships at the chapel
at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, MA had Labels Are For Jars as a focus
during their observance of Lent. At the end of the season, the congregation
had collected $241 for Labels. Many thanks for this generous support of our
mission! June 1, 2006: A good number of people inquire about the possibility of hands-on volunteering at the Cor Unum Meal Center. We are looking forward to making available this opportunity when the meal center opens this fall. Stay tuned to this website for details as they emerge toward the end of the summer.
May 30, 2006: Thank you to the many friends of Labels who have contacted us to find out how the people of Lawrence are doing after the terrible floods that occurred two weeks ago. In case you did not read the news, the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts had its worst flooding in 70 years. Thousands of people have experienced damage to their homes and businesses. In Lawrence, a large number of the folks who have suffered the greatest devastation live in the economically poorest parts of our city. In the wake of the flooding, we are very happy to report that Cor Unum did not suffer any damage – not an inch of water from below, or a drop through the roof! With the increased need that the people of Lawrence will experience for many, many months as a result of the floods, we are all the more eager to have Cor Unum completed and operating at the end of this summer.
May 28, 2006: Mr. David W. Smith, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Boston, has been a tremendous supporter of Cor Unum and Labels Are For Jars. Without David's active support, Cor Unum might still be in the planning stage, not a concrete reality. Next month, David will retire as Chancellor. Rather than accepting personal gifts as he approaches retirement, David has asked associates and friends to make contributions to Labels Are For Jars. We have begun to receive a number of gifts in David's honor, and are very grateful that he continues to devote so much attention and kindness to our mission.
May 26, 2006: Concord, MA remains a unique source of support for Labels, largely thanks to the work of our fantastic street team. Recent donations from Concord include gifts of $10, $100, $200, $300, $500, and $2,000!
May 24, 2006: A Girl Scout Troop from a town south of Boston placed an order for a dozen Labels shirts. If you'd like to explore how Scouts in your community might get involved in our project, e-mail us at questions@labelsareforjars.org.
May 22, 2006: We received the following note with a jar return: “Dear Labels Are For Jars People: You guys are super-duper and I wish you the best of luck with the Cor Unum Meal Center. I will always send you my change as well as have my friends send you theirs.”
May 20, 2006: During Holy Week, our friends from the youth ministry program at Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in Acton, MA, led by the legendary Jim Flanagan, participated in a Thirty Hour Fast. Part of the funds they raised - $250 – were donated to Labels Are For Jars. Many thanks!
We continue to receive checks representing the almsgiving of people who participated in our 2006 Lent program. Recent Lent Jar returns include checks for $40, $50, $60, and $283. Donations to Labels Are For Jars may be made online, simply by clicking over to the “DONATE” section of this website. Muchas gracias to a supporter who recently made on online donation of $1,000!
If our online sales are any indication, the
people of
Central Committee member
We are continually impressed by the
geographic range of the folks who make online purchases of Labels gear. Thanks
to buyers from Salem, New Hampshire; Nottingham, New Hampshire; Burlington,
Vermont; Valhalla, New York; Providence, Rhode Island; Avalon, New Jersey;
Lansdowne, Pennsylvania; Waterford, Pennsylvania; Washington, DC;
Charlottesville, Virginia; Savage, Maryland; Tampa, Florida; Ann Arbor,
Michigan; Cincinnati, Ohio; Austin, Texas; Buffalo, Minnesota; Los Angeles,
California; and Laval, Quebec, Canada. We appreciate a big donation of $5,000 from
a Labels supporter in
Welcome to Labels Are For Jars to the folks
in
At Saint Patrick's in People who participated in Labels' Lent
program continue to send us their Lenten jar returns. Thank you for two
returns this week from
We appreciate having received donations of $10 from Billerica, MA; $25 from South Boston, MA; $25 from Walpole, MA; $30 from Cary, NC; $40 from Lawrence, MA; $45 from Decatur, GA; $50 from Melrose, MA; $50 from Carlisle, MA; $75 from Doraville, GA; $100 from Winchester, MA; $100 from Westminster, CO; $250 from Arlington, MA; and $500 from Londonderry, NH.
Thank you to a donor who offered a matching gift from her company, Wellington Management. If your company offers a matching gift program for 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, Labels is the group for you! Send your matching gift program's request form along with your donation, and we'll take care of the rest!
The Both yesterday and today, Labels volunteers staffed a booth at Hopkinton Common, the starting point for the Boston Marathon. This was a unique opportunity to share our story – and our inventory - with folks from all across the country. If you are involved in a very large event at which you think it would be good to include a Labels informational booth, please contact us at volunteers@labelsareforjars.org.
The street team at
With Lent coming to an end, we welcome all who participated in our 2006 Lent project to put their jar returns in the form of a check or money order and mail it to Labels Are For Jars, 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA, 01843. We hope the Lent program and prayer guide were helpful, and welcome all suggestions for future efforts of this kind!
We have received a super generous gift of
$10,000 from a couple who live in suburban
CBS4 Boston today broadcast a segment about Labels Are For Jars on its “Sunday With Liz” program. Many thanks to the amazing Liz Walker and her production staff for their kindness to us!
A supporter of Labels in
Thank you to the students in Ms. Angela
Polson's class at the
Members of the
Thank you for recent donations to Labels Are For Jars from around Massachusetts: $10 from Beverly, $10 from Boxford, $20 from Lexington, $25 from Falmouth, $25 from North Andover, $30 from Wayland, $50 from North Chelmsford, $50 from Amesbury, $50 from Wellesley, $50 from Melrose, $100 from Quincy, $100 from Acton, $250 from Lawrence, and $300 from Hopkinton! There are big doings in
Supporters of Labels Are For Jars in Marblehead, MA sent a donation of $500, with a matching gift form from State Street Bank. Because Labels Are For Jars is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, all contributions are tax deductible, and many companies match employees' gifts. Does your company offer this opportunity?
March 25, 2006: The people of Brookline, MA continue to offer unique support for Labels. Recent donations from Brookline include checks for: $25, $25, $25, $150, $200, $500, and a VERY BIG CHECK for $7,500!
March 23, 2006: If you are interested in forming a Labels Are For Jars street team in your community, an introductory session will be held in Lawrence on Sunday, April 30. To participate in the meeting, please contact us at volunteers@labelsareforjars.org.
March 20, 2006: A note from Fall River reads, “Hey Guys,
What's going on? I recently went to Newbury Comics in Dartmouth. I got to
this section in the store and I saw the display for Labels Are For Jars and I
purchased a t-shirt after reading the flyer on the side of it. My friends and
I are always looking to help out worthy causes, such as yours. We plan on
starting a street team to help you guys out. Thanks guys!” March 18, 2006: We are grateful for recent donations from
around Massachusetts: $10 from Methuen, $15 from Wellesley, $20 from Milford,
$25 from Georgetown, $30 from Readville, $40 from Watertown, $50 from
Melrose, $70 from Lawrence, $100 from Dracut, $155 from Acton, and $250 from
Arlington. March 16, 2006: Many thanks to the people of Holy Family
Parish in Rockland, MA, and to their pastor, Father Jim Hickey, for sending
us a gift of $100. March 13, 2006: We are making terrific progress on the
construction of the Cor Unum Meal Center. The roof of the center is nearly
complete, and work will soon shift indoors. The milder-than-usual New England
winter of 2006 has been a blessing for our project! March 11, 2006: Thank you for a big donation of $1,000 from
Concord, MA – and to Concord's awesome street team for their fantastic work! March 8, 2006: A couple from Bedford, MA recently
celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They wrote to us: “In lieu of
favors for our anniversary, we felt it more appropriate to donate to Labels
Are For Jars. May God bless you for all your efforts. We will continue to
pray for you.” Enclosed was a check for $300! March 6, 2006: We are honored to receive a donation of
$5,000 from a very generous family in Concord, MA! March 4, 2006: A fourteen year old student at Saint
Joseph's School in Florida, NY heard about Labels Are For Jars when her
cousin told her about our mission and sent her a “Geek” shirt. She wrote: “I was
inspired by your story and asked my principal to hold a fundraiser to benefit
your cause. I made posters and placed them in the cafeteria and I made a
speech telling the kids about how the Labels Are For Jars program is feeding
hungry people, as well as helping people understand how labels hurt people.
