Day 159: Lorraine's Soup Kitchen and Pantry

Today is a sad day indeed as it was the funeral of yet another young person who was taken from this world much too early......just 52....and  leaving a parent, child, wife and sibs behind.  Sound familiar? 
This young man was a neighbor on Bruce Road where the Rinck family and his own grew up playing kickball in the streets and popping in and out of each others homes here and there.  Some of us remain connected as Tim still has a close relationship with the youngest brother, and through this friendship, we all stay abreast of family happenings.
We are happy to support the chosen charity declared in his obituary, Lorraine's Soup Kitchen and Pantry, with a small but heartfelt donation.

Day 158: Roto Rooter Rocks!!!

We survived Hurricane Irene.....Thanks to Roto Rooter!  It's hard to believe that the commercial jingles  about Roto Rooter that I remember from early childhood TV (call Roto Rooter, that's the name and away go trouble down the drain) would actually become significant in the year 2011 whe I am turning 50.  But indeed that is the case as Paul gave them a call to help resolve an outdoor drain problem at the base of our garage. 

The poor dude that was dispatched to our house to fix the problem stayed from 8:00pm until midnight.  He was told it was  'quick fix" and it was unbelievable that he didn't just walk off the job.  He certainly wasn't dressed/prepared for a digging job... in the rain.... on the eve of Hurricane Irene... with the stench of sewer waters...and no lights and appropriate equipment.  Neither was Paul, but he had no choice!  Just pathetic, really. But Roto Rooter was amazing and did find the point of blockage in the pipes. He used his "jetter",(which should really be a household item to purchase next Mass-tax-free weekend) and thankfully did not desert us in our time of deperation.   And although the hurricane did tremndous tree damage to our yard as the pics share, we did not have any water in the house.

So our blog today is that we found out who is "the boss of Peter from Roto Rooter" and wrote a letter in praise of Peter to this manager.  And honestly, I can't remember when we last wrote a kudos letter for customer service.  It's just not a common occurance since there is so little attention paid to customer service these days.  And, now that everything is done by email,  I forgot how long it takes to actually make the phone calls to find a name and then write the letter.  So it seems blog-worthy to write about supporting an employee who can't help but benefit from a letter that suggests he get some sort of company recognition for his efforts.  We hope he gets a raise!!  As I tell my kids...it's always worth finding time to give a compliment.

Day 157: Back to School Supply Donation

Hi all, it is Olivia and Sophia.


Today our mom, dad, and Bianca left early this morning to drive Bianca back to college in Philadelphia. That left Olivia and myself to find a blog opportunity. With some thought, we came up with giving school supplies to children in need of them.
We thought of that because when our family was in the Cape, Sophia and our mom went school shopping at Staples, and Sophia found a donation box supported by the show Pretty Little Liars. It was after the checkout asking for like new or new school supplies. After finding out that the Staples closest to us also has a donation box, we looked in our desks to find some un-in-use zipper pencil cases, a notebook, and stacks of sticky-notes. We drove to the store and after getting what we needed, we got extra packets of filler paper, a couple notebooks, and a pencil box that slides open and shut. We were happy to spend a little extra for we know we are very fortunate to be able to buy all of our school supplies. We felt great after we put the items in the box for we know someone out there needs them more than we do.

Day 156: Contribution to the Catholic TV

Today it was time to give our small monthly donation to the Catholic TV. For those of you not familiar with Catholic TV, it's been in existence since 1955 and my Mother used to watch Sunday morning Mass when she was confined to home in later years, so it is dear to my heart. Another reason I'm interested in it is that the chapel has now moved to the old St. Patrick's Convent and when they were getting set up, Dad and I donated 2 Chapel Chairs---one in memory of Keefe and Rinck Families and the other in memory of our Marie. Also, they put out a monthly magazine that tells the celebrants of the daily Masses and many informative daily programs. The Managing Editor is Sean Ward who was a young student at St. Pat's when I worked there. Now he is married with young children of his own. Met him at a funeral down there one day, and he came right over with a hug---it is so wonderful to be remembered by younger people from St. Pat's. If you would like any more information, the website is http://www.catholictv.com/

Day 155: Bottle Returns for the Lion's Club

Once again....a trip to the Transfer Station is not complete without our box of "empties" that can be redeemed by the Lion's Club and used towards research/rehab for eye disease.  I've never seen so many donated bottles there before...thousands,really!!...and with Hurricane Irene coming our way, I sure hope a Lion's Club member gets there soon to collect the bottles before they start flying overhead into our nearby neighborhood!!

