To all of you who may read this, please share it with friends and family and help us spread the word. PHA Thrive is about one thing – strengthening our learning community by ensuring that all of our children have food, especially on weekends and school breaks. If you can get behind this worthwhile cause, please consider making a contribution of any size to PHA Thrive today, Giving Tuesday.

Our numbers continue to grow. We are now serving 115 children in grades K-6, and our hope is to expand to grades 7-12 in the coming year. Donations in any amount help and all the money raised goes directly to the food and supplies distributed to those in need. $25 provides a child with weekend food backpacks for a month. $250 covers that child for the academic year.

To donate, please go here. Or if you happen to go to the main PHA website, choose the Families tab, then Thrive, then Donate.

Thank you so much!

PHA Thrive experienced its fair share of challenges this past week. The challenges took many forms – backpack distribution issues, out of whack purchasing cards, outbreaks of seasonal illness, food preparation and transport messes, and the often overlooked challenges of doing all of what Thrive does on the backs of people who have other full-time jobs and lives competing for their attention. Needless to say, there were days recently when even those of us most committed to Thrive felt a bit discouraged.

But then came yesterday. And with yesterday came the news that we have been selected as recipients of another MIT Community Service Fund grant (YAY!!). And then last night we hosted our best attended, most successful Third Thursday community supper ever. And all of our efforts seemed to make sense, and the challenges seemed more manageable.

Thank you, Thursday!