Author: Joey Ciaramitaro

Join the chat – www.facebook.com/Joey GMG

If you subscribe to the GloucesterCast Podcast it will be emailed to you so if you miss it you can still access it through the free email! Link to subscribe here

We will be doing a live drawing for a prize during the podcast so tune in to win!!!!

This app is free and it is a real eye opener as far as what I could potentially blow a ton of calories eating when I could be eating lots of other things throughout the day.

It links with smartwatches, cell phones and it has a ridiculous amount of food options when you go to enter what you’re eating.

I’ve lost 5.4 pounds in 10 days thanks to the accountability and awareness of the foods I’m putting into my body. For me, snacking out of boredom is my number one weight gain fail. Using this app it keeps me on track!

Hey there! You’ve been invited by a friend to join them on Lose It!!

A note from  Joey C:

“I love this app because it helps me stay on track with my goals. Use this link for a free week of Lose It! Premium, and let’s do this together!”

Contact @charlesfinearts to come take a peek! This grouping of work was almost all created in the last 6 months and focuses on Gloucester’s docks, sea and sky…

Wellspring Awarded 10-year Cummings Grant

Gloucester nonprofit shares in $20 million in funding 

Gloucester, October 7, 2020 – Wellspring has been awarded just over $300,000 in funding to be spread over 10 years, thanks to the Cummings Foundation’s $20 Million Grant program. One of 30 organizations in Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk counties to receive this long-term commitment, Wellspring is poised to double-down on its purpose to inspire families and individuals on the North Shore to achieve employment and financial security through stable housing, education, job training and career readiness.  

Wellspring recognizes that communities on the North Shore face some of the highest unemployment rates in the state. Wellspring’s continuum of connected educational opportunities makes it possible for program participants to navigate long-term plans, with the support of dedicated staff. From High School Equivalency Testing (HiSET), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), college preparatory courses, specialized job training in health care, to one-to-one career advising and mentoring, Wellspring takes a whole person approach. Staff members ask the question, “What do you want for your future?” and also,“What will stand in the way of you getting there?” Wellspring helps students – who range in age from 17 to 55 – to navigate the barriers of transportation, childcare, internet access, computer equipment, and other details, now more critical than ever during the time of COVID-19, to ensure long-term participation and success.   

In the words of Medelyn G., a Wellspring student and mother of two who has participated in academic courses and career advising since 2017, “Wellspring gave me so much support. They were there to listen to me. It’s taken a long time but I’m only 4 classes away from my degree! I’m almost there and I couldn’t have done it without Wellspring.” In December, Medelyn will graduate from Salem State University with a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. 

Being awarded funds from the Cummings $20 Million Grant Program marks the second time Cummings Foundation has supported Wellspring’s emphasis on career pathways. In 2017, Wellspring received a similar grant to strengthen its partnerships with North Shore Community College and launch a program known as WERC (Wellspring Education Resource Collaborative) within Gloucester High School. Each year, Wellspring provides coaching to more than 50 GHS seniors and/or recent high school graduates across Cape Ann to help them make viable plans for post-secondary education, job training, and employment. 

“The North Shore is so fortunate to have nonprofits like Wellspring that are listening to the community and working to meet its needs,” said Cummings Foundation grants manager Christina Berthelsen. “By providing a full decade of support, we hope to alleviate some of the constant fundraising burden, enabling nonprofit staff to spend more time actually providing services.” 

In September 2020, Wellspring and other peer non-profit organizations contending for extended funding made presentations via Zoom to a panel of Cummings Foundation volunteers. These community volunteers selected 19 of the 30 grant winners. The other 11 recipients had been determined in June by Foundation team members. Wellspring’s presentation team of program directors, along with Medelyn G., gave a comprehensive snapshot of Wellspring’s unique and critical role in local Cape Ann and North Shore communities. In the words of Melissa Dimond, President and Executive Director, “Wellspring is designed to serve local residents and families over the long term, to help them fulfil their individual aspirations and needs to become financially secure. We like to say that ‘there is no expiration date’. As long as someone is actively working on their future goals, Wellspring is here for them”. Wellspring supports more than 400 young adult and adult students every year who are striving towards future academic and career goals. 

The complete list of Cummings Foundation grant winners is publicly available atwww.CummingsFoundation.org.

GLOUCESTER, MA- Seaside Sustainability is pleased to announce a partnership with Essex Soap Refill and highlight our collaborative efforts to preserve and protect the environment. Both Gloucester-based companies will use their ties to the Cape Ann community to drive a shared passion for the environment.

Essex Soap Refill’s mission is to reduce the use of single-use plastics by offering a refill service for home, body, hair care and cleaning products, utilizing reused personal containers.

By eliminating the need to purchase new containers and packaging, Essex Soap Refill brings awareness to the plastic pollution problem and helps consumers to change their buying behaviors to more sustainable, environmentally-friendly habits.

Seaside Sustainability, an ethical non-profit, is driven by conserving the oceans and protecting marine wildlife. As a leading non-profit organization, Seaside Sustainability strives to improve the environment by stressing its mission of action through education. 

With joint passion and partnership, Essex Soap Refill and Seaside Sustainability will work together to bring awareness to ongoing environmental issues. Action, a key principle of Essex Soap Refill and Seaside Sustainability, will drive its partnership to instigate change and community involvement. Education and collaboration will push this partnership to inspire local communities to practice sustainability, consumer responsibility and take action towards protecting and preserving the environment. This strong partnership will drive action through education and change through adjusting habitual consumer behaviours.  

