“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”- Mahatma Gandhi
Among the numerous concerning headline subjects at the moment, one that is particularly relevant to many Americans addresses the recent cut to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. As of Nov. 1st, the USDA announced that they could not issue SNAP benefits due to the ongoing government shutdown, resulting in insufficient funding. This decision has left approximately 42 million Americans to face insecurity and uncertainty about where and how they are going to purchase food.
SNAP, also known as food stamps, is a federal initiative that provides monthly benefits to low-income people to help them afford groceries. SNAP is the nation’s most important and effective anti-hunger program. It plays a critical role in reducing the hardships of poverty, improving health and economic outcomes for the most vulnerable in our community, supporting people who are paid low wages or between jobs, providing assistance for those who are unable to work due to disability and illness, and serving as the first line of defense against hunger during economic hardships.
As the government shutdown reached the four-week mark, SNAP benefits became a point of contention. While a newly added note on the USDA website points a finger at Senate Democrats for prolonging the government shutdown, the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), which distributes these federal funds, blames the current administration. The government shut down in the early hours of Oct. 1, and since then, more than 700,000 federal workers have been furloughed, and almost 700,000 are working without pay. Several government services have had to close or downsize. During past government shutdowns, SNAP benefits were still provided to Americans in need. This was previously done by the government tapping into a reserve of contingency funds.
SNAP benefits are distributed among various groups of people with roughly 20% of recipients being elderly, approximately 10% disabled, and an increasing 39% of SNAP benefits go to children. According to USDA and U.S. Census Bureau data about 1,076,187 out of the 7,029,917 people who live in Massachusetts are SNAP participants. Governor Maura Healey said that 32% of Massachusetts SNAP recipients are children, 26% are older adults, and 31% are people with disabilities. In May 2025, the most recent month with available data, these recipients were given more than $232 million in food assistance. In fiscal year 2025, the average monthly benefit per person in the SNAP program was $190.59, per USDA data. For households, the national average monthly benefit was $356.41. In Massachusetts households SNAP benefits average $323 per month. So far in 2025, SNAP benefits have gone to an average of 1.1 million people in Massachusetts each month, including 665,000 families, 342,000 children and 261,500 elderly people, according to Attorney General Andrea Campbell. Healey said Campbell is in court Thursday trying to force the federal release of SNAP benefits.
The DTA called the SNAP lapse an “unprecedented challenge.” Gov. Maura Healey announced that a $4 million advance from the state would be given to local food pantries to brace for the influx of state wide food insecurity, but she said that state funding cannot match what the federal government usually provides for SNAP recipients. “As a state we’re going to advance $4 million to our food banks, which support over 800 community organizations around the state. This is from our existing program, which is the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program that already provides $4 million to our community partners every month. So given the expected spike in demand, we are going to be doubling that,” Healey said during a State House press conference. She directed those anticipating need or currently in need to local charities.
Marty Martinez with United Way also announced Thursday that the relief fund Healey set up with United Way last week seeking and accepting private donations has topped $1 million. The United Way, a social services organization, will assist in providing resources to those struggling in each of the 351 Massachusetts communities. Massachusetts receives $240 million monthly for SNAP benefits. Healey and top lawmakers have consistently said over the past week that the state cannot backfill that amount usually provided by the federal government.
Other New England states are tapping reserve funds to cover the lack of federal funding. Vermont is fully covering SNAP benefits for the first 15 days of November for all 65,000 recipients in their state with $6.3 million in state emergency funds. Connecticut advancing $3 million to stretch across the first two weeks of the month. Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee declared a state of emergency and is using $6 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families dollars to help offset SNAP costs. In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills announced Tuesday that she would draw $1.2 million from the state’s contingency account. Anti-hunger advocacy organizations have called for Healey and lawmakers to draw from the state’s $8 billion rainy day fund.
Healey pointed out that drawing from the states own contingency fund should not be required in the first place. “As we are here this morning, right now, the USDA is sitting on $23 billion in a contingency fund that could be used to pay these benefits out across the country. In fact, that’s what other presidents have done during a shutdown, but this President has made a decision to not provide those funds,” Healey said in a press conference last week. The Trump administration has said tapping into that contingency fund would be illegal and has blamed Democrats for the shutdown.
