Education

By Ginger DeShaney They say variety is the spice of life, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any spices in a food pantry. Stephanie Chace, nutritional literacy coordinator for Boston Public Library and organizer of its Spice Bank Collective, is on a mission to change that.  “It’s an idea I’ve carried with me for a very long time, probably 8 or 10 years,” she said. “Whenever I would see a call-out for a food pantry for people to donate, you would see the list of things that most pantries were looking for; nonperishables was ultimately the final message. Bring canned goods, bring boxed mac and cheese, and I was always kind of struck that spices, which are nonperishables, were never listed. “So that always stuck [...]

By Ginger DeShaney “If you like your job, it’s not really work,” said Anne Gordon. “That’s been the way it’s been for me all along.”  So after reaching her goal of “working” for 50 years at the South Boston Boys & Girls Club, Anne is retiring on June 29, 2021, the 50th anniversary of her start date. The 68-year-old Anne is currently the Arts Director and Summer Camp Director at the Edgerley Family South Boston Club but has held various titles throughout her tenure. “That’s one of the reasons I stayed so long is because I can change jobs around,” she said. “Being able to have something different to do … has been very rewarding.” As her retirement date nears, Anne acknowledges it doesn't feel [...]

By Ginger DeShaney “Art is amazing,” said Erica Bayliss, age 10. “Art lets you express your feelings,” said Sean O’Keefe, 11.  “It’s kind of a fun way to relax,” said Nolan Brennan, 14. “I love it. I’ve drawn my whole life,” said Kay’ary King, 10. These were the answers to the question: What do you like about art? South Boston Online sat down for a Zoom call with these four artists from the Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club and the Club’s Arts Director, Anne Gordon. “They’ve really blossomed this year because they’ve been able to devote so much time to their art,” said Anne, who is retiring this summer. “They’ve really done some great work.” The three younger kids are in Anne’s [...]

By Ginger DeShaney Staff members at the Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club just want kids to have a typical summer camp experience this year. “We're excited to get back to a little bit of normalcy,” said director of operations Tim Bothwell. “The staff is excited to get back to the fun aspect … Just having the positive energy of kids in the building and having fun and interacting with one other.” Added Caroline Moreno, membership director, “I would love for them to be able to have fun and be around each other again. So many of our kids have not seen each other and have not seen our staff for over a year now. It’s always good to make new friends and [...]