Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!

“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.”  – Helen Keller 

The power of teamwork cannot be understated. When we work together toward a shared goal, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish!

This week, Olivia’s is shining a spotlight on someone who brings this quote to life through her commitment to helping others. Amy Gallagher is a fixture in the Winthrop, MA, community, devoting much of her time to volunteering and giving back. She recently helped spearhead the Winthrop Food Bank, which has delivered thousands of meals to local families in recent months. We had a chance to catch up with Amy and hear a bit of her story. Read on!

Meet Amy!
Winthrop local and passionate volunteer committed to giving back to the greater community 

Tell us a bit about the Winthrop Food Bank and how it came to be! 
Back in March, our police chief and town manager reached out to a small group of town employees (Ellen Baxter, Sean Driscoll, Matt Rhoades and myself) to form an emergency food bank to help those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pop-up food bank was located in our elementary school and we ended up operating for three months.

As a Winthrop resident, it must have been extra meaningful to give back to your own community. Can you tell us what it meant to you to help get this Food Bank off the ground?
Winthrop is a tiny town and the people that reside here have huge hearts. The generosity of our neighbors was beyond my imagination. We had people that shopped and dropped off items to us every week. Donations varied from a few items to trunks filled with food. We were blessed and thankful to have businesses that added to our donations immensely.

We heard that over three months alone, volunteers made over 1,000 deliveries to families in need! Do you have a most memorable moment from your journey? 
The kind gestures of friends, both old and new, made the best memories. Just to name a few –  we had a woman who made banana bread and cookies and dropped them off every week. We had generous folks who sent gift cards, homemade masks and other donations. And, we had a mom and son team who made masks and sent masks we used to help our citizens during the pandemic. The heart-warming ‘thank yous’ we received and watching people give so much during a very difficult time is something we’ll never forget.

At Olivia’s, we love hearing stories about people dedicating time to spread kindness and love. Can you tell us how you got involved with the Olivia’s team? 
My sister, Ellen, has always been a fan of your produce and recently told me about the work you do. I was so intrigued at the fact you began at a pushcart near Faneuil Hall! I’ve worked there for 36 years and Ellen has worked there for many years too. I wish you all continued success!

Not only do many hands accomplish more, giving back is fun when you have a team of people by your side! Tell us about the people who helped make this food bank possible.
The volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corp (MRC), Harbor City Church and many town agencies pulled together and made this a success! We spent so much time with old friends and we also made many new ones. This wouldn’t have been possible without our incredible team.

For Winthrop residents specifically, is there a place they can go for more information? 
As we continue our efforts in the community, The Winthrop Community Food Pantry will be the resource for food and groceries. They are located at St. John, the Episcopal Church, on Bowdoin Street. For more information, you can reach them at 617-846-6884.

Thanks so much Amy – for your story and your hard work!

If you know of someone in your community who deserves a moment in the do-good spotlight, drop us a line with their name and yours, and they will be entered to win an Olivia’s Organics cookbook (teamolivias@oliviasorganics.org)! And if they win, we’ll send you one too! You can also find us on Instagram by following @Olivias_Organics and using the hashtag #oliviasopenmic.

Thanks for making Olivia’s part of your fresh, healthy life. Stay healthy!
Team Olivia’s