West Roxbury Friends of Rosie’s Place holds Harvest Brunch

Carol Nesson, president of the West Roxbury Friends of Rosie’s Place, admitted at the charity’s Harvest Brunch on Sunday that the food drive and fundraising initiative often relies on major donations.

But, Neeson added, smaller gifts perhaps best represent the generosity of the West Roxbury community.

“At our last event we got a donation — a check for five bucks — that was written in spidery, old lady handwriting,” she said.

Also tucked inside the envelope, Nesson added, were three pennies — the absolute most the donor could afford to contribute.

“This woman gave us her last 3 cents,” Nesson said. “Those kinds of donations represent such an open heart. It’s a beautiful thing.”

On Sunday, Nov. 6 — fittingly, one of the most enjoyable, fall afternoons of the season — Friends, supporters and organizers gathered at the West Roxbury Pub at 1885 Centre St. for the charity’s 20th annual Harvest Brunch. Pub owner Eilish Queally provided an ample buffet of eggs, fruit, breakfast meat and more. Tickets were $15 per person, and each guest brought nonperishable food items to stock the shelves of the two pantries the organization helps: the Roslindale food pantry at 25 Cummings Highway and Rosie’s Place at 889 Harrison Ave.

Every year, the Friends — a community group dedicated to, among other things, raising funds to support the South End sanctuary for homeless women, Rosie’s Place — buy, prepare, serve and clean up more than 80 meals for about 150 women and children in Greater Boston, Neeson said. Alice Hennessey, the organization’s founder, said the Harvest Brunch fundraiser is a favorite among West Roxbury residents.

“Every year we have it (at the end of Daylight Savings) when the clocks change, so people remember,” she said. “There are a lot of new people, but you also see the same faces year after year.”

The charity is greatly appreciative, Hennessey said, of one returning face in particular: Mayor Thomas Menino’s.

“He’s our star,” she said. “Who else could (generate) so much attention?”

The yearly brunch is one of two major fundraisers the Friends host annually, the other a spring dinner held at the St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church at 55 Emmonsdale Road in West Roxbury.

Now more than ever, Neeson said, the need for charitable support is great. Donations from Parkway residents, she added, keep Rosie’s Place afloat.

“As the economic crisis worsens, the need for support services increases constantly,” she said. “West Roxbury is not a wealthy community, but it’s a big-hearted one.”

For more information about Rosie’s Place, visit rosiesplace.org. You can also send donations to: West Roxbury Friends of Rosie’s Place, P.O. Box 320076, West Roxbury, MA

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