ROCKLAND, MA, On Friday December 6, 2025, a tractor-trailer full of nonperishable food left Salt Lake City, Utah, enroute to Massachusetts. Early in the morning on Monday, December 9, the truck arrived in Rockland, MA, and unloaded 40,000 pounds of food donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to feed thousands of South Shore families in need.
The 28 pallets of food contained essentials like rice, macaroni, green beans, flour, beans, carrots, diced tomatoes, peanut butter, and oats, as well as some fun items like pancake mix, cake mix and hot cocoa, and needed items like dishwashing liquid. All of the donated items were grown, processed and packaged by Church-owned farms, ranches, and production facilities like canneries, dairies, and mills. They process the goods using volunteer labor, plus donations from Church members. These resources provide basic foods and household items to people in need, regardless of their faith.
This 40,000-pound food donation will be split between two local food pantries: Interfaith Social Services and the South Shore Food Bank.
Since 1947, Interfaith Social Services has been a safety net for thousands of children and families who are struggling to make ends meet. Located in Quincy, MA, Interfaith operates one of the largest emergency food pantries in Greater Boston – distributing food and essential hygiene products to local residents in need. Interfaith also operates a mental health counseling center and homelessness prevention program, and coordinates several large-scale seasonal initiatives that bring joy to local children living in poverty.
The South Shore Food Bank is a regional food access hub for food-assistance organizations across 28 South Shore communities in Massachusetts. In 2024, more than half of food distributed by food pantries on the South Shore moved through their warehouse, benefiting almost 30,000 residents across the region. They also operate two large-scale food pantries in Weymouth and Randolph. Their mission is to improve food access, food equity, and promote health.
“Both food pantries have served record-setting numbers of local families in the past few months,” said Pam Denholm, executive director of South Shore Food Bank. “The food has been going out as quickly as it comes in, and we have had a hard time keeping shelves stocked. This donation is so well timed and much needed.”  Each food pantry provides groceries to 2,000+ households each month.
This is the second time The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made a donation of this size to the two organizations. The last time was in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously on Nov. 25 to appoint Scott Lambiase, Abington’s current Town Manager, as Kingston’s next Administrator. Lambiase brings 18 years of municipal management experience, including nearly 15 years as Director of Inspectional Services in Duxbury.
The appointment follows a comprehensive search process in which the search committee unanimously recommended Lambiase. He emphasized his commitment to communication, transparency, and volunteer recruitment during his interview with the board. “One of the biggest things that I heard loud and clear in the past communities was that communication out of town hall and finding ways to engage the community is key and important,” he told selectmen.
Lambiase will need four weeks’ notice from Abington before starting in Kingston, meaning he could begin work before year’s end. George Samia will continue as Interim Town Administrator during the transition. The appointment is contingent on contract negotiations and background checks.

BOSTON – Wednesday, November 19, 2025 – Representative LaNatra joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in unanimously supporting legislation that strengthens protections for health care workers, establishes preventive and protective standards to reduce the risk of violence, improves health care facility incident reporting, enhances interagency coordination to safeguard privacy, and creates legal protections for certain employees harmed in the line of duty.
“Our health care workforce is the backbone of Massachusetts nation-leading health care system. For too long, this workforce has endured violence in the workplace that has gone unaddressed on a state level.” said Representative Kathy LaNatra (D – Kingston). “It is our job to ensure that health care workers do not have to worry for their own safety while trying to deliver the best care for their patients. This legislation affirms the Legislature’s commitment to protecting and strengthening the health care workforce and is a critical step in reducing workplace violence and giving workers the protections and benefits they deserve when it does happen. Thank you to Speaker Mariano, Chairman Lawn and Chairman Cahill for their leadership and thank you to Massachusetts Nurses Association, 1199SEIU and the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association for working collaboratively with the legislature to address the health care workplace violence crisis.”