The kids sent in donations. Thank you for all you do.” Enclosed was a check
for $165. Thank you for being part of the Labels team! March 2, 2006: We appreciate having received donations
from around Massachusetts: $10 from Somerville, $20 from Natick, $25 from
North Andover, $30 from Sudbury, $50 from Burlington, $75 from Wellesley,
$100 from Lincoln, $120 from Lexington, $250 from Arlington, $320 from
Danvers, and $1,000 from Concord! February 28, 2006: A student from Saint Mary Parish in
Brookline, MA who learned about Labels last Advent (see previous Buzz items)
sent us a jar return of $40 on February 2 and $25 on February 27. Please keep
up this pace! February 26, 2006: Three cheers for gifts received from folks
in a variety of states: $25 from North Carolina, $25 from Colorado, $50 from
New Hampshire, and $100 from New Jersey. February 23, 2006: The Confirmation classes at Saint Anthony
of Padua Parish in Shirley, MA participated on the “Souper Bowl of Caring” on
Super Bowl Sunday. The Souper Bowl of Caring is a youth-led initiative to
fight hunger and poverty in local communities across the USA. Every Super
Bowl Sunday, Souper Bowl of Caring kids, armed with soup pots, collect
donations at local churches, schools, and businesses. Every dollar collected
is sent directly to a nonprofit organization chosen by each group. Having
heard about our project, the students at Saint Anthony's chose to sent the
proceeds from their collection - $380 – to Labels Are For Jars. We are
honored to receive your donation! February 15, 2006: A repeat donor sent a Valentine to everyone
at Labels Are For Jars, along with a check for $100. February
14, 2006: The Stonehill College street team forwarded
a check for $800, representing funds raised last semester. Street team
members sought donations in their residence halls and organized a collection
during the annual Lessons and Carols Concert before Christmas. A big thanks
to Marty Kelly and all the members of the Stonehill team for their continuing
dedication to our project! February
12, 2006: Labels Are For Jars is made up of people of
a wide variety of faiths and people who do not profess religious faith. We
are eager to promote the Labels mission within any and all faith communities.
For Christians, the season of Lent begins
the first week of March. For this important spiritual season, Labels has
released our second annual Lent Guide. The Labels Lent program includes:
We hope you’ll get
involved! February 10, 2006: As noted in the December 18, 2005 Buzz
item, employees from Hyperion Solutions Corporation have been extremely
generous in supporting our project. The Hyperion East Region Charitable
Giving Committee just sent a donation of $500 to help open the doors of the
Cor Unum Meal Center. Thanks so much! February 7, 2006: A supporter in suburban Boston who donates
$25 each month to Labels sent her most recent check with the note, “Another check
for another brick!” February 5, 2006: Thank you for recent gifts of $10 from
Watertown, MA; $20 from Sudbury, MA; $25 from Sun City Center, FL; $50 from
Amesbury, MA; $100 from Nashua, NH; $250 from San Francisco, CA; $250 from
Arlington, MA; and $500 from Wellesley, MA. February 3, 2006: We received a jar return of $90 from New
York City, collected by a young woman who has put to good use her “Prisoner”
shirt and jar! February 1, 2006: The people of the two Catholic churches in
Brookline, MA – Saint Mary's and Saint Lawrence's – sold Labels shirts and
collected donations for our project during Advent (see the November 13 Buzz
item). The results? Shirt sales came to $2,980, and the Advent collection
came to $6,393! We are so grateful to Father Jack Ahern, Julie Shanklin, the
10th grade Confirmation class, and all of the people at Saint Mary's and
Saint Lawrence's for their super support of Labels Are For Jars. January 30,
2006: If you are interested in forming a Labels
Are For Jars street team in your community, an introductory session will be
held in Lawrence on Sunday, February 12. To participate in the meeting,
please contact us at volunteers@labelsareforjars.org. January 28, 2006: We are thankful for recent gifts from
around the country: $10 from Dumfries, VA; $10 from Mulkilteo, WA; $15 from
Rindge, New Hampshire; $20 from New Harmony, IN; $50 from Westminster,
Colorado; $50 from Rye, NH; $60 from Cranston, RI; $100 from Cary, North
Carolina; $100 from Edison, New Jersey; $100 from York, Maine; and $200 from
Hampton, New Hampshire. January 26, 2006: Here's an excerpt from a message we
received from a graduate student via the “Vote For Labels” section of this
website: “A girl in one of my classes was wearing one of your shirts, and the
design was so striking, I kept looking at it all through class. I caught the
website on the back and checked it out. I love the whole thing, from the
stigma-reduction/re-humanizing aspect, to feeding people (always a good
thing), to the direct manner in which this fund-raising project is set up
(i.e., there aren't 20 people handling the donations before they go to what
they're supposed to go to).” January 24, 2006: A supporter in Newark, NJ read an article
about Labels Are For Jars and purchased for us a ticket for a big-cash raffle
in her city. She writes, “If we all do a little together, we can make a
difference.” January 22, 2006: We're happy to read the following article
about Central Committee members Mike Toth (and his super-excellent wife
Susan) and Luke O'Brien from the winter edition of Holy Cross Magazine: Holy_Cross_30Jan06.pdf. January 20, 2006: A big welcome to our newest high school
street team, from Needham, MA! The captain of the team is the daughter of a
Labels friend at Stonehill College who originally connected with us through
the Stonehill street team. Another example of spreading the word! January 17, 2006: Here's part of a message we recently
received: “I am a special education teacher in Southern California and have
recently been given one of your shirts/jars as a present. I love the idea of
Labels Are For Jars and have placed my jar in my classroom. My students and I
will be placing 50% of our profits in the jar per week (we run a lunch
program) but we would like to know if there is anything else we can do to
help.” Of course, we've been in touch! January 15, 2006: Muchas gracias for donations from across
Massachusetts: $10 from Wakefield, $20 from East Falmouth, $25 from Wenham,
$25 from Walpole, $25 from Worcester, $30 from Lakeville, $50 from Beverly,
$50 from Wayland, $75 from Hinsdale, $100 from Norwood, $150 from Dalton,
$200 from West Newbury, $250 from Revere, and $500 from Medfield. We are so
pleased that people from so many parts of the state have connected with our
effort to feed the hungry in Lawrence! January 13, 2006: Thanks to our fantastic web team for their
most recent updates to this site. We'll be doing fine tuning of website
updates in upcoming weeks. If you have any comments or suggestions for our
web team, we welcome your input at webmaster@labelsareforjars.org. January 11, 2006: It's great to receive another donation from
our friends at Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, MA. You are the best! January 9, 2006: Another family made the choice to offer one
another as Christmas gifts the feeding of the hungry through Labels Are For
Jars. Their collective gift totaled $1,200! January
7, 2006: The Concord street team seems to be the
source of a plethora of gifts from their town: two checks for $25, two checks
for $50, $100, and a big gift of $1,000. More than a thousand thanks! January
4, 2006: We are very grateful to a married couple in
Concord, MA who gave each other matching donations to Labels Are For Jars as Christmas
presents – totaling $2,000 to help feed the hungry through the Cor Unum Meal
Center. January 2, 2006: A $100 donor from Charlestown, MA sent a
check with “Soul Food” written on the notation line! December 31, 2005: As we conclude 2005, the construction site
of the Cor Unum Meal Center is buzzing with activity. The foundation for the
meal center has been completed, and is looking very impressive. Stay tuned to
this website for upcoming photos of construction progress! December 30, 2005: Thank you for recent gifts from around
Massachusetts: $250 from Arlington, $150 from Methuen, $100 from Dracut, $100
from Winchester, $50 from Melrose, $25 from Chestnut Hill, two $25 gifts from
Lawrence, $25 from West Newbury, $10 from Lexington, and $10 from Boston. December 29, 2005: We received the following e-mail from a
high school teacher from a town outside Boston: “I saw one of your jars at
Newbury Comics and researched your program further when I got home. I think
that it is a great idea and I want to help. . . . I have an idea for how to
raise money and awareness for your program. I am going to buy a shirt this
afternoon and when I return to school I am going to put a jar on my desk.
