Dear Aunt Dot’s Volunteers,
“If January is the month of change, February is the month of lasting change. January is for dreamers … February is for doers.” Marc Parent
In my opinion, to grow our organization, we need to be both dreamers and doers.
I’m very excited to announce that the Board voted to hire Amy Boudreau, as Administrative Coordinator for Aunt Dot’s Place. Amy has been a volunteer, shift leader, board member, and Board Secretary. She is friendly, organized, and diligent, and we are so grateful that we have her. This is a demanding part-time position.
Some of her duties are overseeing the volunteer sign-up process, communicating with shift leaders, electronic and phone communications, training new volunteers, working with the board treasurer and bookkeeper to maintain financial responsibilities, grant writing, and other responsibilities. (She has asked to be able to volunteer too, so if you see her on a volunteer shift, please recognize that she isn’t getting paid for that.) Please give her a warm welcome when you see her.
Secondly, the Board has decided to revise the Vision Statement for Aunt Dot’s Place, and we want your input. A vision statement should be five to fourteen words. It should express the goal of our organization, our dream. It should be clear and inspiring both to us and to our community.
Examples of Vision Statements:
1. Habitat for Humanity – “A world where everyone has a decent place to live.”
2. Alzheimer’s Association – “A World without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.”
Short, sweet, and clear! Send your ideas to auntdotsplace@gmail.com. We need to hear from you.
Thirdly, due to the pandemic, most of our committees were put on hold, except for our wonderful Food Committee which is chaired by Kathy Kenney and Kitty Daly. Each committee will be led by a board member or former board member, who will be the liaison with the board. The committee will meet at least four times a year and will share its ideas with the board for approval.
Design Committee: Responsible for the oversight of the physical layout of the shopping, storage, weigh, annex and office areas to best utilize the building space. Will communicate any changes to the physical space with board members.
Fundraising and Grants: Responsible for seeking out grants, grant applications, oversight, and grant reporting as well as any fundraising efforts. Will communicate any potential grant applications, awards, and suggestions for fundraising to the board.
Communications/Outreach: Responsible for community outreach, connecting with local schools, doctor’s offices, and community organizations. Organize events to promote our mission.
Joining a committee is a way to volunteer for Aunt Dot’s in a different way. If you are interested, please email auntdotsplace@gmail.com to let us know what committee you are interested in. We will then give your name to the Committee Chair who will contact you about the committee meeting details.
January 2023
Food purchased – $11,452
Weight of food purchased – 6929 pounds
Donations from organizations
• Box Car Bakery 14 pounds
• Essex Alliance 1251 pounds
• Essex Community Health – 11 pounds
• Essex Free Library – 92 pounds
• Grace United Methodist 88 pounds
• Nest Bakery – 7 pounds
• Poorhouse Pies 49 pounds
• Price Chopper Bin – 490 pounds
• Town of Essex – 66 pounds
Donations from Stores
• Bimbo’s Bread – 24 pounds
• Costco – 1730 pounds
• Hannaford – 2376 pounds
• Pepperidge Farm – 119 pounds
• Trader Joe’s – 1385 pounds
Thank you all for your commitment to Aunt Dot’s Place,
Sincerely,
Sue Miyamoto
Board President