Meanwhile, as government official’s squabble and scramble to undo and fix things at a frustratingly equal rate, there are many members in our local communities who are wondering how they are going to secure food for themselves and their family members -now and in the future. What to do? Rather than despair and think only on a national level, a more constructive focus is always a local focus. In the coming months the strength and empathy of our communities will be put to the test to see how steeped in fellowship and humanity we really are. State officials have already been clear that where government responsibility falls short, it will be up to private citizens and charities to bolster our communities against hunger.
For those not facing things like the anxiety of stretching the last few cups of milk between two kids for a week, or wondering how long it will be before there is something for dinner other than applesauce, it is imperative to help in any way possible. If this means adding a few extra non-perishable food items to your shopping trip next week to drop off at the local food bank, purchasing grocery store gift cards and leaving them anonymously on the doorstep of a family or person you know is struggling, or volunteering at a local food bank to relieve the massive increased efforts there, then now is the time to do it.
In a recent Express story, readers were urged to “look for the helpers”. Now is the time to be the helpers. There are many people already moving and planning and preparing for the increased need on a local level. To demonstrate how dire that local level or need is, here are the numbers according to Mass.gov/SNAPfreeze. 1 in 6 people in Massachusetts are at immediate risk of hunger. 182 Plympton residents, 716 Halifax residents, and 1,066 Kingston residents rely on SNAP benefits for food security.
These percentages and numbers are our friends, family, and neighbors. They include the elderly, veterans, children, people between jobs, single parents, and people from all walks of life. In a self-proclaimed “developed” nation, food should never be used as a “life lesson” or a marker of deservedness or worthiness. It is unethical and inhumane to have an opinion on who should experience hunger or have access to food, or to form judgments (which are usually inaccurate) about why someone is not in a position to independently afford groceries. Often times those struggling have had to do so their whole lives, or they are newly managing anxieties and hardships and the last thing these people need right now is tough love -especially from their community.
It is impossible to know when our government will start working again for the people, but until then we can work for ourselves the best we can. We can dig just a little a little deeper into our own reserves -be they monetary or time and energy, and look beyond our own fridges and pantries. We can consider the battles we don’t know are being fought by those around us. We can lose ourselves a little in the cause of others and draw on that age-old, natural law and guarantee that in doing so we will find ourselves increasingly satiated in life and our only hunger will be to serve more.

Here is a list of resources for those facing food insecurity:
For more information, you can contact the Massachusetts DTA, which oversees SNAP benefits in the state, at 877-382-2363. You can also call the USDA Northeast Regional Office at 617-565-6370. https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-transitional-assistance
Massachusetts residents facing immediate hunger due to the lapse in SNAP benefits can call or text Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 to learn about local food resources or speak with a counselor. The FoodSource Hotline is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Calling the helpline is free and confidential, according to Project Bread.
You can also visit the Massachusetts state website to find a list of local food banks. https://www.mass.gov/how-to/find-a-local-food-bank
Feeding America. https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/hunger-relief-program
The Women, Infants & Children Nutrition Program (WIC) in Massachusetts is not impacted by the federal government shutdown, as of Oct. 29. https://mass.gov/orgs/women-infants-children-nutrition-program.
Food Pantry – Plymouth Area Coalition, https://plymouthareacoalition.org 149 Bishops Hwy., Kingston.
Plympton Town Hall COA Food Pantry, 5 Palmer Rd., Plympton. Open T/TH from 10 a.m. -2 p.m.
Halifax Helping Hands Pantry, 503 Plymouth St., Halifax. Phone: (781) 293-6393.
South Shore Community Action Council, https://www.sscac.org/food-resources
Meals on Wheels is a program that offers well-balanced meals to adults through home delivery or congregated dining sites. Meals on Wheels is run by senior nutrition agencies located throughout Massachusetts. To find the closest agency to you, visit https://mealsonwheels.org

Jackson Pollock said, “Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is.” Perhaps there is no more important discovery one can make in life than to figure out who they are and what their place is in the world. This means anyone facilitating a healthy, constructive, and enjoyable environment for others to do so is providing a priceless service. Emily and Rob Peters of Children’s Art Classes in Hanover are doing just that.