After explaining the program to all of my classes, I am going to let them
know that if they want a pen or pencil from now on they have to make a
donation to the jar and that they should always feel free to donate any spare
change. I will be sending a check from my classes . . . every two weeks
starting after the holiday . . . . I will keep this idea running in my
classroom as long as you keep the program running. This is a great idea and
you should let other teachers know about it.” December 28, 2005: An unusually generous college student from
Stow, MA sent a donation of $1,000 as a Christmas gift to Labels. Amazing! December 26, 2005: The Major League Baseball Players
Association's Players Trust presented Labels with a check for $250. The Players
Trust supports a variety of programs that benefit children across the United
States. December 23, 2005: Muchas gracias for a jar return of $60.77
from a supporter in New York City, and another jar return of $110.28 from an
anonymous source. December 21, 2005: Central Committee member December 18, 2005: We appreciate a donation of $500 from
Hyperion Solutions Corporation in Santa Clara, CA. Hyperion employees on both
the West and East Coasts have been fantastic in their support of Labels Are
For Jars. Saint Patrick Parish in The field hockey team at We are thrilled to announce that Newbury
Comics has expanded its sales of Labels gear to all of its retail locations.
In a statement released to the media today, Newbury's CEO, Mike Dreese, said,
"Labels Are For Jars has re-introduced to my kids the value of giving.
My nine year old daughter and I - rather than overindulging each other with
an extra package under the tree – are putting that money in a jar to help feed
the hungry kids in Central Committee members Sean Casey has
been traded this week from the Cincinnati Reds to the Pittsburgh Pirates. As
Sean takes leave of his friends and fans in The Labels world is abuzz with news of the
engagement of Central Committee members Maureen Gagnon and Nick Vitale. With
Brian Murphy, Maureen and Nick are responsible for the design and development
of our website. They are tremendously gifted, generous people. We think
Maureen and Nick are going to make a wonderful married couple! Recent gifts that have come to us through
the We're happy to announce the birth of
another healthy Labels Baby – Carli Renee Casey, daughter of Central
Committee member Sean Casey and his fantabulous wife Mandi. The Eagle-Tribune
published an article about yesterday's Cor Unum groundbreaking
ceremony. Check it out: Eagle
Tribune.pdf
An introductory session for folks
interested in potentially forming new street teams will be held in Many thanks to Ray Montgomery, the staff at
Avalon, and everyone at the Lyons Group for hosting Labels Are For Jars at Members of the Concord Street Team hit the
mall today, the day after Thanksgiving. Their goal was not to buy iPods and
X-Boxes, but to raise awareness about hunger in Thank you for donations of $100 from Who can top the The Catholic Newman Club at Framingham
State College sent us a very generous donation. We appreciate your kindness,
and the ongoing efforts of the fantastic Framingham State street team! Avalon, Boston's largest dance club, will
exclusively feature Labels Are For Jars as the charitable focus of Thanksgiving
week, their busiest week of the year. Next week's lineup at Avalon is: on
Tuesday, November 22, Amsterdam's Tiesto (the #1 DJ in the world) and
Boston's Alex Whalen; on Thursday, November 24, New York's Fatman Scoop; on
Friday, November 25, Boston's Elie Wilie and Jay P; and on Saturday, November
26, London's November 14, 2005: Central Committee member November 13, 2005: The Catholic churches in Brookline, MA –
St. Mary's and St. Lawrence's – have begun a big drive for Labels Are For
Jars. The amazing Julie Shanklin spoke about Labels at all Masses this
weekend, and promotional materials were distributed to parishioners. Labels
shirts will go on sale at the churches next weekend. Families will make
contributions to Labels jars during the Advent season, and will speak with
other families and friends about making donations. There will be a collection
of proceeds from the Advent drive the weekend before Christmas. We're looking
forward to reporting the results! November 12, 2005: A donor who sends a contribution each month
from Chestnut Hill, MA writes: “At 93, the end of the line isn't as far away
as it used to be – but as long as I'm able to wield a pen I'll continue to
send $25 a month toward a most worthy cause.” November 11, 2005: We appreciate having received gifts of $200
and $50 from two of our new friends in Marblehead, MA! November 9, 2005: We welcome to the world a new Labels Baby –
Beckett O'Brien, son of Central Committee member Conan O'Brien and nephew of
Central Committee member Luke O'Brien. Congratulations to Beckett's Mom,
Liza, and thanks to her for diversifying an otherwise scary gene pool. November 8, 2005: Central Committee member November 5, 2005: Many thanks for repeat donations from
around Massachusetts: $50 from Melrose, $50 from Wellesley, $100 from
Concord, and $25 from North Andover. November
2, 2005: Thank you for a generous donation of $150
from a new supporter of Labels Are For Jars in Washington, DC. October
31, 2005: We've got some great news to announce for the
holiday season from Newbury Comics. Stay tuned! October
28, 2005: A person on the West Coast who read last
June's article by Gordon Edes in the Boston Globe (see June 13 Buzz) put us in touch with the
charitable giving committee of his company, bought Labels gear, is currently
filling two jars, just sent us an online donation of $500, and is having that
gift matched by his company! With supporters like this, we are bullish on
achieving our goal of raising $400,000 by the opening of Cor Unum next summer!
