Aug 5, 2026 | Non-Profit, Pet
Sue, tell us about the Marblehead Animal Shelter and the types of pets you help find forever homes. The Marblehead Animal Shelter has been caring for homeless animals for over 30 years. The Friends of Marblehead’s Abandoned Animals (F.O.M.A.A.) is the 501c3 all-volunteer organization that staffs the cleaning, feeding and adoption shifts and fundraises to support the care of the shelter animals. The vast majority of pets that are rescued are cats. However, there are times when a dog needs to be re-homed or every once in a while, a rabbit, hamster or bird will be surrendered.
How can the community help support the Marblehead Animal Shelter? There’s always been strong support from our community, which includes Marblehead, the surrounding towns and the people who adopt from the Marblehead Animal Shelter, who live outside the Northshore. The easiest way to help is to share our social media posts (Facebook, Instagram) to help our shelter residents gain more views and to attend or spread the word about our events.
In the colder months, donations of towels, facecloths and pillowcases are appreciated; in the warmer months we usually have more than enough. If someone has a few hours a week to volunteer their time, they can fill out a volunteer application online or stop by during adoption hours. Additionally, there are times when foster homes are needed – especially in the Spring, there are mother cats with litters of kittens that need a couple of months. If someone has a quiet space in their home, and can make sure the kittens are gaining weight while nursing & then eating on their own, this is extremely helpful to keep the new family healthy until they are old enough to get adopted. Food & litter can be provided for fostering.
Donations to pay for veterinary care, food and litter, can be made via the website at marblehead-animal-shelter.org or by dropping off a check (payable to F.O.M.A.A.) at 44 Village St.
What is your role with the Shelter, and how did you get involved? I’m a volunteer that covers a feeding shift one morning a week, an adoption shift one day a month and I work with a small team on planning events/fundraisers. When I first started volunteering, I worked a couple of cleaning shifts a week. I signed up to volunteer in March 2000 when I was looking for an opportunity to do volunteering or interning at a local animal hospital and they directed me to check with the Marblehead Animal Shelter. I’ve been volunteering ever since.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since working with the Animal Shelter? Volunteering at the shelter has provided me the opportunity to help make a difference by helping to care for homeless pets, which in turn, helps people. People contact the shelter, inquiring about adoption, as well as surrendering and helping injured animals. the shelter volunteers are involved daily with the community and animal control personnel. I’ve made long lasting friendships, which have made Marblehead a home for more than 25 years.
What do you love most about Marblehead and its community? There is an abundance of people willing to pitch-in and assist, when you ask. The network of friendships and supporters is what is at the core of a community and this community truly is the reason we can find help to save so many local animals.
Marblehead Animal Shelter
Sue MacInnis, Volunteer
44 Village St, Marblehead
marblehead-animal-shelter.org
Jul 8, 2025 | Community, Non-Profit, Shopping
Tell us about Magic Hat Thrift Shop. Our founder and current Board Member Frances Tully, who was also a Marblehead Public School (“MPS”) teacher, came across a thrift store in North Carolina that raised funds for public school student enrichment. When Frances returned, she brought the Magic Hat to life with the help of several women who incorporated the Magic Hat as a 501(c)(3) non-profit and then ran the shop as an all volunteer working board. The Magic Hat funds MPS student educational enrichment programming by selling donated items. We partner with the five MPS PTO/PCOs and allocate funding to each biannually. Allocations are based on the number of volunteer hours each school provides. The Magic Hat prides itself on being a community store. We also work with school counselors and nurses to provide items to students in need, and provide a 50% discount to MPS teachers for classroom materials.
How is Magic Hat celebrating their 20th anniversary year? We commenced our 20th year by celebrating the allocation of over $2 million since our inception. We also had a 20% off sale in January and hosted a small gathering for all current and former Board members, PTO/PCO Magic Hat representatives and staff.
How can the community of Marblehead become more involved and support Magic Hat? Come visit the Magic Hat to shop, donate and volunteer! You never know what you’ll find thanks to the generosity of our community. All are welcome to volunteer and volunteers receive a 25% discount. You can learn more about our hours and what donations we accept by visiting our website.
What is something people may be surprised to learn about Magic Hat? All of the amazing educational enrichment programs our PTO/PCOs provide is funded by the Magic Hat Thrift Shop – over $2.2 million allocated to date.
