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Volume 12, Issue 11: November, 2025
"Hunger is not an issue of charity. It is an issue of justice" - Jacques Diouf
Dear Valued Community Member,
Thank you for your continued community and readership of our local Boston Network Connector Newsletter. In this edition, you will find featured stories from our VVN community, upcoming in-network events, opportunities in our community, and our monthly research highlight, the scoop on the stats.
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Village Voices: From Charity to Justice: Finding Abundance in Community-Led Food Systems
- Virtual and local opportunities with the Vital Village Networks
- Save the date for the December Network Connection Meeting!
- Explore opportunities in your community with VVN Partners
- October Scoop on the Stats: The Role of Mobile Apps in Supporting Food Security in Massachusetts
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Snap & Abundance App
From Charity to Justice: Finding Abundance in Community-Led Food Systems
"The food system is not broken nor does it need to be fixed. It's a caste system doing exactly what it's meant to be." - Karen Washington
The government shutdown has disrupted vital food assistance programs in communities across the country. Yet even amid these challenges, powerful acts of collective care are unfolding: neighbors are mobilizing, exchanging resources, and grassroots efforts are rising to meet the moment. At Vital Village Networks, we continue to champion community-led solutions, advocate for human rights, and strengthen collective capacity.
The Abundance Boston App, created by and for community residents, and updates maintained by volunteers, remains freely available online and in the iOS App Store to help families connect with essential free and low-cost food resources, meals, and markets. Food security, while essential, is not enough to create a just and humane world. True food justice goes beyond having enough on the table; it must also affirm the dignity, agency, and the wellbeing of every family.
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Network Events & Resources
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GRO.W.BABY Research Roundtable Seminar with Astrid Van Damme
November 18, 2025 | 12:00 pm ET on Zoom
The GRO.W.BABY Network welcomes you to attend the November Research Roundtable, Identifying anticipated challenges when implementing group care: Context-analyses across seven countries to develop an anticipated challenges framework. Join Astrid Van Damme as she presents findings fro her PhD research on the challenges of Group Care implementation across seven countries. Her work, part of the Group Care 1000 study, reveals key insights from the pre-implementation phase and introduces the Anticipated Challenges Framework. She will also share a Belgium case study exploring how health systems impact implementation.
Learn more and register here - https://cutt.ly/Research-Roundtable-Nov-2025
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Peer Learning Cluster Workshop: Co-Designing for 2026
November 18, 2025 | 2:00 pm ET on Zoom
Join the Peer Learning Cluster co-leads for this interactive and collaborative design and planning session. Through a hands-on co-design process you will be able to help shape the Peer Learning Cluster program for 2026. In this session we will identify group priorities, build consensus on what the PLC community would like to learn and do together, and discuss additional leadership opportunities for members.
Register here - https://cutt.ly/NOV2025_PLC
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Children's Mental Health Storytimes, Connected Fathers and Children Reading and Reflecting Together
November 19th & 20th, 2025 | 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Global Ministries Church in Dorchester, MA
Join us for this Storytime Series for Fathers, father figures (uncles, grandfathers, positive male role models in the lives of younger children) in the Community. At each reading, enjoy dinner, storytelling, and meaningful conversations that support emotional well-being and connection. All participating families will receive a free, curated book kit.
Learn more and register for the series on Eventbrite here / https://cutt.ly/Storytimewithfathers
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NOW Webinar Series: Centering Disability Justice in Intergenerational Movement Building
November 20th, 2025 | 1:00 pm ET on Zoom
Join us for the final installment of the NOW Webinar Series, Centering Disability Justice in Intergenerational Movement Building. In this conversation, we’ll hear from intergenerational leaders about the importance of centering accessibility and disability justice within movement building spaces. Join us to learn from their reflections around strategies to ensure full participation and uphold dignity and collective care across generations.
Register here / https://cutt.ly/NOV2025_NOWWebinar
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My “Self” in the World Children’s Mental Health Story Times with the Boston Public Library
Virtual Storytimes on Thursdays from 3:30 - 4:00 pm ET on Zoom | In person dates, times, and locations vary:
Vital Village Networks and the Boston Public Library partner to offer Children's Mental Health Story Times both on Zoom and at your local libraries across Boston. Join us for live readings, reflections, songs, activities, and more! Story times are intended for children ages 3-8 years old, however older and younger siblings are welcome to join the fun! We require a caregiver to attend with their child. See October dates, times & locations on the VVN website Calendar and register for virtual sessions here / https://cutt.ly/CMHS-Web-Registry
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Save the Date! December Network Connection Meeting
December 18, 2025 | 5:30 - 7:30 pm ET
Hybrid Event: Virtual on Zoom, in-person at 820 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA (FGH Building)
Join us for the December Network Connection Meeting as we gather to celebrate our 2025 Unsung Heroes! We will also highlight some of Vital Village’s incredible initiatives, including the Urban College Leadership Program and the Social Justice Mediation Institute Training. Please register at least one week in advance if you require language justice services or childcare.