October 26, 2005: If you would like to learn more about
starting a Labels street team in your community, please contact us at volunteers@labelsareforjars.org. Our next street team orientation meeting
will take place in Lawrence on Thursday, November 17. If you would like to
participate, e-mail us and we will follow through with full details. October 25, 2005: A retired housekeeper who lives outside
Boston has sent Labels three successive checks of $100. Close to celebrating
her 90th birthday, this supporter gives a unique boost to our project! October 23, 2005: Muchas gracias for a gift of $1,000 from
Labels supporters in Annapolis, Maryland! October 22, 2005: Our friends at Central Catholic High School
in Lawrence sold Labels gear during lunch for three days this week. Over 100
shirts were sold! We are very grateful to everyone at Central for jumping on
board with Labels Are For Jars! October 21, 2005: Word from the Concord street team: “VERY
positive and productive Labels meeting last night! Many new members and
several ‘vets' in attendance were updated on the tremendous progress of
Labels and brainstormed on unique promotional ideas.” October
20, 2005: Thank you for donations of $100 from
Quincy, MA; $25 from Georgetown, MA; and $15 from Cambridge, MA. October
17, 2005: A retired couple in suburban Boston has
been mailing contributions to Labels Are For Jars since the beginning of this
year. So far, they've sent a total of $2,250 to help feed the hungry through
the Cor Unum Meal Center! October 15, 2005: We are very happy to announce the formation
of a new Labels street team at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New
Hampshire. This is our first street team in New Hampshire! Organizer Kasey
Brown has signed up a terrific group of volunteers for the team. A major
fundraiser is already in the planning for the winter! October 13, 2005: Building plans for the Cor Unum Meal Center
are making rapid progress. Final bids from contractors are being assembled
this month, and a variety of permitting processes are being completed. We are
looking forward to a November ground-breaking! October 11, 2005: Our production team tonight reviewed the
long list of suggestions submitted through this website for new labels for
shirts in our future production runs. If you'd like to offer your ideas for
potential future labels, we enthusiastically welcome them at vote@labelsareforjars.org. October 8, 2005: We are amazed to receive in the mail so
many envelopes that simply contain checks, without any further information about
donors. Thank you for such gifts from around Massachusetts - $100 from
Melrose, $100 from Charlestown, $100 from Reading, another $50 from Melrose,
$50 from Tewksbury, and $50 from Walpole. October 6, 2005: We appreciate receiving repeat donations
from a variety of Labels supporters - $125 from Boston, $125 from Lawrence,
$50 from Wellesley, $50 from Amesbury, $25 from North Andover, and $20 from
East Falmouth. October 3, 2005: A senior citizen who regularly sends us
donations of $25 wrote with her most recent check, “This seems to be drop in
the bucket. Providentially, the bucket seems to be filling up fast.” October 1, 2005: Labels friends Cheryl Dykeman and Joe
Kasztejna were married today in Woodstock, Vermont, with Central Committee
member September
30, 2005: Central Committee member September
29, 2005: Are you interested in starting a Labels
street team in your community? Our next street team orientation meeting will
take place in Lawrence on Thursday, October 20 at 7:00 pm. The meeting will
include discussion of the mission of Labels Are For Jars, what's involved in
starting a street team, and organizational materials. If you would like to
participate, e-mail us at volunteers@labelsareforjars.org. September 27, 2005: A thousand thank you's
for gifts of $300 from Quincy, MA; $250 from Arlington, MA; $50 from
Wellesley, MA; $50 from Arlington, MA; and $25 from Waltham, MA. September 26, 2005: We appreciate the generous donation and
very kind note sent by Father Bob Reed and Mr. Jay Fadden at Boston Catholic
Television. Thanks for your support, and good luck with your telethon
this Friday! September 25, 2005: Thank you for gifts of $1,000 from Concord,
MA; $100 from Hyde Park, MA; and $100 from Narragansett, RI. September 24, 2005: We were thrilled to receive an order for
200 shirts from a community just outside of Boston. More to come on
this! September
23, 2005: Our friend Mike Barnicle, along with Bob
Lobel and Hank Morse, hosted Central Committee member September
22, 2005: September
19, 2005: September
15, 2005: A family in Wellesley, MA, has founded a
street team in memory of a very beloved family member. It's interesting to
see how the family is beginning to work on Labels, and to receive very
generous monthly donations from them. September 13, 2005: Welcome back to school for many of our high
school and college street team members! As you're organizing your Labels
activities for the fall, please stay in touch with us for any help you need.
You're at the heart of Labels Are For Jars! September
10, 2005: Thank you for donations of $200 and $100
from Labels supporters in Concord, MA. We are so proud of how effectively the
Concord street team continues to spread the word about Labels Are For Jars! September
6, 2005: We receive orders for Labels gear from an
amazing geographical range. Recent shipments have gone to: Randolph, Vermont;
Waterford, Connecticut; multiple buyers in New York City; Hoboken and
Fairlawn, New Jersey; Milton, Pennsylvania; Takoma Park and Brooklandville,
Maryland; Sarasota and Aventura, Florida; Lafayette, Louisiana; Cincinnati
and Mason, Ohio; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Denison and Houston, Texas; Sandia
Park, New Mexico; Aptos, California; Elma, Washington; London, Ontario,
Canada; Peacehaven, Sussex, United Kingdom; and Roscrea, Tipperary, Ireland. September 3, 2005: We're receiving good news about the
movement of Labels inventory at Newbury Comics' test locations: Newbury
Street in Boston, Newton, Burlington, and Peabody. If you're in the Boston
area, check out these Newbury Comics stores! August 31, 2005: The Saint Sebastian's street team forwarded
a check for $100 that represents classroom donations from the end of the last
academic year. Leaders of the team report that they're organizing for the new
school year. August
28, 2005: Thanks for donations of $50 from Wellesley,
MA; $41 from Winchester, MA; $25 from North Andover, MA; and $25 from
Chestnut Hill, MA. August
25, 2005:
August
14, 2005: Last month, we had a lively meeting of
potential leaders of new street teams. It was great to meet new friends from
a number of communities. Our next street team orientation meeting will take
in Lawrence on Wednesday, September 21 at 7:00 pm. If you would like to participate,
e-mail us at volunteers@labelsareforjars.org. At the meeting, we will discuss the
mission of Labels Are For Jars, explain what's involved in starting a street team,
and offer basic materials for street team organization. Whether you're sure
you want to start a street team or are simply considering the possibility,
you're welcome to join us! August 12, 2005: Thank you for generous donations of $250
from New York City and Arlington, MA. August 10, 2005: A Labels supporter in Canton, MA, sent us
her third gift of $100. We are amazed by your kindness! August 9, 2005: Thank you for gifts recently received from
around Massachusetts: $160 from Clinton, $60 from Wayland, $60 from
Centerville, $50 from South Braintree, $25 from Chestnut Hill, $25 from North
Andover, $10 from Concord, and $10 from Boston. August 7, 2005: A retired couple in Chestnut Hill, MA, wrote
that “We want to get on board!” and enclosed a check for $500. August 5, 2005: Anna Ruth O'Brien, age 8, of Arlington, MA,
organized a lemonade stand and gave the profits to Labels to help feed the
hungry through Cor Unum. We salute Anna for her entrepreneurial spirit and
generous heart. August
4, 2005: Central Committee member Sean Casey was
recently speaking at the “Building Men for Others” event at the Fairfield
High School Arena in Cincinnati. In the crowd of over 4000 people, Sean spotted
one man wearing a “Slacker” shirt. When Sean spoke with the man, it turned
out that he had already bought six Labels shirts. We approve of
anyone's getting Sean's attention by buying and wearing Labels gear! August
3, 2005: A very generous couple in West Newton, MA,
offered us a donation of $2,000. All of us at Labels Are For Jars continue to
be amazed by the generosity of so many good folks. August
1, 2005: All of us at Labels are very excited to
announce today a new venture with Newbury Comics, the mecca of cool. With 24 New England based stores and a vast
online emporium (newburycomics.com), for 25 years Newbury Comics has been THE
independent source for music, movies, and pop culture goods. It's pretty easy
to see how Newbury's vision harmonizes with Labels' vision: Newbury Comics
“is run with a consistent guiding force that has always championed new ideas,
experimentation and alternative vision over monolithic corporate structure.”
