Fourth Annual Belmont Serves this Oct. 8

The Belmont Religious Council is pleased to announce the fourth annual Belmont Serves Day of community service will be held on Monday, October 8 (Columbus Day holiday) from 8 am to 1 pm, starting and ending at St. Josephs' Parish Hall at the corner of Common and School streets.

Last year, more than 400 volunteers of all ages spent the morning making a real difference in the Town of Belmont.

On-line registration and additional information is now available at the Belmont Religious Council's web-site .

There will be a wide range of projects available, suitable for a variety of ages and skill levels, including:
• Belmont Food Pantry: door-to-door collection of non-perishable food items and household goods
• Conservation lands: trail maintenance and clean-up at Lone Tree Hill (McLean open space), Rock Meadow and other town properties
• Playgrounds and school grounds:  projects at Winn Brook (Joey's Park), Burbank, and other schools and playgrounds (possibly including the new Butler playground)
• Gardening: the Belmont Garden Club will be leading gardening
projects at multiple locations
• Winter Coat drive:  we will be collecting "gently used" children's winter coats, hats, gloves and snow suits as we collect groceries for the Belmont Food Pantry, to benefit "Cradles to Crayons"

and more projects to come (stay tuned for further announcements)


VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO DISTRIBUTE GROCERY BAGS

A few days before Belmont Serves, volunteers will be distributing grocery bags with instructions door-to-door. Last year, this allowed us to collect over 1,400 bags of groceries for the Belmont Food Pantry. This year, we plan to increase the number of households that receive donation bags.

We need teams of volunteers to distribute these grocery bags on designated routes. This is an ideal project for church youth groups, scout troops, and other community organizations. If you can help with the assembly and distribution of these donation bags, please contact us through our web site, or respond to this email address: service@belmontrc.org


HOW TO DONATE TO THE BELMONT FOOD PANTRY

Belmont Serves makes it easy to donate to the Belmont Food Pantry.

Before the event, teams of volunteers will be distributing grocery bags door-to-door with instructions. Just fill up your bag with non-perishable items (canned goods, paper items, toiletries), and leave the bag on your doorstep Monday morning, Oct. 8, before 9 a.m. It will be picked up on Belmont Serves day and delivered to the food pantry.

If you do not receive a donation bag at your doorstep, you can drop off your donation on MONDAY MORNING, Oct. 8, at either the Belmont Food Pantry (old electric light building, Belmont Center) or at St. Joseph's Parish Hall (this year's Belmont Serves headquarters, corner of Common and School streets).

Children's winter clothing ("gently used" coats, hats, gloves, and snow suits) will also be collected door-to-door. Just leave these items on your front steps along with your food pantry donation.

PIZZA AND ICE CREAM

As always, our hard-working volunteers will be rewarded with pizza and ice cream at lunch time.

The event concludes at 1 p.m., so that everyone can enjoy the rest of the afternoon, knowing they have contributed to the largest single community service event in our town.

This year, we are asking for a donation of $5 per adult and $1 per school-age child, to help defray the costs of food and related expenses. Donations will be collected at the door.

Everyone is welcome to participate in Belmont Serves, and a donation is not required.

Belmont Serves day is endorsed by the Belmont Board of Selectmen,
Belmont School Department and other community organizations.

Hope to see you on Columbus Day holiday.