Day 154: The Ties That Bond.... and Bind!....On Our Family Vacation

It's hard to believe that our family Cape Escape has ended.  What a wonderful week we all shared.....lots of laughs and games and fun and sun among the Rinck's, Cutler's and Bettanos.
As our vacation came to a close, we had the unexpected invitation of visiting with one of Nana's childhood friends, Judy, who is also Tom's god mother.  Although the four Rinck kids all knew Judy when we were much younger, our paths have not crossed much as adults.  And certainly, our children have not had the opportunity to develop a friendship with her.  So you can imagine the kids surprise when we mentioned going to visit Judy on our last day of vacation!  Nana explained that Judy had suffered an accident that was requiring far more convalescing at her sister's house on the Cape than originally anticipated, and she was truly getting depressed with her slow recovery.  Clearly, a visit from our clan, which was a blast from the past for Judy, would offer a little diversion from her routine days.  The kids/teens were encouraged to join the adults, but we did not insist they come.  And wouldn't you know that all the grandchildren who had not already left the Cape, joined Buppa, Nana and her friend Judy for coffee, muffins and a lovely little visit!  Judy is smart, well traveled and very interesting.  It was really a terrific "teaching moment" for all as admittedly, the gorgeous weather and beach held a much greater draw for the day's activity.  But thankfully, we could all appreciate that in retrospect, an hour or so of our time meant so much to a friend of Nana's looking for a little extra companionship. And of course.....us adults all recognize that we are getting older and becoming increasingly, if not painfully, aware of life's challenges in the "golden years".  Supporting others in a time of need, whether we know them or not, is a service lesson that all the grandchildren will hopefully pass along to their children.  A wonderful lesson that Nana and Buppa continue to lead by example.

Day 153: Simon Youth Foundation

Hey all, it's Olivia!

The time has come for Bianca and I to return to college in the next week! As we were walking through the Cape Cod Mall, I came across a coin dispenser for the Simon Youth Foundation, which helps at-risk kids in the Simon Malls community nationwide earn high school diplomas and scholarships with hope for a better future. How appropriate, for this is the time of year for school to start! I put in about a dollar in coins, and I admittedly enjoyed watching the coins travel around in the cyclone... :)

For more information, visit http://www.syf.org/

Day 152: Sun Lotion for Soldiers

The CVS stores on the Cape are seeking purchases of sun lotion to donate to "Support Our Troops".
We were happy to oblige at the CVS in Dennis......simply buy the sunscreen and drop it in the bin to head over seas.  An especially appropriate gesture when we are spending vacation days baking in the sun!

Day 151: "Gear for Grades"; school supplies for Cape kids

Blogging for Uncle Tim and Family here in Cape Cod....

Today's contribution went to a drive organized by the local Citizen's Bank called Gear for Grades, seeking school supplies for Cape-area children in need of the standard items that fill the back-to-school back pack.  Tim and Terriann purchased pencils, crayons and markers which they donated to the collection bin. 

Day 150: Housing With Love Walk

Here on the Cape there is an annual walk that raises money for several agencies that are helping the homeless. This Housing With Love Walk route is about 104 miles, beginning in Provincetown and ending in Falmouth. The walk is held over a 7 days span and thousands of dollars are raised each year. According to a newspaper article (cited below), the walk raised $253,000 in 2010. While buying dinner groceries at Stop and Shop, we donated to the walk in the check-out line. The walk for 2011 was held on July 11th, but the HECH organization (Harwich Ecumenical Council for the Homeless) fundraises all year for the event. It is nice to be able to contribute to some causes here at the Cape even when we are on vacation...there is always something going on to help others!

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100712/NEWS/7120313

Day 149: Cape Cod Causes

Well we've started our week-long extended family vacation in Cape Cod, so it wil be very interesting as to how we maintain this blog "off-campus" for a week.  Yet today was quite easy!  We had the pleasure of meeting our family favorite, Miss D, who is our Cape-Connection/Hostess for as long as the Rinck Family can remember,  at Sunday Mass in Harwich.  Fr. Henry was celebrating the Mass, so it was another bonus to say hello to our dear friend in faith, and drop a little someting in the offertory basket that supports his parish.  Also, as a surprise bonus, Nana and Buppa were asked to bring up the gifts, which meant walking a long way down the aisle and handing them off to the same priest that married them "forever ago"!! After Mass, we were able to support the local food pantry in the Cape area as we purchased gift cards to Stop and Shop; each purchase gives a percent back to the community in need of items from the local food pantry.  And there was also a request for donations to the local volleyball team, to which the family was happy to contribute.  We hope it's as easy to give for the rest of the week!

