October 2025 Letter to Volunteers

Dear Aunt Dot’s Place Volunteers,

At our October 8^th Board Meeting, each director shared something they appreciate about volunteering at Aunt Dot’s Place. We discussed friendships we’ve gained and a sense of purpose, knowing that we are really helping people in our community. Amy Boudreaux, Board Secretary, mentioned that she appreciates that ADP is responsive to needs as they arise. We don’t just do things because that’s the way we’ve always done them.  For example, we were one of the first non-profits in Essex to provide Narcan.

Alice Astarita, our Treasurer, mentioned that what we do, providing food, is so basic, so essential.  I recently met a client whose electricity was turned off. The family lost all the food in their refrigerator. The client was crying and thankful, saying, “Now, we can eat.” Don’t ever forget that we do important work.

The next two months will be quite busy. On October 15^th, we will be receiving food from an Essex High School food drive. On October 18^th, we will receive food from ADL and from volunteers participating in the Feed My Starving Children event. MMU is having a food drive for us and bringing in the food that they collect on November 12^th. One business has already offered to provide us with some turkeys. 

I’m excited about the November 6^th Volunteer Appreciation Event, which is from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. I hope we have a great turnout, because there will be community members there. Let’s make a good impression.

If anyone is interested in becoming a board member, please email me sue@auntdotsplace.com or kaki@auntdotsplace.com. We are seeking collaborative people who care about the mission of Aunt Dot’s Place.

Here are our September statistics:
Purchased Food (Cost):

Purchased Food (Pounds):

Donations from Organizations (Pounds):

Donations from Grocery Stores (Pounds):

Sincerely,
Sue Miyamoto
Board President