Register here - https://cutt.ly/Dec25NCM
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Events & Opportunities in Our Community | | | | |
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Food Guide
Vital Connections
Visit this link for a food guide around Boston, MA. Available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, and Cape Verdean Creole: https://www.vitalcxns.org/food
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Lower Roxbury Coalition Community Resource Fair
November 15th, 2025 | 12:00 - 3:00 pm ET at the Dewitt Center
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All Love and Safety to our Neighbors
November 18th, 2025 | 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET at 3035 Washington St, Roxbury
On Nov. 18, three organizations dedicated to championing young people through literacy and culturally affirming books -- 826 Boston, I'm Your Neighbor Books, and Wee The People -- will come together for an immersive, inter-generational evening of storytelling, art-making, and call to action for immigration justice. All Love and Safety to Our Neighbors will feature:
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A bilingual read-aloud of the empowering picture book Abuelita and Me
- a panel discussion with BPS students from 826 Boston
- community art-making
- book givaway of picture books and YA fiction in multiple languages
- an info table featuring the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Advancement
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remarks from Abuelita and Me author Leonarda Carranza
Email sarah@826boston.org with questions. Learn more and register here / https://826boston.org/news/12197/
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The Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston's Yawkey Club of Roxbury Presents
November 15th, 2025 | 4:30 pm ET at 115 Warren Street Roxbury, MA 02119
Daddy Daughter Dance- A night of fun, laughter, and making memories together.
Register here.
Contact Jerome Daye for more information, sponsorship, and courtesy tickets. 617-980-0225
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Together Hyde Park: Turkey Givaway
November 22th, 2025 | Register by November 13th
Together Hyde Park is working with local businesses and the City of Boston to provide a free turkey and sides for food-insecure families. They are giving priority to Hyde Park residents, and families must be able to pick up the items on November 22.
Please register by November 13th.
Register here.
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Explore Boston Pre-K Programs this Year
Planning ahead for your child's preschool experience? Boston Pre-K providers will be hosting Preview Sessions from November 2025 through June 2026, giving families a valuable opportunity to visit different program sites, meet teachers and staff, and get a feel for which environment might be the best fit for your child. These sessions are designed to help you make an informed decision about your child's early education. We encourage families with young children to take advantage of these sessions to explore the wonderful Pre-K options available throughout Boston! If you're interested in attending, you can indicate your interest by completing a simple form—just scan the QR code on the Public Preview Session Schedule.
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Community Providers (CBOs, Independent Schools, and Family Child Care - link
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Boston Public Schools - link
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Age Strong
Boston's Age Strong Commission is hiring 15 part-time Boston residents to serve as Age Strong Community Ambassadors. Ambassadors will help build bridges with under-connected aging communities by making connections, sharing information, and making sure older adults get the resources and benefits
they are eligible for.
Ambassadors will be hired in 3 groups of 5. They are currently seeking the first group: five older adult Boston residents with deep connections to the following communities: Latinx, LGBTQIA+, Chinese, Somali, and Cabo Verdean.
Ambassadors will be paid $25/hour and work ten hours per week. Ambassadors may host gatherings/conversations, attend neighborhood meetings, make connections, and strengthen relationships. Age Strong will provide training.
Age Strong Community Ambassador job description: link
Apply at this link.
For more information call Jordan Rich at 617-635-2451 or email ageambassador@boston.gov
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The Role of Mobile Apps in Supporting Food Security in Massachusetts | | Food insecurity continues to rise across Massachusetts, affecting approximately 37% of households in 2024, nearly double the rate from 2019 (The Greater Boston Food Bank, 2025). Inequities remain stark, with Black (46%), Hispanic (62%), and LGBTQ+ (56%) households facing the highest burden. (The Greater Boston Food Bank, 2025). As more than 90% of U.S. adults nationwide own a smartphone, mobile tools offer a powerful way to connect families with food resources quickly and equitably. (Pew Research Center, 2024). However, digital equity gaps persist: older adults, low-income households, and communities of color are more likely to experience disconnected or limited phone access (Massachusetts Councils on Aging, 2025). Apps like Abundance, designed for ease of use and low data needs demonstrate how technology can bridge digital divides, expand access and honor the dignity of community members. While no single tool can solve food insecurity, equitable design can make essential resources easier to find and strengthen connections. | Figure 1: Massachusetts Household Food Insecurity Over Time | | Figure 2: Abundance App first-time downloads, 2018–2025. Data for 2025 reflect January- October only (as of October 6, 2025) | | | | |
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Stay connected and explore more of our engagement pathways and opportunities across Vital Village Networks programming. You can view upcoming events and opportunities through the gallery snapshot below, by following us on social media, or keeping up with our website calendar and Linktree. | | | | |
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