News in Brief

April 2021 Harbor View Neighborhood Association Meeting AGENDA

The next meeting of the Harbor View Neighborhood Association, (HVNA), will be on April 5, at 6 pm. Please note this meeting will be presented in English and Spanish for our Harbor View residents. The meeting will be on Zoom. Please check the website (harborvieweastboston.com) for instructions to participate by video or telephone. HVNA will continue to stream the meeting via facebook live as well as Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/groups/harborviewna.

Agenda

Welcome/Introduction (5min)

Announcements (5min) Love Your Block, McLean Park

Boston Police Station 7 Update  Officer Dan Simons (10min)

177 Coleridge Street 2nd Presentation and VOTE. Gerry DiPierro, contractor for homeowner, Eric Nelson. Proposal to add a private roof deck (20×30) via a spiral staircase at the end of the building. Unit #2 will have exclusive access. (10min)

117 Coleridge Street 1st Presentation. David Choi, Architect for owner Jorge Betancur. Proposal to expand the rear porches and construct new side porches. Also to renovate the existing finished basement, legalize it and change occupancy from 3 to 4 Units. (20min) 

119-121 Addison Street 1st Presentation and VOTE. Attorney Richard Lynds for owners. This building was constructed as of right and for Executive Suites. The proposal is to change the use to Residential which is forbidden in an Economic Development Area (EDA). (20min)

Legislative Update: Representative Adrian Madaro and Senator Joseph Boncore will brief us on the bills filed and actions taken on our behalf in the past and current year. Q&A to follow. (60min)

Next month look forward to Harbor Keepers Magdalena Ayed: Vision Chelsea Creek and Jewish Cemetery Association update.

Our next meeting will be on May 3, 2021

Visit us at http://www.facebook.com/groups/harborviewna.

Mendez on Dean’s List at Lehigh University

Norberto Mendez of East Boston was named to the Dean’s List at Lehigh University in the Fall 2020 semester.

Dean’s List status, which is awarded to students who earned a scholastic average of 3.6 or better while carrying at least 12 hours of regularly graded courses, has been granted to Norberto Mendez of Boston, MA in the Fall 2020 semester.

For more than 150 years, Lehigh University (lehigh.edu) has combined outstanding academic and learning opportunities with leadership in fostering innovative research. The institution is among the nation’s most selective, highly ranked private research universities. Lehigh’s five colleges – College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education, College of Health, and the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science – provides opportunities to 7,000+ students to discover and grow in an academically rigorous environment along with a supportive, engaged campus community.

ABCD and The Greater Boston Food Bank Announce a Joint Initiative 

Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD) and The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) jointly announced a groundbreaking $2 million initiative, designed to provide thousands of families affected by COVID-19 with more fresh fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious perishable foods. As experts in the field have noted, the demand for emergency food in Eastern Massachusetts has increased by 66% due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With support from the federal CARES Act (Coronavirus AID, Relief, and Economic Security Act), ABCD will work with GBFB to fund  2.5 million pounds of fresh foods to communities in need through local food pantries, which are affiliated with GBFB. Approximately  260,000 individuals across Greater Boston will benefit over the next six months.

ABCD President/CEO John J. Drew and GBFB CEO Catherine D’Amato noted that this innovation builds on decades of partnership between the two organizations, each with deep, grassroots, community collaborations. In February, GBFB served over 172,000 households with over 2.4 million pounds of food throughout its food pantry network, which includes 8 ABCD sites. Over the past year, ABCD provided more than 100,000 households with a wide range of services designed to fight the current emergency, and to equip families with tools to thrive in the future.

“Our doors have been open. We’ve been providing food, diapers, rental assistance, fuel assistance and other emergency help from day one of the pandemic. By expanding this important partnership, the Fresh Foods project will keep hungry people healthier during an already difficult time,” said John J. Drew, ABCD President/CEO. “The need is urgent and our ability to help is immediate.”

“Partnerships are key in the work to end hunger in our communities, and ABCD has been one partner that is essential in GBFB’s COVID-19 response,” said Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO, The Greater Boston Food Bank. “Beyond partnering since 1989 as a pantry food distributor in the Greater Boston area, they have stepped up to provide critical funding to enable GBFB to distribute healthy and nutritious food for all partners in this region during this challenging pandemic.”

The response from communities has been enthusiastic. “ABCD has been a critical partner in keeping folks in Malden, and across the region, housed, fed, and safe throughout the pandemic and long before,” said Representative Steven Ultrino (D – Malden) “I’m incredibly excited about this new collaboration between ABCD and The Greater Boston Food Bank, and look forward to continuing our work with them to ensure that every member of our community can keep food on the table for themselves and their families.”

ABCD and GBFB will also work together to identify barriers to better nutrition for low-income families. Both GBFB and ABCD are committed to seeking durable systems change which will enhance the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of the resources struggling families rely on.

“Our families were letting us know that finding food and supplies was becoming more difficult in the grocery stores as COVID got worse,” said Jenny Sugilio, Acting Director at ABCD Parker Hill/Fenway Neighborhood Service Center. “We had to do something about it! No one should be allowed to go hungry.

Goldberg’s Office Awards Over $1.8 Million in Veteran Bonuses

The State Treasurer’s Veterans’ Bonus Division is pleased to announce that in 2020 they processed nearly 4,000 bonuses and awarded $1,850,451 in benefits to Veterans across Massachusetts. In addition, the division oversaw the creation of a new COVID-19 Bonus for Massachusetts National Guard members, activated in response to the state of emergency declared by the governor on March 10th, 2020. This initiative paid out $838,000 to over 1,500 service members beginning in November.

“In 2019, our team successfully transitioned the Welcome Home bonus to an online platform, which allowed us to successfully manage the increased number of applications during the pandemic,” said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg. “Our servicemembers selflessly give so much to others that we wanted to ensure that each and every one of them had the opportunity to promptly receive their bonus payouts during a time of economic uncertainty.”

“We were thrilled when the legislature passed our COVID bonus for National Guard personnel that supported the Massachusetts’ response to the pandemic,” said Steve Croteau, Manager of the Veterans’ Bonus Division. “This bonus helped relieve some financial stress and allowed the National Guard members to focus on their mission.”

“This bonus was honestly a surprise but greatly appreciated. Aiding in the COVID response took up almost half of my year living away from my family. I think I can speak for myself as well as my fellow soldiers, this money makes us feel appreciated,” said a Massachusetts Veteran after receiving their bonus. “I will be saving my money for a time where COVID is less of an issue and I can go on a relaxing vacation with my family.”

The Veterans’ Bonus Division distributes bonuses for eligible active duty, discharged, and deceased Massachusetts veterans who served during various conflicts. The State Treasurers Office has administered the state bonus program since the World War I bonus in 1919 was awarded to Massachusetts individuals who served in the armed forces during that period. To learn more about the Veterans’ Bonus Division, visit VetsBonusMA.com. 

Applications Available for Internships at Sheriff’s Dept.

Applications are once again being accepted for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department Summer Enrichment Program (SEP).

The SEP — which is a seven-week internship that begins on Wednesday, July 7 and ends on Friday, August 23 — is inviting twenty participants, selected from a group of high school students, to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department to learn more about careers in law enforcement.

Participants will work 21 hours a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 8am – 4pm, and will be compensated at a rate of $13.50 per-hour. During each week of the internship, members will participate in a “meet and greet” with members of the law enforcement community.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the implementation of strict health and safety protocols, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department’s (SCSD) interns will participate in either REMOTE, HYBRID or IN-PERSON activities.

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