Children’s Art Classes began in 1997 when a public art teacher, Barbara Gay, began teaching her two daughters art lessons from her garage. Now, 25 years later, Children’s Art Classes is a thriving franchise that has expanded to nearly 40 nationwide locations. Children’s Art Classes mission? To provide a comprehensive art education program that enriches lives, raises self-esteem, and improves the academic performance of their students. Children’s Art Classes also aim to provide a comprehensive art education program that enriches lives, raises self-esteem, and improves the academic performance of their students. Though based in Jacksonville, FL, the power of art has a way of reaching far and wide, so it is no surprise that the artistic vision of Children’s Art Classes made its way to Hanover, MA through Emily and Rob Peters.
Together, the Peters’ have four children and are no strangers to taking on the big things in life. Rob Peters spent over 20 years as a full-time Massachusetts Army National Guard Servicemember with four, year-long deployments -three of them overseas. While in Afghanistan and Iraq for his last two deployments, the Peters’ children were having a difficult time adjusting to their father being gone. Their daughter’s art teacher at school noticed her artwork had become a bit dark and she contacted the Peters to discuss why that might be. They came to understand that their daughter was filtering her complex emotions during this time through art and it was allowing her to express herself in a healthy, constructive way. It was then that the Peters understood the importance of art and the therapeutic channels it provides.
After retiring from the Army National Guard, Rob Peters was searching for the next path in life. “I love serving others and making a difference. I love to help in the community and I needed to do something to fill my cup while also helping others. After the experience with our daughter, I started to think about how this could be our next chapter,” says Peters. When he heard about the Children’s Art Classes franchise, he noticed it was based in the area he grew up in and that, in combination with feeling strongly about its mission, pushed Peters to join the Children’s Art Classes franchise and open the sixth location in Hanover. Peters explains, “Not only was it established close to where I grew up, the people who started it really care about art and how it affects people. They are good people and I wanted to make sure that the outlet our daughter had was available to other kids.”
Establishing a Children’s Art Classes location in Hanover has taken a great deal of teamwork and dedication. With a combination of experience and commitment, the Peters’ each offer what it takes to launch and run a successful business. Opening their doors with just six students in 2023, CAC now has over 100 students in only two years. Such growth can only happen when every person involved is motivated and empowered by their work.
Emily Peters comes from a large family of 12 children, taught preschool, and is very involved in her four children’s various organizations and activities. “Emily has a passion for teaching,” Rob says, “Her strength is in relating to the kids. She gets right down to their level and connects with them.” For the Peters’, art is very much a family affair as their three daughters also enjoy helping with the Children’s Art Classes birthday parties and events. In addition to the Peters family, The Children’s Art Classes center is kept in motion by art experts and teachers Paula Stapleton and Carolyn Russo.
Paula Stapleton, known to students and staff as “Ms. Stapes”, is an expert in Visual Arts and has been teaching for over 26 years. A graduate of Massachusetts College of Art, she earned a B.F.A. and a M. Ed from Boston College. Stapleton also taught grades K-12 in multiple schools and Art Center settings throughout the area for over 20 years. Peters has nothing but high praise for Stapleton, “Ms. Stapes is amazing. She is so experienced and knowledgeable but she also knows how to keep things in line. She is all structure and organization and talent.”
In addition to Stapleton, Carolyn Russo comes with the perfect additional qualities to balance things out in the business. Russo began her career in corporate print and digital graphic design. Through volunteer projects, educational activities, and hands-on art experiences with her own children she discovered her love of teaching art and this inspired her to pursue a career as an art teacher. She is now an elementary school art teacher in Hanover in addition to teaching for Children’s Art Classes. “Ms. Russo is smart, has a lot of artistic talent, and she is so sweet with the kids,” says Peters.
The team of Children’s Art Classes is an ideal combination of creative passion meeting expertise and structure. Starting as young as age four, CAC offers unique and progressive art education up to age 18. The classes offered at CAC explore over 40 types of art medium and provide one of the largest selections of children’s art classes from Boston to the South Shore. Class sizes are capped appropriately per age group to keep the instruction as individualized and meaningful as possible. CAC classes not only keep their students busy, but they give them a solid foundation in the arts that can be built upon as they advance through the progressive programs and curriculum -each building upon the foundation of the previous level.