Beginning today, Labels Are For Jars gear
is available at Newbury Comics in four test store locations in Massachusetts:
Newbury Street in Boston, Newton, Burlington, and Peabody. Unique among the 25,000 items for sale in
each Newbury Comics store, Labels gear is featured on independent display
racks, with posters, brochures about Labels Are For Jars, and inventory for
sale. At the Newton test store, there's even a Labels jar for contributions
at the cash registers. Newbury Comics sends 100% of the proceeds
of all Labels gear directly to Labels Are For Jars, and makes no profit on
the sale of our gear. We are THRILLED that our friends at Newbury
Comics have been so overwhelmingly generous in supporting our project, and
for making possible this very big step ahead in the expansion of Labels Are
For Jars. July
28, 2005: Big thanks for two gifts of $100 – one from
Wellesley, MA, and the other from North Andover, MA. July 27, 2005: A family in Newton, MA, mailed in the money
order with their first Labels jar return - $120.03! Thanks for counting up
the cash and sending it to Lawrence! July 25, 2005: We appreciate gifts from around
Massachusetts: $25 from Roslindale, $20 from North Andover, and $2 from
Winchester. July
24, 2005: We received the very generous tithe donation
of $500 from the congregation of Saint Rose of Lima Parish in Northborough,
MA. Thank you to everyone at St. Rose's, especially your legendary pastor,
Father Jim Houston. July
22, 2005: We were thrilled to read Susan Carey Dempsey's
article about Labels, “Beating Hunger with the Help of Some Friends” in
today's edition of onPhilanthropy.com. onPhilanthropy.com, which is published
by Changing Our World, Inc. (see July 13 Buzz item), manages five
e-newsletters and feeds, and welcomes more than 100,000 non-profit and
philanthropy professionals to their website and newsletters each month. July
20, 2005: Thank you for recent donations of $250 from
Arlington, MA, $200 from Quincy, MA, $50 from Morris Plains, NJ, and $20 from
San Francisco, CA! July
18, 2005: Teenagers at Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
Parish in Acton, MA, conducted a “Thirty Hour Fast” to benefit local social
service efforts and Labels Are For Jars. Thank you to the group for their
gift of $400, and to their youth minister, the fantastic Jim Flanagan, for
linking his kids with Labels. July 16, 2005: A husband and wife from Wenham, MA, sent us
a check to honor friends of theirs in New York who celebrate their 50th
wedding anniversary this month. What a wonderful way to mark such an
important milestone! July 13, 2005: We are very thankful to Michael P. Hoffman,
Chairman of Changing Our World, Inc., for a contribution of $1,000 from the
Hoffman Watson Foundation in New York City. Thanks, too, to Central Committee
member Dan O'Brien for connecting Michael with us. July 11, 2005: Thank you to Labels supporters who sent
gifts of $250 from Boston, MA, and $25 from Andover, MA! July 9, 2005: A donor from California wrote a beautiful note
describing his father's family's growing up in Lawrence. He is eager to
become part of Labels Are For Jars in order to support the community that has
meant so much in his family's history. July 7, 2005: We appreciate gifts of $500 from San Diego,
CA; $500 from Norwell, MA; $250 from Carlisle, MA; $75 from Andover, MA; $65
from Concord, MA; $25 from Chestnut Hill, MA; $25 from Woods Hole, MA; and
$25 from Marblehead, MA. July 6, 2005: We have received this week our first sales
request from Macedonia, and our first e-mail correspondence from Bangladesh.
It's a world-wide web! July 5, 2005: Labels was honored to receive a certificate
of appreciation from Stonehill College for our “commitment to furthering the
education” of the students of the college. The certificate includes a quote
from Meredith Tumulty, Class of 2007: “Being
involved in Labels Are For jars has been an incredible experience for me. It
is a community service project that not only requests help to eliminate
hunger, but also aids in the removal of social stereotypes. It feels
wonderful to be effectively contributing as a community and to see that other
students are also concerned and making a difference about the well-being of
the world we live in.” July 4, 2005: A $250 donor writes that “I have particular
interest in your program as my grandparents, upon their arrival in this
country, settled in Lawrence and my father was born and grew up in the
neighborhood.” July 3, 2005: A former college baseball player was so
inspired by the Boston Globe
article about Sean Casey that he gave us a donation of $10,000! July 2, 2005: Thank you for separate $100 donations from
Labels supporters in East Falmouth, Winchester, Methuen, and Chestnut Hill,
Massachusetts! July 1, 2005: Every purchase of Labels gear, every jar
filled, and every donation brings us closer to achieving our goal of building
the Cor Unum Meal Center. Thank you for contributions of $100 from Durham,
NH; $50 from Acton, MA; $50 from Reading, MA; $50 from North Chelmsford, MA;
$50 from Acton, MA; $50 from Brighton, MA; and $10 from Wakefield, MA. June 30, 2005: A couple from North Andover, MA, presented
Labels with a check for $1,000, and with the request that they be able to
volunteer at the Cor Unum Meal Center when it is built. We are eager to
fulfill that request! June 29, 2005: We very much appreciate donations received
from supporters around Massachusetts: $500 from Concord, $150 from
Haverhill, $100 from Canton, $50 from Charlestown, $50 from North Andover,
$30 from Littleton, $25 from Harwich, $20 from Hingham, $10 from Somerville,
and $5 from Watertown. June 29, 2005: We have been speaking with a variety of folks
who are interested in starting new Labels Are For Jars street teams. Our next
street team organizational meeting will take place on the evening of
Thursday, July 28. If you're interested in attending the meeting, please
e-mail us at volunteers@labelsareforjars.org. June 28, 2005: One donor, who sent Labels $30, enclosed a
note saying “Here is the money I usually waste at Starbucks.” June
27, 2005: Thank you for the following generous donations:
$1,000 from Pomfret Center, CT; $250 from Arlington, MA; $150 from Cranston,
RI; $100 from Norwich, CT; $50 from Hingham, MA; $30 from Mont Vernon, NH;
and $25 from Sun City Center, FL. June
26, 2005: We received a note and check from the
Concord, MA, family who organized the yard sale to benefit Labels (see the
June 21 Buzz item). Total profits were $168! June
25, 2005: Checks continue to roll in from so many
generous folks: $100 from Concord, MA; $100 from Milton, MA; $50 from Milton,
MA; $50 from North Falmouth, MA; $25 from South Boston, MA; $25 from West
Barnstable, MA; $25 from Medford, MA; $25 from Sharon, MA; and $25 from
Somerville, MA. Muchas, muchas gracias! June 24, 2005: It's good to receive a note from Marty
Kelly, who's been critical in the success of the Stonehill College street
team, and to receive another check for donations raised by the team during
last semester. You're a fantastic group! June 23, 2005: We appreciate gifts of $100 from Weston, MA;
$100 from Andover, MA; $50 from North Easton, MA; $50 from Wayland, MA; $25
from Bedford, MA; $25 from Nashua, NH; and $25 from Quincy, MA. June 22, 2005: Lots of thanks to Monsignor Bill Glynn and
the people of Holy Family Parish in Duxbury, MA, for their contribution of
$500 to Labels Are For Jars. June
21, 2005: A friend sent the following e-mail: “Talk
about getting the word out.... Today we went to a yard sale. They had a large
sign saying, ‘All of the proceeds from this sale go to feeding the hungry in
Lawrence – the Cor Unum Meal Center'. They also had copies of the Globe
article for people to take copies of. They were very moved by the article.
