October is a Favorite for the Wakefield Sons & Daughters of Italy

The air is cool and crisp, the leaves are colorful, and you can get pumpkin-spice everything. But that’s not why we are excited for October. It is because October is Italian Heritage Month – a time for Italian Americans to embrace traditions, family memories, and yes, foods!

Speaking of food, we enjoyed preparing a pasta dinner for members of the local Boys’ and Girls’ Club this month. It looked like the boys and girls who came out to the Civic Center had a fun night. The homemade chocolate chip cookies and brownies were a huge hit also! We don’t know who had a better time – the Lodge members who cooked and served or the kids who ate.

At our October meeting, we were pleased to welcome new member Sandra and induct her with our traditional ceremony. Lodge members also made plans and voted on organizations and causes who will receive donations from our charity fund. It was decided that we would make donations to the Wakefield Council of Clubs, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham and Wakefield, the Wakefield Food Pantry, North Star Realtors Christmas Shop and Christmas gifts to Foster Kids of the Merrimack Valley. We will also provide scholarships for two college-bound high school seniors. We are delighted that our annual auction raised enough money so that we can give back to the community. We wrapped up the meeting by sharing a wide assortment of Italian cookies and treats. Did you think there wasn’t going to be food this month?

The November meeting will be held on Tuesday the 8th at Laurie’s 9:09 and will include a wine and cheese tasting. In December, we will gather for our traditional Christmas-time dinner of Chinese food.

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 at https://www.facebook.com/wakefieldOSIA.