Day 148: Monthly Support to Claudia

As we do once every month, today we sent our sponsorship support money to Claudia in Mexico.  We just received a lovely letter from her, updating us on her schooling and activities. Sophia is saving the Spanish version to try and read later after a few Spanish classes in 6th grade; I'm sticking with the English translation!  Claudia drew this sweet picture of The Virgin Mary at the close of her note.  She comes from a very religious family and is always sharing her gratitude for our support.  A feel good for everyone.

Day 147: Donation to the Food Pantry

Nana and Buppa here. Today I put a few of the extra non-perishables together from our cupboards and dropped the bag of at our church to be brought, eventually, to Sacred Heart Church Food Pantry. A friend of ours works at one an Watertown, and in a conversation last week, she was telling how "down and out" some of their customers are --losing their homes and/or their jobs along with not much food--so decided we should put a little more effort into this program and help feed the hungry. Wasn't too much in the baskets, so hope some other people will get the urge to help.

Day 146: Donating the Baby Carriage

Nana and Buppa here. About a week ago, I made my decision (a long time coming) to donate the baby carriage given to Marie and Ron for Meaghan who finally had come into their lives. We have been "housing" it for about 5 years now. I went on Catholic Charities and couldn't find anyone looking for a carriage. My next step was to ask the man at St. Jude's who is in charge of The St. Vincent de Paul Society ( a group of men and women who deal with the needy of the parish very privately.) I asked him if he knew of anyone who needed a carriage. His eyes lit up as the lady who has taken care of his terminally ill wife for more than a year has a single daughter that is expecting a baby boy next month and has nothing. Well, late yesterday we brought the carriage up from its' holding place and it brought back many memories. We thought it had a cellar odor to it, so put it out in the sun. Buppa didn't think that worked well enough, so put it in a large plastic bag with several "bounce" static free sheets that go in the dryer and this morning----the carriage "smelt like a rose" as the saying goes. Spoke to Bill at church this A.M. and he said he'd be down in a few minutes and that he was. His comment was "this is the Cadilac of carriages!!" Couldn't thank us enough. Buppa carried it out to his car as I watched a bit sadly but happy to know the carriage would be used by someone in need.

Day 145: BYOB....Again...

Ok...easy way out today.... and I hate to admit it...but the Cuts have been happily busy hosting family from CA and enjoying planning local activities and meals...so the best we can offer today is that I shopped at Roche Bros and did the BYOBags thing where a grocery bag rebate donation was made to Children's Hospital. 

Day 144: Jimmy Fund at the Red Sox

Today, Sophia, Dad and I went to the Red Sox game with our family from California...Aunt Debbie, Uncle Bob, and Cousin Rachel. It was Sophia's first Red Sox game and we had a great time despite the rain. Sox won 3-1. Inspired by the game, we donated to the Jimmy Fund, the major cancer-fundraising organization of the Boston Red Sox. The Jimmy Fund holds events all year to help battle cancer. It was great to see another game at Fenway park and support an important cause.

--Bianca

Day 143: Energy Committee

Paul here. Once again I was asked to review a proposal for energy saving light fixtures at Pine Hill School.  It's really a shame that the utilities and contractors have a system that takes advantage of people who are trying to do the right thing, but don't have the expertise to review their proposals in a meaningful way.  People just have to take a leap of faith that the proposals are in the town's best interest.  However, the fact is that the contractors make more money by providing more expensive, and sometimes inappropriate materials.  They have suggested the town use some light bulbs that, while they save energy, are five times more expensive than a conventional type.  These bulbs can last for 100,000 hours, so when labor or maintenance costs are very high, they may be the correct thing to use.  But the school has a crew of full-time maintenance people who perform all sorts of functions, so spending a lot more money to save a few less bulb changes over several years would not make economic sense.  I reviewed the contractor's proposal today and pointed out to the committee that they do not need to spend so much for the proposed energy saving fixtures.

Day 142: Flowers for Firemen!

What a wonderful weekend!  We all enjoyed a beautiful wedding reception in Portland where we saw all the family and cousins we rarely get to visit with.  The celebration was hosted by our generous cousin Karen, who insisted (and one does not win an argument with Cousin Karen!) that I take home this magnificent floral centerpiece.  It's gorgeous.  And I absolutely LOVE fresh flowers.  But I really can't have flowers in the house because of allergies.  Soooooo, I thought it would be nice to donate them.  I was planning to bring them down to a church in Natick Center that I know has an evening Mass tonight...and then I passed the Natick Fire Station had an change of thought.  You see, the guys in this particular station were exceptionally nice to me back on Marathon Monday, when I was desperate, with an about-to-burst-bladder, to find a bathroom. They kindly let me into their station building and all they asked was that I not tell any marathon fans!!.  So... I figured..."Why not return the kindness see if the guys on duty might like to bring home some beautiful FREE flowers, maybe for the wife or girlfirend?  Sunday night keeps a short shift in the station reception are, so I met only two workers: an adorable young firefighter and a more senior guy on the squad.  They both were quick to say that they weren't married but hated to pass up on the gesture because, they said "No one ever gives us anything and we don't get a lot of thanks!"  So the young guy lights up with a terrific smile and says..."I could bring them to my Mom."  Perfect!   And everyone lived happily ever after.



