A letter from Katie
Fall 2023
Newsletter
Happy Fall,
There has been a lot going on at LCOC and I'm excited to share that news with you. First, we are happy to report that we exceeded our fundraising goal for Summer of Hope! We want to thank all of our donors for their continued support, especially our anonymous donor who matched the first $25,000 raised! Read on to find out about the newest members of our team, upcoming events, and more!
As we enter fall, LCOC is preparing for all the seasonal programs we offer to our clients to make their holiday season that much more enjoyable. We will continue our annual Thanksgiving Turkey Distribution, Santa Stop, and Operation Warm, back by popular demand! All of these programs are made possible by the continued support from our generous donors, dedicated volunteers and community partners.
As you can imagine, the need in our community continues to grow, most notably in our food pantries, and therefore we anticipate that the participation in this year’s seasonal programs will increase as well. If you would like to support our mission and these seasonal programs, I hope you will consider making a donation.
On behalf of our staff, dedicated volunteers and most importantly, our clients, thank you!
Sincerely,
Katie Wibby, CEO
UPDATES
LCOC's First Social Work Interns!
We are excited to introduce and welcome two new interns to the Lower Cape Outreach Council team! Madison Maranda and Nicole Durant have joined us from Bridgewater State University. Madison is in her 4th year as an undergraduate working toward a bachelor’s in social work (BSW). Her primary interests in social work are around DEI initiatives and social justice. Nicole is working toward her master’s in social work (MSW). She has a bachelors degree is sociology from Curry College, as well as a minor in criminal justice. What’s even better is that they are both from the Cape! The two will be assisting our Manager of Client Services, Andy O’Dell, LCSW, and the volunteer advocates administering the Financial Assistance Program, in addition to other work around the office and with clients. We look forward to hosting both throughout the academic year!
Food Pantry demand increases
After an unprecedented increase in 2022, the demand in our food pantries continues to grow. As of the end of August, we saw an additional 52% increase in the average number of Household visits each month. The increased demand has also been compounded by a decrease in the amount of food sourced from the Greater Boston Food Bank who is citing staffing shortages as the cause. Until the GBFB can increase our weight limit, we will continue to have to source food locally and at an increased cost. If you would like to assist in these efforts, we would appreciate
Last Call to Purchase Tickets!
As a reminder, the drawing for our raffle to win a custom-built playhouse is on October 17th! Visit our website to enter to win!
All proceeds benefit LCOC thanks to this generous donation by Cape Associates!
Upcoming Events
Turkey Trot
The 19th Annual LCOC Chatham Turkey Trot 5K sign up is officially open! LCOC is honored to continue this successful event and raise money for our Cape Cod neighbors! Last year, we hosted over 2,200 runners, raised $7,700 in sponsorships and grossed over $100,000 to support our community. We are hoping to be even more successful this year.
We want to give a special thank you to all our 2023 sponsors as we strive to improve fundraising at this years race. To sign up for the race, become a sponsor, or see a list of current supporters, please visit our Turkey Trot website https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Chatham/ChathamTurkeyTrot
The race is on Thanksgiving Morning starting at 8am. We hope to see you there!
Thanksgiving: Turkey and Gift Card Drive
Each year, LCOC distributes Thanksgiving meals to families throughout the Lower and Outer Cape. Last year, we were able to support 547 families with thier Thanksgiving meals and we expect the demand to increase this year as we have seen another significant increase in household visits across our nine food pantries. Due to the increased demand, increased food costs and a funding cut to one of our primary sponsors of this event, we are hoping for additional community support this year.
If you can donate a turkey or grocery gift card in $20-$25 increments, please feel free to drop at our office anytime we are open. We also plan to host our annual turkey drive at The Farm in Orleans in early November! More information to come on the date and time!
Operation Warm CAPE COD: New Coat Distribution
LCOC will once again host Operation Warm. This program provides new winter coats to children AND adults.
Last year, LCOC distributed 340 new coats to our clients, and we expect to do more this year. Our partnership with Operation Warm enables us to provide new coats to children for just $22 and to adults for $25 each.
Your donations of $264 would purchase 12 coats for children or $300 would keep 12 adults warm this winter. We hope you will consider donating to support this program!
Other News
Eastham Shelter Families
As many of you have heard, at the end of August LCOC had the privilege of supporting six families who were place at an Eastham hotel through the State Emergency Shelter Program.
All these families had school aged children and were not familiar with the Cape, although the majority were Massachusetts residents. LCOC was proud to be the first organization on the ground and our organizational structure enabled us to respond immediately by providing food and other necessities.
Our Manager of Client Services, Andy O’Dell, LCSW was able to develop relationships with the families and ensure their immediate needs were met. This work was done in partnership with many community partners, most notably the Town of Eastham and the Outer Cape Health Services Navigator Program.
These community partnerships have been fostered by the Outer Cape Community Solutions Rural Health Network and proved to be invaluable in responding to this emergency. LCOC will continue to be a resource for others placed in our service area to support the State’s efforts and families’ right to shelter in Massachusetts.
Agway
In celebration of their 30th anniversary, and alongside their 30% off sale, Agway offered customers a chance to donate to LCOC at checkout which raised $1,100!
We were also lucky enough to be the beneficiary of their raffle fundraiser, adding up to a total donation of $1,400! Congratulations on 30 wonderful years of business and thank you for your endless generosity, Agway!
The Orleans Firebirds
The Firebirds closed out this exciting summer season at the final game of the playoffs with not only 26 home runs at Eldredge Park, but also the prestigious Commissioner's Cup for the outstanding organization in the league!
This season, the Firebirds pledged that for every home run on their home field, they would donate $50 to LCOC, totaling $1,300. These donations were made in memory of a dedicated volunteer, John Kaletski, who lost his battle with Leukemia earlier this year. We want to congratulate the Firebirds for a successful season and thank them for their support! See you all next season!
Turkey Trot Sponsor Spotlight
Thank you to all of our past and present Turkey Trot Sponsors! To kick off the Turkey Trot season, LCOC wanted to spotlight two of our gold sponsors.
We're excited to partner with X1023.fm - The Greatest Hits on Earth radio station and M.A. Frazier for another sucessful race. Thank you for your generosity, we couldn't do this without the support of all our sponsors!
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lcoc@lcoutreach.org
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