Lifestyle

By Ginger DeShaney The year 2020 has been brutal, from the global COVID-19 pandemic, high unemployment, and business closures to remote learning, holiday restrictions, and political turmoil. But despite all this, people in South Boston are thankful for what they do have as we enter the holiday season. From healthy families to beloved dogs, people are cherishing what means the most to them during these unusual times. “I’m thankful for the health of my loved ones,” said Raphaela, who was at Dorchester Heights with Patrick and her dog, Tulip, last week. “The pace of this year has allowed me to spend more time with the people I love.” Patrick is very thankful for his family being safe.  And they are both thankful for 3-year-old Tulip.  [...]

By Ginger DeShaney Rachel and Billy Baker are avid readers. And they are hoping to instill that love of reading in others through their Little Free Library, the first one in South Boston. “We want people to take books,” Rachel said, noting that she anticipates the Little Free Library will encourage reading, especially in these times when people can’t use the public library as they normally would.  According to its website, Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges. On Oct. 22, Rachel announced on the Southie Community Bulletin Board Facebook page that her Little Free Library was open at 430 E. 8th St., in her front yard and easily [...]

By Ginger DeShaney Food is love. And the Lasagna Mamas and Papas of Lasagna Love are spreading that message in South Boston and the rest of the country. Several local women are giving back to the community in the best way they can during the Covid-19 crisis by making and delivering lasagnas to families who need a little bit of help. Daniella Place of South Boston was feeling helpless during the pandemic and was looking for a way to help out in her community when she came across a Facebook post by a college friend, Rhiannon Menn, promoting Lasagna Love. According to its website, Rhiannon founded Lasagna Love at the beginning of the pandemic, almost by accident. Rhiannon, who is also the founder of Good [...]

The late US District Court Judge A. David Mazzone, who oversaw the Boston Harbor case for nearly 20 years, often said that he measured the success of the Boston Harbor cleanup not by the “number of feet” you could see into the water, but by the “pairs of feet” he saw on the region’s public beaches on a hot summer day. Because we believe that the best way to “save the harbor” is to create new environmental stewards by “sharing the harbor” with the public, for more than 30 years Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has embraced Mazzone’s metric as one true measure of our success. We are certainly proud that in 2019 our free Youth Environmental Education programs served more than 35,000 primarily low-income [...]

It was late on a Friday afternoon when the South Boston Neighborhood Aid Hotline received a call from a hospital social worker: A young woman was about to be released from the hospital. She was still very sick, and had no family or friends to help make sure there was food in her apartment for the weekend. “I’ve been making call after call just trying to find this woman some food. Someone said you might have volunteers who could help?” Within an hour, South Boston residents had stepped up to shop and deliver groceries to her door, and were even standing by to help walk her dog. None of the volunteers knew the woman, but that didn’t matter. Continuing a long tradition of neighbors helping [...]

By: Tara Kerrigan Hayes These are scary times for everyone, including our children, so it’s important not just to occupy our kids, but also to find ways to emotionally support them. In an effort to capitalize on this unexpected gift of family time, (while struggling to keep our sanity in tact), I’ve compiled a list of activity ideas for indoors, outdoors, and even online, (gasp). Let’s face it, the war against screen time rages on. So for the times you can’t beat ‘em - join ‘em, (literally), and explore the world together without leaving your living room. There are countless virtual tours and webcams, (both entertaining and educational), for kids of all ages with varying interests: Future travelers: Transport your family to Paris, France by [...]

Even when an event becomes an emergency, Americans can always come up with a couple of memorable words to describe it quickly.  “Social Distancing” is just one good example.  At first, Social Distancing sounds like a contradiction in terms, or an outright oxymoron like “jumbo shrimp”.  After all, “social” is a word that implies getting together, not keeping your “distance”. But Social Distancing is much more than some kind of courtesy.  Right now, with the onslaught of Coronavirus, Social Distancing is an important way to hold on to your own health, as well as something that prevents the spread of Coronavirus to others.  Keeping a distance between you, your friends, and maybe even the members of your immediate family is essential.  A separation of six [...]

By Brianne R.  Fitzgerald RN, MSN, NP, MPH Winter in Boston is long and dark.  The Redline breaks down, folks complain about the weather and we make do.  This winter I was part of the huddling hoards on the platform at Andrew trying to get home at night.  I was a regular at Dunkin Donuts (ooops cross out donuts) in Andrew Square,  I trudged Methadone Mile to see patients at the detox on Mass Ave, wandered by the empty lot at Old Colony and Dorchester Street on my way to my job at Gavin Foundation and tried to remain grounded with regular yoga at a Bikram studio.  I practiced gratitude; I had several great jobs and my health.  I was tired and attributed this to [...]

By Tara Kerrigan Hayes While the complicated origins of Mother’s Day attributes a woman named Anna Jarvis to founding the holiday, it was actually her own mother, Ann Jarvis, who had a slightly different idea for the holiday’s intent. Rather than simply celebrating one mother in particular, (our own), she envisioned a community service day for mothers to help other mothers in need. It is in that same spirit that NURTURE YOUR NEIGHBOR was created. Though previous Mother’s Day Make-over Contests held by Nurture Salon and Spa focused mainly on aesthetics, this year, owner, Susan Devlin (who is known for her charity work), is partnering with several local businesses in a display of community love, to award one special mom with an ultimate make-over to [...]