Needless to say, we bought something.” June
20, 2005: It's wonderful to have so many people to
thank for their donations to Labels. Hats off to friends who have sent recent
checks: $100 from Acton, MA; $100 from Milton, MA; $50 from Del Mar, CA; $50
from Sudbury, MA; $25 from Wenham, NH; $50 from Bedford, MA; $50 from
Boston's Back Bay; $20 from West Roxbury, MA; and $20 from Arlington, MA. June 19, 2005: One of the best letters we received this
week says: “In response to that great column in the Globe, I am
enclosing a small check for ‘Labels Are For Jars' (what a wonderful name for
your project). I am 82 years old and on that label you often hear (‘fixed
income'), but I was moved by the thought that I had never in my lifetime
experienced that hunger described in the column. I hope you have a great
response and that God will bless you abundantly.” Enclosed was $20. It's
pretty tough to top that sacrifice! June 18, 2005: Folks around Massachusetts have been
mailing direct donations to boost the Labels cause: $250 from Melrose, $100 from
Chelsea, $100 from Wayland, $100 from Sharon, $75 from Lawrence, $50 from
Osterville, $50 from Lee, $50 from East Walpole, $30 from Acushnet, $25 from
Holyoke, $25 from Woburn, $20 from Newton, and $20 from East Falmouth. Many
thanks! June 17, 2005: Following this week's PR about Sean Casey
and Labels, we have received a rush of online purchases of Labels gear and
donations, as well as donations by mail. Thanks for so much
generosity, including $1,000 from Los Angeles; $100 from Concord, MA; $100
from Hampton, NH; $100 from Andover, MA; $50 from Portland, ME; $50 from
Norwood, MA; $25 from Wenham, NH; and $20 from Arlington, MA. June 16, 2005: The Boston Herald featured a photo of
Sean's visit to Lawrence in today's “Inside Track” section. Take a look! The caption says: "GOING TO BAT FOR
THE HUNGRY: Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sean Casey, in town for interleague
play with the Sox, popped by the St. Patrick food pantry in Lawrence to do a
little volunteer work. Sean is wearing a ‘homeless' shirt to support the
Labels Are For Jars fund-raiser to build the Cor Unum Meal Center in
Lawrence. Such a nice boy. . .” June 15, 2005: We had a great time in Lawrence today with
Central Committee member Sean Casey. Check out some photos from the visit. June 14, 2005: We were excited to read another article
about Sean Casey, the Cincinnati Reds, and Labels in today's Eagle Tribune: "Reds
star has plight of Lawrence on his mind" (PDF document). We've also received very
good feedback about Sean's appearance yesterday on the Dale and Holley Show
on Boston's WEEI 850AM Sports Radio. It's a big treat to have Sean in town! June 13, 2005: Today's Boston Globe featured a huge article about
Sean Casey and Labels by the renowned sport writer Gordon Edes. What a great
piece! We hope you can check it out: Casey
at the Bat.pdf June
7, 2005: We have received a number of gifts in honor
of street team leaders who have recently graduated from high school or
college. This is an inspiring way to honor our street team members! June 4, 2005: We received a very cool jar return check
from Latham, New York. Keep filling those jars! June 2, 2005: Thanks for the very big shirt order from
Labels friends in Concord, MA! May 30, 2005: It's Memorial Day – the unofficial start to
summer. We hope Labels supporters will help us during the warm weather by
wearing as often as possible their Labels shirts, and directing people to
this website to get involved in our project! May 27, 2005: Congratulations to the members of our high
school and college street teams who are graduating from school this month.
Thank you for all you've done to make real the success of Labels Are For
Jars! May 25, 2005: Thank you to friends of Labels who have made
donations in recent days: $50 from Andover, Ma; $200 from Salem, MA; $100
from Lawrence, MA, and $100 from Canton, MA. May 23, 2005: Labels has been blessed with the guidance
and support of the legendary May
18, 2005: Conor O'Neil, one of the founders of the
street team at Saint Sebastian's School, has been spending the spring working
in Lawrence his senior project. It's been a blast to have Conor with us.
We're hoping he'll take Labels with him when he heads to college in the fall. May
16, 2005: Central Committee member Sean Casey
continues to spread the word about Labels as he travels around the country
playing baseball. We appreciate a generous gift received today from one of
Sean's teammates on the Cincinnati Reds. May 13, 2005: Big thanks go out for the check for $1,000
just received from the Stonehill College street team. The Stonehill team has
had a busy semester. Street team members visited fellow students in their
dorm rooms with their jars, educating people about Labels and collecting
donations. As mentioned in the April 23 Buzz item, team members also
solicited the donation of an iPod from a local businessman, which they
raffled for Labels on the last day of the semester. Key Stonehill street team
leaders have been Andrew Parris, Tina Napoletano,
Courtney Alleborn, Sarah McKenna, and Marty Kelly.
You guys are tremendous! May 10, 2005: We are grateful for recent gifts received
from friends in Massachusetts: $25 from Dracut, $250 from Arlington, and $25
from North Andover. May 5, 2005: A Labels supporter in Concord, MA, sent us a
jar return of $150. Whenever it looks like a good time to put the money
collected in your Labels jar into the form of a check or money order, we
welcome it at Labels Are For Jars, 118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA 01843. April
28, 2005: We were pleased to read an article about
Labels by Benjamin Gatti in the Concord (MA)
Journal. Benjamin also produced an interview with Central Committee member April
27, 2005: We today received our first inquiry about
Labels from Finland. Kiitos! April 25, 2005: Thank you to supporters who have recently
sent donations to Labels Are For Jars: $117 from Plattsburgh, NY; $50 from
Amesbury, MA; $10 from Rindge, NH; $25 from Lake Worth, FL; and $20 and $162
from Lawrence, MA. April 23, 2005: The great news from the street team at
Stonehill College is that they've been successful in raising money for Labels
this semester, and have recently obtained the donation of an iPod, which will
be raffled on May 5th. Tickets for the raffle are being sold to the entire
Stonehill community, with all of the proceeds going to Labels Are For Jars.
Great idea! April
22, 2005: Members of the Framingham State street team
visited Lawrence today for a tour of the city and a discussion about the
future Cor Unum Meal Center. We are always happy to host street teams, or
potential street teams, for on-site visits. April
19, 2005: Central Committee member April 19, 2005: UPN 38 in Boston's “The Morning Show” had a
fantastic broadcast this morning featuring Labels Are For Jars. David
Robichaud and company produced an excellent piece on Labels for the program's
“Robi on the Road” segment, and David reported live
from the site of the future Cor Unum Meal Center during this morning's
broadcast. Many thanks to everyone from UPN 38 and “The Morning Show” for
their kindness to us. April 18, 2005: We received our first inquiry about Labels
from Canada today, from a person who was drawn to our website through BURST!