Day 141: Donation to the Epilipsey Foundation

 

That was easy!  No sooner had I left the bag of goods out front when the truck came at 8:30 AM for the pick up. Now it's off to a wedding in Maine,  knowing that the blog is officially covered for the day!
http://www.epilipseyfoundation.org/

Day 140: Additions to the Sherborn Swap Shop

Hello, its Sophia!!
First I just want to say, I can't believe we are already on day 139! We have come up with so many service challenges that help support friends, family, and even people we don't know!! I'm loving being a part of this blog!!

Anyway, recently I did a deep clean of my bedroom and found several like-new  items that I don't use anymore and would like to pass on. Today, I went with Mommy to the Dump and Swap Shop which, if you might already know, is an old storage garage with donations from people all over town. There are items in the Swap Shop like, furniture, kitchen items, around-the-house decorations, toys, games, pet items, and even more.... and MORE! You must have a town of Sherborn sticker to use the transfer station for your trash, but anyone from neighboring areas can come and  or take items from The Swap Shop that they need. Personally, I think I gave some pretty good items that I think other kidse can enjoy. (On the right is a picture of me with my box of donations.)

Just as much as we give to the Swap Shop, we love taking the great finds too!!

Day 139: Council on Aging Luncheon

Hi!  Oliva here....

Earlier this afternoon, Sophia and I drove up the road to a Sherborn neighborhood called Ivy Lane. Many of our friends live in this area, but what we did not know was that a member of the Sherborn Council on Aging did as well! This member graciously hosted many Seniors to a wonderful luncheon with sandwiches, iced tea, and plenty of desserts! When Sophia and I arrived, we got right to work. We filled cups with drinks and set out the desserts. We also couldn't help but notice that the host had a love for frogs! There were frog statues everywhere, all sizes and colors.

Once the Seniors arrived, (after climbing up a huge hill and a long set of steps), they immediately started socializing! Everyone was also interested in hearing about my college life and Sophia's entry into Middle School. Sophia even ended up meeting the grandfather of one of her classmates. All of the people there were so appreciative of our help and expressed how great of a time they had visiting with us. Sophia and I had a lot of fun talking with them too! We hope to attend another luncheon soon!

-O&S

Day 138: Girl Scouts

Paul here.  Every summer-Wednesday, in Walpole Center, they have a farmer's market similar to the one held in Natick Center every Saturday.  Today, the Walpole Girl Scouts had a booth to raise funds for their programs.  I had fun chatting with the girls about some of the products they were selling, and decided to buy a smencil;  a cotton candy smelling pencil that I thought Sophia might like. 
Go Girl Scouts

Day 137: Communion Calls

Nana and Buppa here. Today was my day to take Holy Communion to my 3 dear friends. On the way into church to get the hosts, I found a woman sitting on the driveway steps. I was a bit nervous wondering if she had fallen or was sick, but neither was true. Told me she was out on her walk and needed to rest, hence sitting on the steps. Also told me she's been walking for a few months and lost quite a few pounds---quote "eating junk puts on weight, you know!" I laughed and said " I know, I need to get rid of some pounds myself" and she quickly replied, "oh no, you look just great!!" Needless to say, she got me" going"on the next part of my day! Each of the 3 ladies is always glad to see me come to bring the Lord to them and the conversations change at each stop. Karen knows my kids and grandkids and I know hers, so that's what we talk about there. Alice is a former morning mass attendee, so she wants to know what's new at church and Anne watches out the window and sees whether Dad is watering the grass or shoveling snow or whether Jack and Dotty are in or out. They are all great people and we enjoy seeing each other.

