Women's Lunch Place

Cheers, David! We're glad you all could join us!

Awarded twice each year, The Boston Foundation's Safety Net Grants provide two-year, $50,000 grants to support social service organizations that respond to essential needs of marginalized communities and vulnerable residents in Greater Boston. More than 160 organizations applied for funding in this round, and Women's Lunch Place was selected among 20 winning organizations! We are honored that our work to meet the essential needs of vulnerable women in our community has been recognized through this community-led process. At WLP, our individualized approach begins by providing healthy nutrition, hygiene, and safety in a gender-specific environment, and other critical services to our guests. This allows us to build trust and rapport, which often leads to more complex work in our Wellness and Advocacy programs. Across all our services, our motto remains: Dignity is Everything.

It was a pleasure having Carys Lamberg and Elienishka Ramos Torres visit Women's Lunch Place today from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office. Carys and Elie met with WLP directors Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, Anne Rickard Jackowitz, and Nancy Armstrong to discuss immigration, housing and homelessness, gendered violence, the need for gender-specific spaces for women, food insecurity, and policy work. We look forward to working with Senator Warren's team in the future!

Women's Lunch Place is one of 22 organizations receiving $18 million in Community Health Impact funds from Massachusetts General Hospital, part of the Mass General Brigham Healthcare system!   We are beyond grateful for MGH's support and will use our portion of funding to meet the urgent need to create Permanent Supportive Housing options for chronically homeless women in Boston. At today’s award celebration, Robert Goldstein, MD, PhD, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, shared "The link between housing and health is not just a matter of public health . . . it’s a matter of equity and social justice. Housing disparities too often fall along racial and socioeconomic lines, contributing to the health inequities we see in our communities. By recognizing and supporting housing as a critical determinant of health and taking concrete steps to help provide safe, stable, affordable housing for all, we can make significant strides towards improving public health outcomes and reducing health disparities in Massachusetts."

Our friends from PSG organized an incredible shoe giveaway for our guests! Their team transformed a room in our shelter into a shoe store where each guest was able to try on shoes and choose their favorites. Comfortable and supportive shoes are essential, as many of our guests spend a lot of time on their feet and having the right shoes can help prevent blisters, calluses, and infections. Plus––bot only did their staff help out in the shoe store, but they also helped prepare and serve healthy meals in our kitchen. We are so thankful to the PSG team for organizing this amazing event. Special shoutouts to our volunteers: Mary Otto, Catherine McKiernan, Namrita Rai, Britney Fox, Annie Abbruzzese, Deb B., Olivia Goff, Xiu Li Dong, Zack Glosser, Nadim Najjar, and RJ Gentile.

As we fully consider the implications of the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass vs. Johnson decision to criminalize the homeless, Women’s Lunch Place will continue to advocate for the vulnerable women we serve. Domestic and intimate partner violence is the main pathway to homelessness for women. A sudden accident or disability, skyrocketing rents, divorce, and late onset mental illness are among the many factors that can contribute to women becoming homeless. At WLP we focus on the humanity of each woman and offer support and solutions to remediate the disruptions in their lives. Dignity is everything.

Take action 📣 email your representatives today! Join us in requesting a federal funding expansion for shelters and safe haven programs for women and children. By clicking this link–– https://lnkd.in/gkKQAPxe ––you can quickly send a message to your members of Congress on behalf of the more than 1.2 million women and 2.5 million children experiencing homelessness in the United States every year. WLP's Executive Director, Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Women's Shelter Network, which has submitted a request for a $55,000,000 increase to Emergency Solution Grants. This funding has a 15% set aside of Formula Grant funds to be directed to women’s and children’s shelter and safe haven programs in the Fiscal Year 2025 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Bill. Women and children often encounter traumatic life events prior to experiencing homelessness and require high-special-need services to address the impacts of gender-based violence and trauma. Frontline organizations are facing significant challenges in responding to growing homelessness rates. Additional funding is crucial for basic operations, human services, and enriched supportive services that facilitate successful transitions to long-term stable housing. Collectively, we hold the power to save and change the lives of countless women and children across the nation.

Join us in wishing a happy 100th Anniversary to one of our most thoughtful and consistent partners, MFS Investment Management! We are honored to collaborate with MFS, who created the US' first open-end mutual fund 100 years ago, giving everyday investors access to the markets. MFS is not only a regular donor and sponsor of our signature fundraisers––they also send volunteer groups to our kitchen every two weeks to assist with our Healthy Meals program. Their support is felt year-round. We also want to give a special shoutout to WE@MFS, a women’s empowerment group that has worked closely with our office to grow our partnership since 2017. "I started volunteering at WLP over a decade ago, said Julia Paraschos, Business System Analyst at MFS. "At WLP, I not only get to help people, but I've also found a community of fellow volunteers and WLP employees. It gives me peace of mind to know that any woman can get a delicious and nutritious meal, take a shower, wash their clothes, and get medical help in a safe space where they can feel like they are not alone." Here’s to another 100 years of success, MFS. Cheers! #MFS100Years

Our friends from The Real Estate Bar Association for Massachusetts held their annual fundraiser at Women's Lunch Place –– a trivia extravaganza! REBA's steadfast support and willingness to bring new people into the WLP community are essential to our growth as an organization. We can't thank them enough, and congratulations to our winners and last-place finishers for accepting your trophies with grace 😂 Our generous event sponsors included: Stewart Title, Hackett Feinberg P.C., Fidelity National Financial, JCW Title, LLC, CATIC, and The Massachusetts Paralegal Association. We can't wait for the next round!

Our partners at Point32Health are not only generous donors to Women's Lunch Place, they also volunteer in our shelter and advocacy center to make a direct impact for women experiencing hunger and homelessness. Today we're tipping our caps after their day of service, when volunteers Amy Han, Kelly Heft LMHC, Koreen Leavitt, Lenieve Henry, Beth Richards, Marie Vega, Nicole Merancier, Priscilla McKinnon, Sarah Bonzagni, Yvelande Eliacin leant their time and organizational skills to WLP! If your company is interested in becoming a partner of Women's Lunch Place, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/eg4XCVBV