Every 38 minutes in Massachusetts health care facilities someone, most often a clinician or an employee, is physically assaulted, endures verbal abuse, or is threatened, according to the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association. Violence against health care workers most often occurs in emergency rooms, inpatient units and psychiatric units. To support a culture of safety and respect in health care facilities, the bill passed takes the following approach:
Prevention Plans, Training and Reporting
• Establishes a statewide requirement for health care employers to address workplace violence through a standardized framework, requiring annual and facility-specific risk assessments conducted with employees and labor representatives to identify factors that place staff at risk.
• Mandates a written violence prevention plan that includes hazard mitigation strategies, employee training, post-incident debriefing and a crisis response program.
• Requires annual reporting of workplace violence incidents to the Department of Public Health (DPH) and district attorneys, supporting statewide and county-level data tracking while maintaining data privacy. The de-identified data will be publicly published and categorized by occupation and incident type.
• Imposes civil penalties against a health care employer for noncompliance (up to $2,000 per violation) and protects employees from retaliation.
Criminal Protections and Penalties for Assaults Against a Health Care Workers
The bill codifies graduated penalties for assaulting an employee or contracted employee in the line of duty. With 91 percent of violent incidents in hospitals committed by patients against workers, it focuses on health care settings where violence is most prevalent. Strengthening these protections ensures that direct health care providers, and the staff who support facility operations, on-site administrative work, security, or emergency medical transportation, have an opportunity to seek the justice that they are entitled to through the following penalties:
• Assault causing bodily injury: Up to 5 years in state prison, up to 2.5 years in a jail or house of correction, a fine of $500 – $5,000, or combination of imprisonment and fines.
• Assault causing serious bodily injury: Up to 10 years in state prison, up to 2.5 years in a jail or house of correction, a fine of $500 – $5,000 fine, or combination of imprisonment and fines.
Paid Leave for Employees
This bill establishes that employees directly employed by a health care employer in high-acuity settings, who suffer workplace violence resulting in bodily injury or serious bodily injury are entitled to paid leave without using any accrued time (vacation, sick or personal).
Privacy Protection for Employees and Union Members
Victims of workplace violence who are employed directly by a health care facility, or who are union members, may provide either the address of their health care facility or that of their labor organization instead of their personal home address for all court documents related to a workplace violence incident.
Alternative Pathways for Behavioral and Mental Health and Data Protection
• Mandates a statewide report from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) to improve care and alternative treatment options for those with mental or behavioral health diagnoses, and for criminal justice patients.
• Requires identification of new, non-arrest pathways to reduce unnecessary criminal justice involvement for high-acuity behavioral health patients.
• All recommendations must include strong safeguards, penalties for data misuse, and full compliance with federal confidentiality laws, including heightened protections for behavioral health and substance-use information.
• Ensures that improving data sharing of workplace violence incidents to improve safety does not come at the expense of any patient or health care worker’s privacy.
The bill passed the House of Representatives 158-0. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.

North Easton Savings Bank is proud to announce its continued leadership in the Massachusetts’ banking landscape, as confirmed by the recently released FDIC Deposit Market Share Report. In a competitive field of 14 banks, five of which are among the nation’s largest, North Easton Savings Bank has emerged as a standout performer, capturing more than one-third of all market growth across its 10-town footprint.
Data indicate that the overall market grew by $297.87 million in deposits over the past year, with North Easton Savings Bank comprising $107.12 million or 35.96% of that total. While the regional 10-town FDIC market grew 3.4%, North Easton Savings Bank’s deposits were up 7.5% year-over-year – indicating that better than one in three who moved funds transferred them to the Bank. The Bank’s performance reflects a growing preference among consumers and businesses to choose institutions that not only understand and support their local needs, but also have a solid understanding of the mobile-first digital landscape we are all living in.
The Bank views FDIC Deposit Market Share numbers as a “back of the baseball card”-type stat sheet that reflects customer preference, competitive strength, and community trust.
“We have a motivated and talented team here that is relentlessly focused on creating positive outcomes for their clients,” stated Rich Spencer, President and CEO of North Easton Savings Bank. “Our growth in the market is a reflection of our growth in service platforms, tech-integrations, and most importantly – people. I believe we are creating something special here, we’re working hard at it, and the most recent FDIC data tell me the families and businesses of Massachusetts are noticing.”
