Harvest on Vine

Harvest on Vine
January 2025 update

On Saturday, January 11, Harvest on Vine volunteers braved the snow to distribute five tons of food to 225 families. They gave out milk, apples, acorn squash, and carrots, as well as chicken, fish, and pork chops. And all the dry goods the clients could carry. Despite the stormy conditions, the mood was joyous and energetic.
Harvest on Vine has again passed the Greater Boston Food Bank’s annual inspection, making it 22 years in a row. We have also been compliant with the City of Boston’s Inspectional Services Department in that time.
Thank you for your ongoing support. This ministry works because of you.
If you would like to become a volunteer at Harvest on Vine—The Heart of
Charlestown Catholic Collaborative—please send an email to tmacdonald@stmarystcatherine.org or call 617-990-7314.

Charlestown Catholic Community

Harvest on Vine
January 2025 Schedule

Charlestown Catholic Community

News from Harvest on Vine
a Charlestown Hero

Earlier this month, The John F. Kennedy Family Service Center, Inc. an affiliate of Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) nominated Tom MacDonald who runs the Harvest on Vine (HOV) food pantry in conjunction with the Charlestown Catholic Collaborative.

He was one of nineteen people selected and celebrated for this award in the city of Boston. ABCD celebrates resolute volunteers like Tom who work tirelessly in their respective communities to assist and empower our neighbors.

HOV has grown from serving seven families in 2003 to more than six hundred today. The partnership with the JFK Family Service Center has been critical to this growth. In addition, the relationship with the St. Vincent de Paul society has also enabled the distribution of six hundred coats (donated graciously by Ocean State Job lot) over the last two years.

Tom explained his motivation for doing this work, “I love doing it. I get to see the best of humanity. The community is beautiful to me. It is just one big family.”

We give thanks to Tom MacDonald as he is a facilitator of good at each opportunity that comes his way.

The Harvest on Vine volunteers

Harvest on Vine
December 2024 Schedule

Charlestown Catholic Community

Harvest on Vine
2024 Summary

Recent Improvements

Harvest on Vine began in 2003 with seven families. Today we serve 702 families, comprised of 1,525 people. In the past 18 months we’ve made the following advancements.
We purchased an 8’ x 10’ walk-in freezer that holds 4,000 pounds of food. The IBEW donated their services to install the needed electricity. Our expansion matches the Greater Boston Food Bank’s expansion, giving us the maximum benefit they offer. Money from a grant paid for the freezer.
We upgraded our client check-in system with an application called Oasis. The Greater Boston Food Bank provided Oasis at no cost. They also provided training. Each client now has a membership card with a barcode. The system keeps accurate counts, counts that are needed when applying for funding.
We partnered with Mishawum Park and the Greater Boston Food Bank to put in place a mobile market. Each month we transport truckloads of food to Mishawum’s community center and distribute the goods on site. The Mishawum team is doing outstanding work.
We joined up with the City of Boston’s Office for Food Justice (OFJ). The OFJ assessed our operation and advised us on how to better serve the clients. We discussed at length the anxiety our clients experienced while waiting in line, sometimes for three hours. The assessment led to a change. We now have two lines going simultaneously, cutting the wait time in half.
We teamed up with the Kennedy Center to buy tons of fresh produce for our families. The program provided a nutritional boon for a community that is designated a food desert. Our clients live below the poverty line, and most of them don’t have cars to get to supermarkets.
We always need more volunteers, especially since we changed to a two-line system. If you would like to volunteer, email tmacdonald@stmarystcatherine.org or call 617-990-7314.

November 2024

Winter coat distribution with the St. Vincent De Paul Society. A passionate supporter of Harvest on Vine made inroads with the charitable branch of Ocean State Job Lots. As a result, Ocean State donated 600 winter coats. The St. Vincent De Paul Society, along with Harvest on Vine volunteers, sorted the merchandise, organized the families, and distributed the coats over a three-day period.

Thanksgiving turkey distribution – Tuesday 11/26 1PM

Harvest on Vine will be giving out 550 Thanksgiving baskets this year. This annual event has become an expensive
undertaking. The Bunker Hill Associates and the Charlestown Mothers Association teamed up to raise money for the effort. Donations can also be made on the Charlestown Catholic Collaborative webpage.

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

Tom

Charlestown Catholic Community

Harvest on Vine
November 2024 Calendar

49 Vine Street

Friday  November 8th – 3:00 pm – Set-up

Saturday November 9th – 10:00 am – Distribution

Tuesday, November 26th-1:00 pm Thanksgiving Set-up

*Tuesday, November 26th – 2:00 pm – Thanksgiving Distribution

*We expect to serve upwards of 500 families!

Mishawum Park

Thursday, November 21st – 1:00 pm – (Dunstable St.)

(Mishawum Park staff handles the set-up and distribution with HoV.)

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

Tom

Charlestown Catholic Community

Sunday, September 29, 2024, Harvest on Vine Fundraiser at Brewer’s Fork.

A very big thank you to those who attended and helped raise needed funds for the food pantry and a special thank you to Brewer’s Fork for hosting!

September Schedule
Friday, September 13th.
3pm – Set-up
Saturday, September 14th,
10am – Distribution
Thursday, September 19th,
1pm – Mishawum
Monday, September 23rd,
3pm – Set-up
Tuesday, September 24th,
2pm – Distribution
(new time)

Fundraiser

Sunday, September 29th
12-2pm
Brewer’s Fork,
7 Moulton St.
Charlestown
$50.00 per person

Camp Compassion
Camp Compassion was down at the
Bunker Hill Mall collecting donations
and food donations for our Harvest on
Vine Food Pantry.
We thank Camp Compassion for all of
their efforts on behalf of Harvest on
Vine.

Cereal Drive
Please consider dropping off a box or two of cereal at the
back of the church at the weekend Masses all summer long.
Thank you for all you do.

Cooking Class

On the Juneteenth holiday, Harvest on Vine partnered with the City of Boston’s Office for Food Justice and offered a cooking class to our clients. We made vegetable chili and a tossed salad with homemade dressing. After we prepared the meal, we sat as a community and ate together.
Twenty-five people participated in the cooking process: dicing vegetables, making rice, whisking dressing, cutting lettuce, spicing broth, along with organizing, serving, and cleaning. Twenty-five of us left with full bellies. The next day, Harvest on Vine distributed food to fifty-four families in Mishawum, the highest number to date at that location. Earlier in the month, on Saturday, June 8, we served 204 households at the Vine Street location. Our next distribution is Tuesday, June 25, at 6:00 PM. New volunteers are always welcome.
With gratitude for your support!
Harvest on Vine

Thank you from Harvest on Vine for the donations on Hungry Sunday.