Beneficiary Spotlight: Second Church Dorchester
What is Second Church?
Second Church is a Christian faith based nonprofit organization located in the center of Codman Square in Dorchester, MA. Dr. Rev. Victor Price has made the community the focus of his mission and is very focused on the safety, unity, and empowerment of our neighbors in the Codman Square neighborhood. Second Church is focused on building strong community relationships and assisting those in the community with services that we have available to us.
What types of programming do you provide?
At Second Church we have many programs available with more being added in the future as we expand our community outreach:
- We offer fellowship, bible study, and Sunday service.
- We also host New England Sarau which plays a large part with our youth in the community. New England Sarau offers after school programs as well as Capoeira classes.
- The Open Air Campaigners run by Eric Briscoe is a great program that works closely with Second Church providing a great service for the children and families in Codman Square.
- Resonant Energy works out of Second Church providing low cost solar to the residents of Boston.
- The Food Services @ Second Church are available to all within the community. Dr. Rev.
- Victor Price hosts community meetings as well as works closely with the Codman Square Neighborhood Counsel and Four Corner’s Coalition to better the community.
- We host many workshops throughout the year focused on health, alcoholism, drug addiction, gun violence and community safety.
- Church members are very active in the community passing out meals and care packets.
- Sister Ann Thorne hosts our annual Thanksgiving seniors luncheon, as she has for at least fourteen years now, feeding over two hundred local seniors while the children of Second Church sing and dance during the luncheon to provide entertainment for the guests.
We are always looking for new ways to better our community and provide more services to our neighbors of Codman Square and Four Corners.
Can you tell us a little about the people you serve?
At Second Church we serve the people. We serve any person who comes to our doors seeking assistance. As we have provided these services over the years we have personally heard from who we serve and what they face in their lives. The people we serve are people who have a story whether it is being homeless, suffering from addiction, job loss, being here illegally, raising a grandchild, being a single parent, or just having a hard time making ends meet. The people we serve we consider our friends and neighbors and are blessed we can serve them through our available resources.
Why is your work important right now?
Our work is important right now to us as it helps bring unity to our neighborhood. It builds relationships with our friends and neighbors we serve. We can see how important our work is as we see a face we have not seen in a while and they give you a hug and thank you for being there for them for encouraging them to seek treatment for their addiction and they are now clean and sober and no longer homeless. To witness their success is a beautiful thing. Knowing just a simple conversation and extending kindness can change a person’s life is a blessing for them and us. Our work is important and we may never know the true impact it has but just from the few success stories we have been made aware of, we know what we do is important.
How did you learn about Lovin’ Spoonfuls?
Manuel Pires first introduced us to Lovin’ Spoonfuls. Manuel wanted Second Church to partner with Lovin’ Spoonfuls to bring a food service program into Codman Square as most of the food service programs had closed their doors. Manuel had a vision for Second Church and the community and he made it possible by coordinating our partnership with Lovin’ Spoonfuls. We are very grateful to Manuel Pires for introducing us to Lovin’ Spoonfuls.
How has the partnership been helpful to your community and how has it grown?
Our partnership with Lovin’ Spoonfuls has been a blessing to our community. It allows us to serve over one hundred thousand meals a year and the number of meals is definitely growing as we continue with our program and partnership. We started off with two people who ran the food services and now have twenty plus volunteers who faithfully serve the community. We have grown within the past five years to a successful food service program that was just once Manuel Pires’s vision. Lovin’ Spoonfuls’ partnership with Second Church has been amazing. The drivers and coordinators are such great people and are always willing to help us improve our program. We cannot thank Lovin’ Spoonfuls enough for what they do in our community. You guys and gals are all a blessing and are a great group of people with an awesome mission.
How can people support you?
People can support us through prayer and their generous offering of their time volunteering. Donations are always welcome as we are restoring our historical church building so we can continue to serve our friends and neighbors of the Codman Square and Four Corners neighborhood. We would like to thank Lovin’ Spoonfuls, Trader Joe’s, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, The Big Y, Wegman’s, Roche Brothers, Stop and Shop, and our local farmers who donate to our program. We appreciate the continued support from all of our sponsors and also all of our volunteers who make our mission at Second Church possible.