Magic Hat Thrift Shop
Stephanie Sullivan, Board President
[email protected]
MagicHatThriftShop.com
Sep 16, 2024 | Community, Historic, Non-Profit
An interview with Executive Director, Lauren McCormack
Tell us about the Marblehead Museum and the programs you offer the community. Marblehead Museum & Historical Society, Inc. is a private non-profitmuseum founded in 1898 to preserve, protect, and promote Marblehead’s past as a means of enriching the present. We have four sites in town: The 1768 Jeremiah Lee Mansion, JOJ Frost Gallery & Carolyn Lynch Education Center, and the Civil War/Grand Army of the Republic exhibit in the Old Town House, as well as our newest acquisition, the Jeremiah Lee Brick Kitchen & Slave Quarters next to the Lee Mansion. We have an object and archival collection of over 60,000 items from Marblehead’s past and invite researchers and genealogists to take advantage of our resources. We offer lectures, walking tours, programs, and events year-round, both hybrid and in-person.
What exciting projects are you working on currently? The Museum is currently working to preserve, rehabilitate, and interpret the 1768 Jeremiah Lee Brick Kitchen & Slave Quarters at 157 Washington Street. Thanks to a generous donation by Standley Goodwin in 2021, we were able to purchase the building, which was built by the Lee family to serve as a detached kitchen, coach house, and living quarters for their enslaved individuals. The building is fascinating, and we spent over 2 years working with architectural historians, archaeologists, and other scholars to study how it has changed over time. Now, we’re working to secure it for the next 250 years. At the same time, we’re working closely with scholars and public historians to develop an exhibit on the first floor about the enslaved experience in Marblehead. The second floor will be a new state-of-the-art archive and research center so we can better preserve and share our amazing historical documents and photos. The entire project budget is just over $1.4 million, and we’re actively seeking donations and grants to meet our goal.
What is your favorite spot in Marblehead, and why? I love walking around Old Burial Hill. It’s quiet and peaceful, but it’s also an opportunity to see so much of Marblehead’s past in one place – its heroes and heroines, as well as the everyday people who, over the years, made Marblehead the amazing town it was and is.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? Before I came to the Marblehead Museum, I worked at the USS Constitution Museum and was privileged to be on board USS Constitution when she sailed in 2012, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, for only the second time since the 19th century.
Marblehead Museum
Executive Director: Lauren McCormack
[email protected]; 781-631-1768
MarbleheadMuseum.org
Jul 4, 2024 | Community, Events, Non-Profit
An interview with Barbara Spiess Miller…
Tell us about the Lobster Lunch at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. The first Lobster Lunch at St. Michael’s was held in 1972. After becoming an exhibit venue for the Festival of Arts the previous year, it seemed a good idea to create a fundraising opportunity around the Festival. It’s been held every year since then with the exception of 1974 and the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. In the early days, lobster rolls were served in the basement of the parish hall. During the 1980’s, members of the parish became more involved with local mission work, as well as entering into a partnership with a parish, St. Thomas, in Arcahaie, Haiti. By 1994, it was decided that all net proceeds of the event would be shared between local charities and the parish of St. Thomas and its school in Haiti. A number of years ago, we moved to serving under the tent on our front lawn, greatly increasing our visibility and thus our revenue. To date we have raised $435,591 for charity and mission work.
What is your favorite part about being a Lobster Lunch chair? How long have you been helping to plan the event? My husband Bill and I have been a part of the Lobster Lunch for at least 35 years. Over that period I have either chaired or co-chaired it a number of times. It’s a ton of work, but we always have a great team. I can’t imagine celebrating the 4th of July any other way. It’s the most festive and fun atmosphere. My favorite part is being able to welcome the community to St. Michael’s and visitors to Marblehead.
What are the dates and times of the Lobster lunch this year? Are there any other activities included that day with St. Michael’s Church? This year the Lobster Lunch will be held Thursday, July 4 through Saturday, July 6 from 11am to 3pm daily. In addition, we’ll once again host the Festival of Arts Sculpture and Mixed Media exhibit in our parish hall. Historic church tours will be offered daily from 10am – 3pm. Our Thrift Shop will be open 10am – 5pm daily. The public can also participate in ringing our bell at noon on July 4th to celebrate Independence Day. Last, but certainly not least, we have Sunday service on July 7 at 9am on the front lawn under the tent – the community is invited.
What makes St. Michael’s location so special? We’re located in the heart of town, where much of Marblehead’s early history happened. It’s a vibrant area where your neighbors are close and yet at times is amazingly serene and peaceful. When the breeze is right, you can smell the salt air wafting in through the open windows. It doesn’t get better than that.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? Something many people don’t know about me is that I’m also the Directress of the Marblehead Female Humane Society (MFHS), having succeeded Lee Bartlett Weed in that role, who was a lifelong member of St. Michael’s Church.
