CHARLESTOWN, MA – Harvest on Vine, an emergency food pantry here, run by Tom Macdonald has been serving some 600 needy families since 2003. The food (some 15,000 to 17,000 pounds, is distributed twice a month at 49 Vine Street – on the second Saturday at 10 a.m. and the last Tuesday at 7 p.m. and is limited to residents “struggling to make ends meet,” he explains. The food, he adds, includes items such as pasta, rice, cereal, canned fruit, vegetables, soup, milk and even basic toiletries including toilet paper, soap and more.

It began in 2003, Macdonald says. In August of this year, it had grown to serve 300 families with more than 14,000 lbs. of food. Harvest on Vine has a fundraising online auction for the pantry in August, starting at noon of the first day until 8 p.m. on the second. The auction includes such items as “A Taste of Charlestown” package with $100 gift certificates to five local restaurants – Warren Tavern, Monument Restaurant & Bar, Brewer’s Fork, Blackmoor Bar & Kitchen and Pier 6.

Participants can also choose a one-week stay in September in a three bedroom, two bath waterfront cottage at award winning Dennis Seashores, located on Nantucket Sound, a celebrity dinner for 10 in one’s home prepared and served by Chef Paul Wahlberg who goes to the person’s home with food and wine, cooks and serves the meal and cleans up afterward. Each of the six courses is paired with a different wine. The timing is on a weekday night, Monday through Thursday.

To help this group keep helping families each year, Harvest on Vine can be reached at 617-750-1937 or by email at Tmacdonald03@yahoo.com.

TAUTON, MA – Martignetti Companies, a leading New England distributor of fine wines and spirits, has committed $250,000 in charitable contributions to both local and national organizations to support and assist restaurant industry employees experiencing hardship during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Of the $250,000 contribution, $120,000 will be dispersed to both the local and national charitable organizations outlined below. The additional $130,000 has been pledged for disbursement among charities with meaningful missions to support hospitality workers.

The hospitality industry has experienced exceptional hardship, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the company notes. The turmoil and unpredictability generated through COVID-19 has resulted in the closure of bars, restaurants, and venues throughout Massachusetts and New England. Martignetti Companies seeks to recognize the importance of supporting the vital members of this industry most in need during this time both on a national and local level.

Locally, Martignetti Companies has donated $50,000 to The Greg Hill Foundation’s Restaurant Strong Fund, which supports individuals from the restaurant industry who have been impacted by the COVID-19 closures. Also, Martignetti Companies donated $20,000 to The New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Foundations’ Hospitality Employee Relief Fund, which was built by the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association (NHLRA) and the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association Education Foundation to support employees of the hospitality industry who have been impacted by COVID-19.

Nationally, Martignetti Companies has committed $50,000 to The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundations’, ‘Employee Relief Fund,’ which supports restaurant workers impacted by COVID-19. This fund is operated by the NRAEF, whose mission is to attract, empower, and advance today’s and tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice workers.

“The hospitality industry plays a vital role in our communities, providing us with a place to gather with friends and family,” Mark Fisher, President of Martignetti Companies emphasizes. “Their importance to our organization, as the face of the beverage industry to the consumer, cannot be understated. Each of the charities that we have selected has demonstrated their ability to immediately and effectively provide vital support to restaurant workers in our community. We are grateful to be able to support them in this time of need.”

NY State has new plan for restaurants

ALBANY, NY – New York recently announced a plan to make restaurants reduce capacity by 50 percent in order to curtail close human contact as it responds to the Coronavirus epidemic. At the same time, MSNBC reported that cases of the virus, in a period of only five days, rose by 50 percent, going from 545 to 1,129.

RANDOLPH, MA – Dunkin’ Donuts’ Joy in Childhood Foundation is activating $1.25 million in emergency funding to support health and hunger relief  organizations on the frontline of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) response.

This includes a $250,000 donation to the Boston Resiliency Fund established by Mayor Marty Walsh to bring essential services to local residents whose health and well-being are most immediately impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19)  pandemic.

The Foundation helps children battling hunger or illness with emergency grants that are designed to give flexible funding for organizations so they can apply for the support they need.

“Dunkin’ is made up of thousands of independent businessmen and women who care deeply about the communities they serve and demonstrate that care by supporting our Foundation in addition to hundreds of other local charities,” says Alex Smigelski, Dunkin’ Franchisee and Co-Chair of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation. “The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has been working with hunger relief organizations and hospitals for many years, and we know that now, more than ever, they need resources and flexibility to be able to help those most impacted by the pandemic. We are happy to be able to give this support and want to encourage everyone to step in to help our communities during this time of great need.”

Donations to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund can be made at www.joyinchildhoodfoundation.org.