Page 2 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 22, 2019 Bread of Life seeks support for new mixed-use center By Barbara Taormina F or nearly 40 years, Bread of Life has made Malden proud by providing food, hospitality and spiritual support to individuals and families in need. This week, Executive Director Gabriella Snyder Stelmack and Development Director Patty Kelly met with the City Council to talk briefl y about the organization’s past, but more about its future. Bread of Life is in the middle of Under One Roof, a capital campaign to raise money for a new center at 54 Eastern Ave., on the site of what many residents know as the Volpe building. Bread of Life has teamed up with Metro North Housing Corp on a mixed-use development that will allow the organization to continue its evening meals, food pantry, grocery deliveries and other work in one central hub. Metro North’s part of the project will bring 14 new subsidized studio apartments to Malden with several units slated for vets. Bread of Life programs serve more than a million meals a year to roughly 8,000 people, 60 percent of whom are from Malden. But the organization has always had to depend on local churches and other organizations for space. “We’ve been a program that’s grown and used a lot of spaces where we could fi nd them,” said Snyder Stelmack. She called the building project a dream come true for the staff and a game changer for the individuals and families that depend on Bread of Life. “This combined project will • • • 8 Norwood St. Everett (617) 387-9810 www.eight10barandgrille.com Kitchen Hours: Mon-Thurs: 12-10pm Fri-Sat: 12-11pm Sunday: 1pm-10pm NEW $10 Dinner Menu! Come in and Try our New... Choose from 16 Items! Served Monday thru Thursday - 4 PM - 10 PM Grilled Rib Eye Steak! Only $22.00 includes Two Sides Every Friday FRESH HADDOCK DINNER Only $18.00 includes two sides IN THE WORKS?: Bread of Life hopes to have an entrance to its new center on Eastern Ave. on the side of the building that runs along the Northern Strand Community Trail. (Courtesy architect’s drawing) help us serve people more effi ciently and serve more people,” she said. Bread of Life’s portion of the building will include a large multi-use hall for evening meals, meetings, classes, employment training, performances and other community uses. There will also be space for the kitchen, food pantry, storage and offi ces. The total cost of the project is $7.4 million with Metro North’s development coming in at $4.4 million. “Our goal is $2.9 million, and we are doing it completely by philanthropy,” said Snyder Stelmack, adding that Bread of Life has received gifts from individuals, businesses, churches, foundations and recently, from the City of Melrose, which donated $10,000 to the project. “We are pressing on to our goal, and we have raised 50 percent,” she said. Metro North has already raised more than half of the money needed for its share of the project with another $1.8 million housing grant on the horizon. Snyder Stelmack said construction could begin in October. Councillors praised Bread of Life for all of its work and its years of service, and they also praised the project for its revitalization of a neglected corner of the city. “It’s an exciting project,” said Ward 1 Councillor Peg Crowe. “It will bring some life to that corner, and cleaning up that property goes a long way.” The building is located up against the Northern Strand Community Trail, and Snyder Stelmack said the plan is to build an entrance at that section of the building. Councillors were pleased with the possibility of building up traffi c on the trail. Kelly, who is now working to raise the remaining $1.6 million needed for the project, invited councillors to come see the building as it stands. Bread of Life’s food pantry is operating from the Volpe Building, which will eventually be razed to make way for a new facility. “You can get a visual of the before as we move toward the after, which will be state of the art,” she said. Both Kelly and Snyder Stelmack asked the councillors for help reaching out to any individuals or groups who might be interested in helping move the project forward. “We need Malden to continue to help us feed neighbors in need,” said Snyder Stelmack. For more information about the Under One Roof campaign or to contribute to the project, visit http://www.breadoflifemalden.org/under-one-roof. Help us say “Good-bye & Good Luck” to Brian F or those of you don’t know, Brian Biggie, MATV’s former Government Access Coordinator, left the organization on February 22 after 15-plus years of dedicated service. There was not time to announce and organize a proper goodbye before he left, but he will be in town on Friday, March 22, and we will be honoring him with a community gathering at Pearl Street Station Restaurant. If you know and loved Brian, we hope you can attend! We are all happy that Brian has accepted “an off er he couldn’t refuse”: working at Nutmeg TV, which is located in Farmington, Conn. This is a much larger operation than MATV, a kind of hybrid local access and for-profit TV/video outfit. He will be moving to Connecticut, where he will be closer to his in-law’s family. We are happy for his success and this new chapter in his life, though we are already missing his cheerful, helpful presence at MATV. Help us celebrate Brian by dropping by to the event. Appetizers will be provided. You can purchase drinks and dinner if you would like. We will be occupying the separate function room at Pearl Street Station. PLEASE RSVP so we can estimate appetizers. Email access@matv.org. He truly was a community person who believed in the fi rst amendment and encouraging citizens to get involved in political action. Brian also had a soft spot for nonprofi ts that served the more vulnerable members of our community. For many years, he helped produce and direct “Giving Back: The Bread of Life Show.” Brian truly made his mark in Malden, and his professionalism and sense of humor will be sorely missed. We wish him well in his new endeavors and send him a good luck charm to remember us by. Come join us on Friday, March 22 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Pearl Street Station to say goodbye to Brian Biggie. RSVP to access@matv.org.
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