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
Interview with Barbara Spiess Miller
26 Pleasant St, Marblehead
stmichaels1714.org
Aug 7, 2023 | Non-Profit
Tell us about SPUR. SPUR is a nonprofit organization that exists to make volunteering easy. Our goal is to connect people on the North Shore with volunteer opportunities that meet a tangible need in our community. SPUR provides volunteer opportunities for any schedule, interest, or skill set; all you need to do is sign up! We have opportunities for volunteers of all ages to volunteer on their own, with their family, or as a group. All our opportunities last less than two hours and none require a commitment. Try any of our volunteer opportunities, just once or sign up as often as you like! We know our volunteers are busy, so we provide plenty of flexible opportunities that can be fulfilled during the day, evening, or weekends. No matter your interest, there are plenty of ways to give back, whether you clean a local beach with us, prepare meals at home for a local shelter, or weed one of our gardens at any time that works for your schedule. Whether you’d like to volunteer from home, in our office, or out in the community, you’ll find plenty of ways to make a difference every day with SPUR!
How did SPUR get started? SPUR was founded in 2014 (we’re about to turn 10!) when founder Jocelyn Cook was having trouble finding meaningful volunteer opportunities for her family. All the organizations she contacted asked for long-term commitment, required extensive training, or weren’t open to families with young children. Thus, the idea for an organization that removes those barriers and connects volunteers directly with ways to make the biggest impact was born!
What types of projects does SPUR have coming up? SPUR has a variety of ongoing opportunities, including our 4 community gardens. These gardens grow over 1,000 pounds of delicious organic fruit and veggies for local food pantries and group homes, thanks to volunteers who weed, water, harvest, or deliver. Not into gardening? Volunteer with us to distribute food at a local food pantry, make a meal for a local shelter, serve dinner at the local shelter or pick up food from Crosby’s or Shubie’s that would otherwise be thrown away and deliver it to a local organization that fights food insecurity. We have opportunities to create pillowcases for our Holiday Cheer Drive, which provides nearly 600 adults experiencing homelessness and children in our community with holiday gifts. Whether you already know how or you want to learn a new skill, we’ll provide you with the directions and support you need to participate in any of our activities, from gardening to sewing and so much more!
Right now we are hosting our annual Student Success Drive. This drive provides nearly 700 backpacks and school supplies to children in our community who wouldn’t otherwise have them on the first day of school. We’re looking for sponsors to help us purchase all those necessary supplies and volunteers to fill the backpacks! We work with local social service providers, guidance counselors, case workers, and other social service providers to identify backpack recipients. You can sponsor supplies or a backpack at https://www.spurnorthshore.org/student-success-drive
How can the community of Marblehead become involved? Everyone is welcome at SPUR! We like to say that whether you’re 4 or 94, there’s a place for you here. Learn more about all of our volunteer opportunities and sign up online atwww.spurnorthshore.org. Consider donating to our mission and helping to SPUR Good Deeds.
For More Information:
SPUR
www.SPURNorthShore.org
Jul 10, 2023 | Non-Profit, Sports
Photo (left to right): Kathy Doody, Lauren Andriano, Muffy Paquette, Mandy Caruso, Kristen Jellison
Tell us about Marblehead All-Sports Boosters. The mission of the Boosters is to support the needs of ALL Marblehead High School’s athletic teams, to enhance and promote athletic achievement and school spirit, provide athletic scholarships for deserving student-athletes, and to contribute to new ideas for athletic success. We bridge the gap between the athletic office and the needs of all the teams. We also provide scholarships to graduating student athletes.
Who runs the Boosters? The Boosters is run by a group of amazing volunteers of nearly 50 fabulous women! The executive board consists of Muffy Paquette (Outgoing President), Mandy Caruso (Incoming President), Kristen Jellison, Allie Donovan, Lauren Andriano, and Kathy Doody.
What types of projects have the Boosters worked on? Some of our bigger projects include a state of the art fitness center, new tennis courts, a new snack shed and end zone netting. We also donate things like swim caps, football helmets, volleyballs, etc. Our next mission is to raise the funds needed to replace the turf at Piper field. You can learn more about our projects by watching our “Boosters Through the Years” video at https://youtu.be/7ecPnUUzQMQ
How can the community of Marblehead become involved or help your mission? The community can help support our initiatives with financial support. Also, we’re always looking for help staffing the snack shed for athletic events. And of course, all are welcome to join our Boosters team! Please contact us with any questions you may have at [email protected]
What’s up next for the Boosters? This summer we will be kicking off our next big fundraiser. The lifespan of a turf field is typically 10 years and we are currently beyond that at Marblehead High School.. At a price tag of approximately $800,000 our goal is to raise the necessary funds to replace the turf next summer (2024). It’s the biggest project we’ve tackled to date. The turf is used for football, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, flag football, conditioning and so much more. We’re confident we can meet our goal with the support of the generous people in our community. Donations can be made at http://www.marbleheadboosters.org
For More Information:
Marblehead All-Sports Boosters
[email protected]
www.MarbleheadBoosters.org
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