Day 136: Relay for Life Recruitment Facebook Post

Bianca here. As the Relay for Life's Recruitment Chair for the upcoming academic year, my first task is to begin spreading awareness about Penn's Relay for Life over facebook, as it is the ultimate source of news and media for this younger generation. My job was to make a "post" on UPenn's Class of 2015 page (the incoming freshman class). In my post, I explained what Relay was and described our success from last year, including some impressive statistics. For example, we raised over $110,000 from this single event last year and we are proud to say that over 200 teams participated, composed of over 2000 students, faculty members and alumni. Since the idea of this post is to recruit members of the Class of 2015 to join the Relay for Life Committee, I tried to sound as enticing as possible! About 10 minutes after posting my blurb, I checked facebook again and I already had 4 "likes," which means that there are people actually reading my post AND appreciating it! Can't wait to see who joins the RFL Committee from the freshman class next year...it is such a worthy and successful event and we are thrilled to have more passionate students interested in contributing to our night-long event.

Day 135: Simply Sunday....again!

As you all know by now, Sunday is the easiest day for The Cutler's to give as our routine has built-in opportunities.

Paul was at the Dump/Transfer Station donating our empty beer bottles (hmmm..why do we always have so many!!) to the Lion's Club while Sophia and Mom were at church contributiong to a "Relief Collection" for disaster stricken areas.

Day 134: Donating personal care products to a men's shelter in NY

Today our service blog is thrilled to welcome another Guest Family-Blogger,  Marie's "baby brother" Tim, who now lives in Oceanside, on Long Island, with his terrific family.  Thanks, Tim...we sure do appreciate your post!

After  15 years of working as a salesman with the same hair and skin product supply company, I changed jobs. There were quite a few samples left in my garage and as I was cleaning them out I decided rather than throwing them away I would donate to a worthy charity. The products were shampoos, conditioners, body washes and other assorted personal care items. My neighbor's father in law is active in charitable causes so the two of us went to Our Holy Redeemer Catholic church which runs a shelter for men providing food,  clean clothes, a shower, etc. We donated the products and the staff was thrilled saying that donations were down this year and they were running low on personal supplies so this gift made their day.

Day 133: Food Pantry

Nana and Buppa here. When we shopped the other day, we picked up a few things for the church food pantry and today, I dropped them off at St. Jude’s to be delivered to the Food Bank at Sacred Heart Parish. Some days the baskets have a lot of food, but today they were empty, so I was glad we chose today to help the cause.

Day 132: In2Books Letter

Hi again, Bianca and Olivia here.

Today, we each wrote our first letter to our "unknown" elementary school e-pal. Based on the information we provided about ourselves in our letters, we will each get matched up with a student who needs support in reading and writing for the 2011-12 school year.  We talked about our interests and our favorite books, and were recommended to ask the student questions to answer in order to start building our relationships with them. The volunteer program website gave us a template to use in order to draft our letter...it was a little overwhelming...we needed to choose graphics and borders as well as come up with material for the letter. We are both looking forward to getting our first book assignment and student match within the next month!

http://www.in2books.epals.com/

Day 131: Energy Committee

Once again I was asked to review an energy saving retrofit proposal, this time for Pine Hill School, the town's largest building and user of electricity. I met with fellow Energy Committee members at 7:00 AM at the school to review the needs and realities.  We only have a few weeks before we decide to  move forward with the projects.  As I stated before, the contractors benefit from making their proposals a bit vague, and it is not always easy to understand exactly what work is included in their proposal.  I was able to work with other committee members and help identify what items would be modified, and what they would be changed to.  With this information, the committee can make some useful changes, and make sure the work is consistent with how the school actually operates.  I believe we will move forward and authorize the work, but it feels good to know I helped guide the project to be most beneficial for the town.

Day 130: Fighting Hunger with CARE in Africa

CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty in 87 countries around the world. It was founded in 1945 to provide relief to survivors of WW II, and has since become recognized as a global charity with a lifesaving mission to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities world wide. CARE is currently running a campaign in Sherborn to assist the food crisis in Ethiopia, and it was an easy decision to participate in the fundraising effort. Clearly, no donation is too paltry when, as the CARE  literature states, "Just 31 cents can provide a hot, nutritious meal for a hungry, hurting child."   So Bianca, Olivia and Sophia were all happy to contribute to the "every-little-bit-counts-check" that Paul and I were happy to write.

http://www.care.org/

Day 129: Toiletries for Veterans

 Hello it is Sophia!! Today I collected small shampoo/toiletry items to donate to the homeless and at-risk war veterans through a project sponsored by the VA Boston Healthcare System. Most of these bottles were not filled completely but we filled them with our families existing shampoo. The organization was also accepting toothbrushes, new socks, hair conditioner, body washes and other frequently used bath items. I dropped our little bag off at the Natick Town Hall where there was a donation box. I'm glad that all of these bottles went to use because our family seems to not bring these on our vacations anymore!