Essex Soap Refill is committed to support the mission of Seaside Sustainability by donating a percentage of Essex Soap Refill’s profits. Not only does a refill by Essex Soap Refill reduce plastic pollution, each refill purchase will also help solve its pollution problem through action and education provided by Seaside Sustainability.

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

Screenshots from Craig Kimberley’s video found here

Hey Joey,
Hope all is well and that you and Kate and the girls are surviving the pandemic and election season with your usual good vibes. 
We’re trying to keep Rockport Exchange alive so we can continue to have the Rockport Farmers Market and bring back Harvestfest in 2021 and all the rest of the stuff our community nonprofit has done over the years. We are running a Harvestfest to Home Fundraiser with the idea that if you can’t come down to the wharf in Rockport for Harvestfest, you can pick up some local food and celebrate Harvestfest at home with friends and family! 
People can place orders for Market Samplers with local food and/or a meal-to-go with food from Common Crow, Cake Ann, and other local food businesses through our website. Proceeds benefit Rockport Exchange and orders can be placed through October 12th and will be picked up on October 17th (the original date of Harvestfest) in Rockport.
Thank you, thank you for anything you can post to GMG about this! If not, no worries, but again, much appreciated if you can put something up before the order deadline on the 12th. ❤ 

Take care and thanks again for all you’ve done for me and for the community,

Sarah

www.rockportexchange.org

Our beloved DC had a poop emergency 🚨 and Julie had her all cleaned up in no time!

We love the way Julie takes care of DC.

Here’s her info-

Address: 6 Center St, Gloucester, MA 01930

Phone: (978) 282-0989

Here’s the link:

Zuppa Toscana {Paleo, Whole30, Keto Option}

Morning Joey,

Wanted to share a tale of a couple local kids doing what they do best!

It was the tail end of a real Nor’easter. One of those cold evenings when it feels like it had been dark for 36 hours, and the driving rain and 35 degree temperatures had managed to get you cold and wet to a level that takes days of hot showers to come back up to temperature.

I picked up the phone, my brother answered immediately, I took a deep breath and made my pitch:

“Any chance I can convince you to go for a paddle in the morning?” I asked which was immediately followed up with, “Storm’s messed up all the surf, are you just trying to punish me?” I returned with “Well, the thing is, I have this duckling, and if I can get him through the night, we need to find his fami…” and he cut me off before I could get the words out.

“Well then save the duckling doc!” and he hung up the phone. That was it, no further questions, no details needed, just do your work.

I spent the night caring for the tiny duckling, slowly getting his temperature up, giving fluids and nutritional support, drying his tiny feathers, until finally, he started to perk up.

By first light the duckling had become quite a little character and had taken well to nuzzling in my jacket so I could carry him around. As promised, my brother met me at the boulevard with two SUPs the next morning and we set out paddling around the harbor to where we suspected to find other ducks of the same species.

Immediately, we found a group of adult ducks. We were stoked. We paddled as close as we could without startling them and set the duckling into the water and started to paddle away. Unfortunately, the duckling wouldn’t have it. He kept swimming away from the adult ducks and chasing our paddle boards. Something wasn’t right, and we knew it. I scooped the soaking cold duckling up and put him back into my jacket. We found another group of ducks half a mile away. No luck. The duckling was getting better at swimming and again I turned my board around and scooped up the wet pile of fluff and put him against my body to warm up while we paddled through the rain.

I was about to lose it. Why wouldn’t the ducking go with his group? What had I done wrong? Why wasn’t this working? Was I now the proud owner of a very confused duckling? I was coming undone.

I looked at my brother and he could see the desperation in my face. “If you love what you do,” he yelled to me, “you’ll never work a day in your life” I yelled back. It’s a mantra that was trained in to both of us so much growing up that the saying has become a touchstone to get through any tough day. 

Both adults now, both running our own businesses, we grasped the reality and subtle untruth of that motto.  We continued to paddle in the rain for another hour with no sign of other adult ducks. While the duckling slept soundly in my jacket, my fingers went numb and our lips turned the slightest shade of purple. 

We went back to the beach, loaded the boards and put our fingers in front of the dashboard heaters while we collected our thoughts. “Never work a day!” my brother giggled as he blew on his frozen fingers. He put the truck in drive and said he had one more idea.

We drove to South East harbor and pulled over on the side of the road.  We walked the rocky shore line until we saw them. Two adult ducks with at least thirty small ducklings. I squealed knowing that’s what we had been missing, we had been trying to put this duckling with the adults, when we should have been looking for the nursery!

But there was a problem, the waves were crashing on the shoreline and getting a board in didn’t make sense. My brother pulled his wetsuit on and commanded me to give him the duckling. He then ran down the rocks and into the surf with the grace only gained from a lifetime below the tide line. He navigated the shore break, swam past the surf and got the duckling close to the group. I held my breath knowing if the duckling swam back towards us he would be swallowed by the waves. He circled, confused for a long breathless moment, and then he saw them. He swam to the group of duckling and they surrounded him like they had been waiting for his return the whole time. 

My brother and I sat on the rocks in wetsuits, finishing our now cold coffee, smiling from ear to ear. If you love what you do, you will work very very hard, but it will always be worth it. 

Sarah Hammond owns Tidal Medicine, a house call veterinary practice on the North Shore, and her brother, Dominic, owns Cape Ann SUP + Surf company on Cape Ann. Dr Hammond treats dogs and cats for wellness and integrated veterinary medicine and when he’s not helping her save ducklings, Dom is likely getting people on the water all over Cape Ann. 

www.tidalmedicine.com   www.capeannsup.com 

Thank you,

Dr Hammond and the Tidal Team

Tidal Medicine