Guest Speaker at Wakefield Sons and Daughters of Italy

At the Lodge’s March meeting, Editor/Publisher Pam Donnaruma shared stories about a newspaper started by her family more than 100 years ago; the Post-Gazette. This paper is known as the Italian-American Voice of Massachusetts, and is published in the North End of Boston. Pam explained that production of the weekly paper is like a well-oiled machine. However, the North End is not running as smoothly as it once was. Pam shared her concern that the North End is being turned into more of a tourist area and away from a community of neighbors. For more on this topic, the paper is available online. After the presentation, the Lodge enjoyed both homemade and bakery Zeppoles.

The Wakefield Sons and Daughters of Italy welcomes anyone in the community to a night of fun, laughs and fundraising. Our Annual Charity Auction will be on Tuesday April 19, 2022. It will be held at St. Joseph’s parish hall in Wakefield and the doors open at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 each and include dinner, dessert, and coffee. Tickets must be reserved in advance by April 11th by contacting President Paula Sasso at (781) 799-6203 or wakefieldosia@gmail.com. This charity event is our primary fundraiser that allows us to give out scholarships to graduating high school seniors each year and to support the Lodge’s other philanthropic endeavors including the Wakefield Food Pantry, Wakefield’s Council of Clubs holiday food baskets, The Boys and Girls Club of Wakefield pasta dinner, Alzheimer’s Association and Cooley’s Anemia Foundation.

The Auction will offer a chance for bidders to win wrapped-up mystery items donated by members, which can be fun and exciting. There will be silent auction items including a weekend in the White Mountains, 150 gallons of home heating oil and theater tickets. We are grateful to many businesses in the community that have donated items or gift cards. These businesses include: Laurie's 909 Catering, A Balanced Self, Fringe on Main, North Ave Diner, Cheryl Caroll-MaryKay Consultant, HealthyNuts, and Mel and Sons of Wakefield, Calaresso's Farm Stand, DiCara's Deli, Meraki Medical Esthetics, and The Chocolate Truffle of Reading, Impress Graphics and Medispa Caring for All of Woburn, Kennedy's Ice Cream Bar, Beacon Hill Wine & Gourmet, Everlasting Fitness, and All Things Beauty of Melrose, Pastene Pasta of Canton, Hanover Theatre in Worcester, and New England Revolution are a few of the generous donors. If you are a business or individual interested in donating an item, a service, or a gift certificate, please contact Sharon at sharrun19@yahoo.com. Note: tickets and any auction winnings will need to be paid by check or cash.

If you are interested in becoming a member of our Lodge, we welcome hearing from you. Please contact President Paula Sasso for information at wakefieldosia@gmail.com. To see more photos and updates, check out the Lodge’s Facebook page.