Media's banner ad (see the March 23 Buzz item). Welcome to our neighbors from
the North! April 15, 2005: Central Committee member Sean Casey has
begun another baseball season with the Cincinnati Reds, and has distributed
the newest Labels shirts to most of his teammates. If Sean is playing in your
city this season, be sure to ask him about Labels. April
12, 2005: Boston's Metro newspaper today featured a piece about Labels in its “60
Seconds” section: Metro_2005_IV_12.pdf. April
11, 2005: We appreciate having received recent gifts
from many Labels supporters: $100 from Framingham, MA; $25 from Dover, MA;
$100 from Brookline, MA; $25 from Andover, MA; $100 from Gilford, NH; $200
from Revere, MA; $15 from Natick, MA; $35 from Andover MA; and $500 from
Charlestown, MA. April 9, 2005: Some Labels benefactors have begun to send
donations on a monthly basis. We are especially thankful for the $250 we
receive each month from friends in Arlington, MA, and the $25 monthly gifts
from a supporter in Andover, MA. Your sacrifices move us steadily toward our
goal of building the Cor Unum Meal Center! April 7, 2005: The Labels street team in Plattsburgh, NY,
has come through with another big check – this time, a $500 donation. Thank
you to the Plattsburgh street team for being such an important part of the
success of Labels Are For Jars. April 5, 2005: The members of Saint Francis Parish in Dracut,
MA, collected money for Labels during their Holy Thursday Mass. Many thanks
to them, especially their pastor, Father Bob Blaney,
for their gift of $1,838! April 3, 2005: Our friends at Saint Patrick Parish in Natick,
MA, who have been unbelievably supportive of our work, sent a check for
$1,500 – money collected during their Holy Thursday Mass. Saint Patrick's
parishioners, led by their pastor, Father April 1, 2005: The seventh and eighth grade students at
Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish in Newton, MA, worked on Labels as a Lenten
project and collected a fantastic $165. Thanks to Therese, Michael, Eddie,
Ian, Raschel, Christopher, and Tom, as well as
their teachers – Lynn and Jeanine – for their efforts! March 30, 2005: One member of the Labels crew at Temple
Beth El in Sudbury, MA, spent three days filling his Labels jar with
donations he solicited from his family and friends at school and Hebrew
School. The results? $111.32 in three days! March 27, 2005: Special thanks for the Easter morning
donation of $300 from Labels supporters from Medfield, MA. Your consistent
kindness means so much to us! March 23, 2005: Many thanks to Richie Snell and his
colleagues at BURST! Media for providing Labels with free internet ad space.
BURST! Media has given us a tremendous amount of exposure on their network,
which receives four to five BILLION page views per month on over 2,000
websites. March 20, 2005: In Lawrence, we have been mourning the
death of Sharon LaCroix, a great supporter of Cor Unum and Labels Are For
Jars. In recent weeks, Sharon's family and friends have donated more than
$1,000 in her memory to support our project. These gifts are particularly
meaningful to us, and do great honor to the life of a woman who devoted
herself to serving the people of Lawrence. March 18, 2005: Our thanks go out to Lynda Anderson, Bob Hannan, and all of the great people at Anderson Photo, Inc.,
of Concord, MA. Anderson Photo provided Labels with their photographic
expertise, as well as studio time, and some great shots for future website
enhancements. March 15, 2005: Many thanks to the anonymous donor who sent
$500 to help build Cor Unum. As we understand it, your reward will be great. March 13, 2005: We appreciate recent gifts of $25 from
Carlisle, MA, and $40 from Lawrence. March 13, 2005: Veteran members of the Concord street team,
plus teens and adult leaders from Trinitarian Congregational Church in
Concord and Congregation Beth El in Sudbury today traveled to Lawrence for an
informational meeting, a tour of the city, and a visit to the site of the
future Cor Unum Meal Center. We're looking forward to the day when street
team members will also be able to volunteer serving meals in the center! March 12, 2005: We appreciate donations recently received,
including $250 from Arlington, MA, $50 from Lawrence, MA, and $25 from Boston
College. March 10, 2005: The leaders of the new street team at
Framingham State College have quickly organized. They set up a table tonight
at a MASSPIRG event at the College Center, and without any previous
advertising managed to sell ten Labels shirts and to collect an additional $65
in donations! March 8, 2005: An article about Labels appeared in today's
Eagle-Tribune, the newspaper that
serves 26 communities in northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire
(the Merrimack Valley). March 7, 2005: We are excited to announce our latest
college street team, at Framingham State College in Framingham, MA. Welcome
aboard! March
5, 2005: We were thrilled to receive a check for $597.66
from the street team at St. Sebastian's. That check represents money
collected in five Labels jars – averaging more than $100 per jar! March
2, 2005: The Concord street team has put together a
cool display about Labels in the Concord Bookshop, a landmark at 65 Main
Street in Concord Center. Thanks to the team for this great idea, and for our
friends at the Concord Bookshop for their support of Labels Are For Jars. March
1, 2005: Lots and lots of thanks for recent
donations of $200 from Andover, MA, $50 from Brighton, MA, and $50 from North
Berwick, ME. February 28, 2005: Central Committee member February 27, 2005: Welcome to members of the youth group at
the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Concord, who are getting involved
with the Labels street team in their town. February 26, 2005: We received the following note from a
former Lawrence resident now living in Boston: “Please take my humble
donation of seven dollars. . . . Keep shooting!” February 25, 2005: Muchas gracias to the community at St.
Sebastian's School for their donation of $300 that was raised for Labels
through their Christmas Auction. February
24, 2005: Welcome to the world to Labels Baby Molly
Ruth Branigan, daughter of Central Committee member Laura Klein and her
husband, John Branigan. Molly joins four other Labels Babies who have been
born since our project began – Andrew Casey, Joe McDermott, Jr., Neve
O'Brien, and Alex Robichaud. Production is up! February
20, 2005: At Stonehill College, students in Michelle Recicar's communications course have a focus on Labels
this semester, studying additional possibilities for fostering and building
college street teams, developing expanded support resources, and pursuing
hands-on college team recruitment. This is a big thrill for us – we're really
happy to have the class collaborating with us! February
19, 2005: The Organization of Latin American Affairs
at Boston College tonight had its 2005 Culture Show at Robsham
Theater. MC and Labels' pal Gabriel Verdaguer was able to make Labels part of
the evening, including wearing a shirt as part of the program. Members of the
B.C. street team staffed a table at the event, including informational flyers
and inventory. You guys are the best! February
15, 2005: Our friends in Littleton, MA, who hosted a
holiday martini party that benefited Labels (see the November 30 Buzz item)
sent us the proceeds of the evening - $457.35! February
13, 2005: A couple from Arlington, MA, who sent
Labels a gift of $250 last month mentioned that they hoped to make Labels a
permanent source of their financial sacrifice. Sure enough, another check for
$250 arrived from them this month. We are so inspired by the depth of your
outreach to the economically poor! February 10,
2005: The report from Boston College is that last
week's fundraiser at Pizzeria Uno was a great success. The Labels team raised
more money than any other charitable group had raised at a fundraiser at
Uno's in Allston, with sales totaling $1375. The B.C. team is very happy with
the results and is now moving ahead with Labels planning. February 9, 2005: Our ace web team has been working on some
very cool banner ads that will soon appear on websites across the country.
