Published in the December 4, 2015 edition
MELROSE — Donations to the Melrose Emergency Fund have already topped $8,300 this holiday season thanks to generous large and small donations from Melrose residents and groups, including the Kappa Delta Psi sorority and the Melrose Boot Camp.
“The Emergency Fund is a way for everyone in Melrose to reach out to help their neighbors,” said Mayor Robert J. Dolan. “We have had some extraordinary situations this past year, and I was happy that the fund was there to help people when they needed it. We can’t solve every problem, but we can help make people’s burdens lighter.”
Most of the Emergency Fund assistance goes to basics such as food and heat. “We want to ensure that no one in Melrose goes cold or hungry this winter,” Dolan said, adding, “With your help, I believe we can accomplish that goal.”
The purpose of the fund is to provide one-time help to Melrose residents experiencing financial emergencies. Most of the funds are directed to the basic needs of the recipients —food, fuel and utilities.
Most importantly, every penny of every donation goes directly to aid, with no administrative costs, and the fund administrator makes referrals to other local agencies when needed.
SPREADING JOY. The Melrose Emergency Fund has already topped $8,300 this holiday season thanks to the generosity of benefactors like Joy Fay of Melrose Boot Camp who present a donation recently to Mayor Rob Dolan. From left: Karen Gabler, Joy Fay, Mayor Dolan and Vanessa Roman. Gabler and Roman are Boot Camp instructors.
Recent donors to the Emergency Fund include:
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ahern
Marianne and Brian Long
Kappa Delta Psi
Matthew Jones and Judith Rosenbaum
Melrose Emblem Club No. 89
Jim Keane and Tanis Houseman
Robinson Funeral Home
Michael and Erin Zwirko
Nancy J. Strickland
Joanne and Anthony Santagate
Timothy and Renee Donnelly
Janice Walsh
Susan Rhodes Sorrenti
Melrose Boot Camp
Joan Leighton
Bernadette M. Kennedy
Craig and Sara Brandon
Rachael Hayward and Margaret Hayward Wolley
Dennis and Janet Farrell
Steve Trulli/Whittemore Hardware
Robert and Maryann Sullivan
Theodore and Jane Bond
To make a donation, send a check to Melrose Emergency Fund, Mayor’s Office, 562 Main St., Melrose, MA 02176 or bring it directly to the Mayor’s Office on the second floor of City Hall. Checks should be made out to the City of Melrose, with “Melrose Emergency Fund” in the memo line. For more information about the fund, call 781-979-4440.
