A Month for Thanks & Giving at the Wakefield Sons/Daughters of Italy

November was a month for raising a glass together at our monthly meeting. Laurie Rizzo hosted us once again at Laurie’s 9:09 for a wine tasting. She provided a beautiful spread of fruit and cheeses to pair with a number of wines. Bottles of wine were then available for purchase.

We also discussed business at the meeting. We were joined by Lodge member and Wakefield Food Pantry Executive Director Maureen Miller who spoke about the families who are helped by the Pantry. She accepted a check from the Lodge for the Pantry to help them continue to do their wonderful work in the community. Several members of the Lodge are also volunteers at the Pantry, so this cause is near and dear to us.

Another speaker at the meeting was Lodge member, Anthony Guardia, who is also the Chief Development Officer at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wakefield and Stoneham. He thanked us for preparing and serving a pasta dinner and dessert for the kids last month. He also shared that the Club has a number of families who need assistance in providing Christmas gifts again this year. Some members are “adopting” a family and buying the items on their wish list.

Recently, a donation for Christmas gifts was made to the Foster Kids of the Merrimack Valley. The Lodge will be donating to the North Star Realtors Christmas Shop and the Wakefield Council on Aging Senior Center. We are thankful that our charity auction allowed us to support these worthy causes in 2022.

The Lodge is selling calendar raffle tickets. Each ticket is good for 31 chances for a cash prize between $100 and $500 with one chance each day during January 2023. Each raffle ticket sells for only $10, and the proceeds support the endeavors of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. If you are interested in buying a raffle ticket, please send an email to wakefieldosia@gmail.com. They make a great stocking stuffer!

Many members got together outside of our usual meeting for a hayride and apple picking at the end of October. Applecrest Farm in Hampton Falls, NH also had goats to feed and fresh-from-the-oven donuts. November’s social outing will be at Encore Boston on November 27th.

The December meeting will be held on Tuesday the 6th, and we will gather for our traditional Christmas-time dinner of Chinese food at Tulips in Stoneham. As per an earlier decision, we will not meet formerly in January or February, although the events committee may have something fun in store.

As always, if you are curious about the Lodge, you are encouraged to contact President Paula Sasso with questions or attend a meeting to see what we are all about. Paula can be reached at wakefieldosia@gmail.com. To see more photos, check out the Lodge’s Facebook page.