Stay tuned for more news on this. February 7, 2005: Thanks to friends who have recently sent
contributions to Labels: $80 from New York City; $25 from North Andover and
Boston, MA; and $12 from Lincoln, MA. February
4, 2005: A supporter in Lawrence directed to Labels
the memorial gifts received after the death of a loved one. We are honored to
put these funds to work to help build Cor Unum. February
1, 2005: The Outreach Commission of Saint Anne's
in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Lincoln, MA, sent us a $180 gift, matching
the amount of money raised in December at their street team's kick-off event.
Thank you for supporting the service work being done by our youngest street
team! January 31, 2005: At Deland, Gibson Insurance Associates in
Wellesley Hills, MA, staff members may wear jeans every other Friday if they
donate $5 to a collective fund. Each quarter, the staff votes on a charity or
cause as the recipient of the donations. The staff recently voted to send their
past quarter's donations of $425 to Labels to help build Cor Unum. This is a
great idea! January
30, 2005: Many thanks to the students of Wellesley
College's Newman Catholic Ministry, who chose Labels as the beneficiary of
their first semester's collections of nearly $250. January
29, 2005: Central Committee member January 28, 2005: A parish in suburban Boston sold a piano
and sent the $300 proceeds to Labels to help build Cor Unum. January 27, 2005: The news from Boston College is that street
team leaders are using lots of means to promote next week's Labels kick-off
at Uno's – list serves, flyers, a campus banner, and lots of word of mouth.
For more info on the event, see our January 20 buzz item. January 26, 2005: A Labels supporter sent his contribution
with a matching gift grant from the bank for which he works. Because Labels
Are For Jars is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we qualify for the
matching gift programs of many businesses. Yours? January 25, 2005: Thank you to the anonymous friend who sent
a five dollar bill “for the hungry”. January
24, 2005: Every donation sent to Labels Are For Jars
brings us one step closer to making real the dream of Cor Unum. Many thanks
for new gifts from supporters around Massachusetts: $100 from Charlestown,
$50 from Burlington, $25 from North Andover, and $250 from Arlington. January
23, 2005: We received the following note from a
generous donor: “Thank you for doing for the poor what many of us just think about
as something we would like to do, but never find the right motivation or the
trust in an organization to use the donation judiciously.” January
21, 2005: From across the winter wonderland of the
Northeast, we've received a donation from the street team at SUNY
Plattsburgh. Thanks to everyone at Plattsburgh for such great dedication to
Labels! January
20, 2005: January 18, 2005: Listeners to “The January
14, 2005: Central Committee member January
13, 2005: Labels Are For Jars is happy to release
today our 2005 Lent Guide. This year, Lent begins on February 9, which is
just a few weeks away! Our Lent Guide offers reflections and questions for
each day of Lent. It also suggests possibilities for connecting Lenten
almsgiving and fasting to helping feed the hungry through Labels Are For Jars.
Check out the guide, and consider sharing it with family, friends, and
neighbors! January 9, 2005: A tip of the Labels hat to a friend from
Acton, MA, who has sent a donation of $1,000. What amazing kindness! January 9, 2005: We have received recent inquiries about
starting street teams in Springfield, Natick, and Marblehead, MA. If you're
interested in possibly starting a street team, contact us at volunteers@labelsareforjars.org. January 5, 2005: More thanks to Labels donors: $100 from
Cambridge, MA and $100 from West Newbury, MA! January
2, 2005: Word from the Saint Sebastian's street team
is that any student who has a Labels shirt can wear it, instead of his
uniform, during one day of exams next week. The other great news from Saint
Sebastian's is that three completely filled Labels jars are being cashed in,
with the donations to be sent to us. Keep refilling those jars! January
1, 2005: On the heels of yesterday's amazing $20,000
gift, Labels has received a donation of $50,000 from a married couple with
two young children. This is the largest single donation Labels has received
to date, taking us a big step closer to building the Cor Unum Meal Center. Happy
New Year! December 31, 2004: A retired school teacher who lives in
suburban Boston heard about Labels from her sister. Having done further
research on our project, she made a donation of $20,000, saying “This money
will go directly to whom it is most needed. Feed God's children.” This is a
wonderful note on which to complete 2004! December 30, 2004: A senior member of the community in
Lawrence presented Labels with a gift of $1,000 in memory of her deceased
family members. Many thanks! December
29, 2004: We benefit each day from the word-of-mouth
good news spread about Labels Are For Jars. Many generous financial
contributions continue to be received at our offices: $10 and $100 gifts from
Franklin, MA; $50 from Andover, MA; $500 from Medfield, MA; and $250 from
Newark, NJ. December
23, 2004: Members of Saint Patrick Parish in Natick,
MA, organized a fair to benefit Labels Are For Jars. The proceeds totaled
$5,000 to help feed the hungry through Cor Unum. Thanks to everyone in Natick
for this wonderful effort! December 20, 2004: Luke O’Brien and December 20, 2004: Labels' Central Committee members Luke and December
19, 2004: Continuing thanks to the many supporters of
Labels who send direct donations to our project. We received today a pile of
checks from around Massachusetts: $3,000 from Chestnut Hill, $1,000 from
Chelmsford, $200 from Concord, two $100 gifts from Arlington, three $100
gifts from Quincy, $100 from Holden, $50 from Lawrence, $20 from Brookline,
$15 from West Roxbury, and $10 from Beverly. Your generosity means so much to
us! December
16, 2004: Friends are sending donations to Labels and
Cor Unum for the holiday season, some as gifts in the name of friends: $250
from Lowell, MA; $100 from Quincy, MA; $3,000 from Brookline, MA; $500 from
Methuen, MA. Your kindness is much appreciated! December 15, 2004: WHO ARE YOU??? Who are the people running
Labels Are For Jars? In this website's “The Project” section, click on the
new “Who We Are” to find out! December
14, 2004: Thanks to the students at Northeastern
University in Boston who met with Labels leaders to discuss possibilities for
Labels Are For Jars on their campus. We look forward to reconnecting with you
after exams! December
13, 2004: There was a fantastic article about Labels
in today's Boston Herald 's “YOUR s.t.u.f.f.”
section. If you didn't read it, click here. December
11, 2004: We are very happy to release today the five
latest Labels Are For Jars shirts: Geek Homeless Jock Pacifist Slacker These shirts are immediately available
through our online store, which now includes the option of free holiday gift
wrapping! The new shirts may also be ordered directly from street team
members. December
7, 2004:
December 4, 2004:
November
30, 2004: November 29, 2004:
October
28, 2004:
October
25, 2004: October
22, 2004: October
20, 2004:
October
12, 2004: October
5, 2004: October
4, 2004: September
28, 2004: September
7, 2004:
June
29, 2004: June
3, 2004: May
27, 2004: May
13, 2004: April
27, 2004: April
8, 2004: April
4, 2004: March
21, 2004: March
17, 2004: March
2, 2004: February
27, 2004: February
20, 2004: |