North Easton Savings Bank’s recent performance in the FDIC Deposit Market Share arrives during a time of celebration at the Bank, as it has recently finished renovations on new banking centers, received local and national awards as a best place to work, and is managing total assets that are at an all-time high. The Bank is looking to continue its current pace via the addition of its new commercial banking teams, the launch of a family banking suite, and expanded service platforms through mobile and in-person channels. At North Easton Savings Bank, all deposits are insured in full as a member of both the FDIC and DIF.

CARVER, KINGSTON, PLYMOUTH, MIDDLEBORO, LAKEVILLE, and PLYMPTON, MA, ISSUED OCTOBER 24, 2025… Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth (HFHGP; www.hfhplymouth.org), a nonprofit organization with a mission of providing decent affordable housing for low income households in the region, is now accepting applications from income-qualified local residents who wish to own an affordable 3-bedroom home, with mortgage, in Carver.  Selection for this opportunity will be made by lottery, with a first preference for          U.S. military Veterans with honorable discharge.
Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership for households earning 30 – 60% of the area median income (AMI).  Applicants should either work or live in one of the affiliate’s service area towns—Carver, Plymouth, Kingston, Plympton, Middleboro, and Lakeville—and must meet income guidelines required to be a Habitat for Humanity homeowner. Household size should suit the size of this modest 3-bedroom home without overcrowding. Applicants must also agree to Habitat’s model of putting in ‘sweat equity’ hours helping to build their own home alongside volunteers and/or helping the organization in other ways.
This is a partnership project between HFHGP and the Town of Carver, with a goal of providing housing to a military Veteran and family.  All qualified applicants will be placed in a lottery drawing. Habitat homes are not gifted; once finished, HFHGP will sell the home to the selected homeowner, who will hold a mortgage for $242,848.  The property will be deed restricted as an affordable unit in perpetuity. Important details about eligibility, requirements, income limits and the application process can be found at www.hfhplymouth.org/own-a-home.
Anyone interested in learning more are strongly encouraged to attend one of the two upcoming public information sessions:  Saturday, October 25 at 4 pm at the Habitat ReStore, 160 N. Main Street, Carver; and Wednesday, October 29 at 5:30pm at the Carver Public Library, 2 Meadowbrook Way, Carver.  There is no advance registration for Info Sessions; attendance is not required to apply but it is highly encouraged to learn about the many details involved in Habitat homeownership.
The deadline to submit completed applications is December 4, 2025 at 5 PM; applications can be dropped off at the Habitat office or ReStore located at 160 N. Main St., Carver, or mailed to HFHGP, PO Box 346, Carver, MA  02330; email is not permitted.  Applications are available for pick up at the Habitat ReStore (160 N. Main St., Carver) and at any of the public libraries or Veteran Service Officer offices in HFHGP’s service area (above); or by downloading from www.hfhplymouth.org/own-a-home.  Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth is an Equal Housing Lender.

MARSHFIELD, BROCKTON, Road to Responsibility (RTR; http://roadtoresponsibility.org), one of the region’s largest and most successful nonprofit organizations supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, announces the opening of a new residential program, located on Wendell Avenue in Brockton, Massachusetts.
The residence was formerly used to house Boston College graduate students participating in a teaching program at a nearby Catholic school. The 16-bedroom, 7-bathroom home includes three kitchens and a garage used for storage for a church-run food pantry. Following the dissolution of the teaching program and the departure of its final resident, the house was made available to RTR by a private owner.
The food pantry operations will continue from the garage, and the home will now provide a nurturing environment for five young adults with Autism and complicating needs.
While this marks the 52nd residence operated by RTR, this is the first home located in the city of Brockton, expanding the reach of the organization to provide more services to more people.  Similar to other RTR residential programs, the Brockton home offers a supportive environment with a wide range of services, 24-hour staffing, and independent living options including smart technology.
“This residence is a powerful example of how spaces can evolve to meet changing needs,” said Christopher T. White, Ed.D., president and CEO of Road to Responsibility. “We’re deeply grateful for the opportunity to repurpose this home and continue our mission of empowering individuals to live with dignity, support, and connection, and to bring our services to the great city of Brockton.”