The Tiny Hands Program starts students as young as three or four years old with sensory art mediums such as clay and torn paper sculptures and other small projects that build fine motor skills. There is also exploration with painting with purpose and learning basic artistic foundations and concepts. Equal to learning about art, CAC also emphasizes that it’s okay to take risks, make mistakes, and try again. Peters recalls watching Stapleton being able to teach the youngest students about the rather complex subject of artistic emphasis with a simple chalkboard drawing. “She just drew a tiny house and a big man and after asking kids questions about what they saw she was able to get them all to understand artistic emphasis in a few minutes,” Peters recalls.
Once a basic foundation in art is established via the Tiny Hands program, students have the opportunity to advance to Intro to Art (ages 5-6), Beginning Art (ages 7-8), Art 1 (ages 9+), and Art 2 (anyone who has completed Art 1). Students who continue in class advancement have the unique and beneficial opportunity to build a personalized art portfolio. “Our students can add to their portfolio over the years and if they want to go to art school later on, they can show their artistic progression over the years and schools really like that,” Peters points out. “Not every student has to go into art as a career, but we can give them that foundation at CAC.”
In addition to helping students establish a foundation of art education and building a portfolio, CAC recently provided the incredible opportunity for their students to showcase their work in a professional art show. In partnership with Frame Center in Hanover, CAC put on an art show with curations of their student’s pieces framed by Frame Center and displayed in the art gallery. One piece per student was allowed and the event drew over 300 people in attendance. The art was judged by professional judges and a “Best in Show” was awarded. The money raised went to the local organization, Hope Floats. Peters says, “It was really neat to see the kids feeling so good about their work and to see their family and friends come support their passion. It was a bonus that we were also able to work with other local businesses to do this.”
The Peters’ commitment to making a difference in the community through art education is not just confined to the classrooms of CAC or an art gallery. Children’s Art Classes is now providing scholarship opportunities for local schools. Participating district or three-school co-ops can receive one full year of free art education at the CAC Hanover studio. Every school within that district or co-op can also receive a one-month scholarship for their students. In return, schools and PTOs/PTAs are asked to simply share the scholarship opportunity with families within their districts and include information about CAC Hanover. To qualify, students must be enrolled in a current K-12 program with one of the CAC’s Partnered School districts (or three-school co-op). They also must have the ability to stay seated and follow direction for 1hr 15min in a structured classroom environment and have a passion for art. “We wanted to provide even more opportunities for kids to get an art education and the scholarship program does just that,” says Peters. “Art is for everyone -even if you are more into sports, or haven’t done much art, you can find something in art that will benefit you.”
When asked about his personal mission statement with Children’s Art Classes, Peters has no trouble answering. “Perhaps I am selfish for this, but doing this -helping in this way in my community and giving kids the chance to learn about and express themselves through art -it makes me feel good. I love helping people and making a difference. We have started to see the growth in our first students now a few years later and it is really fulfilling. Positive feedback fuels me and we are seeing so many positive effects in the community because of CAC. It feels like the world is really lacking in positivity and we need nice moments in life more than ever. I feel like that is something we are doing well with this. We are positively impacting our local kids and that is why I am in this.”
It will be no surprise, but no less wonderful to see, the many students positively impacted by CAC years from now. The Peters’ will, no doubt, continue to provide the safe and conducive place -the blank canvas, if you will, for kids to learn about and pour out a little of themselves. In doing so they will find that in all their created and varied colors, mediums, and textures, they are the real masterpieces.

Once the heated haze of summer fades away and October rolls in like a gilded fog, New England takes on an otherworldly nature. Known for the most vibrant and abundant autumn foliage in the world, crimson-lake cranberry harvests, quaint villages with fall festooned houses and shops, plentiful pumpkin patches and family-packed autumn festivals, and both fresh and hard apple cider enough to fill everyone’s mug all season long, New England is perhaps the most poignant, stunning, and enjoyable place in the world to celebrate autumn. In addition to being the highest set standard for all things autumn, New England also offers a deeply rooted connection to the very bones of Halloween and its history.
To brush off Halloween as mostly modern, consumerism-based, or evil is not only short sighted, it’s dead wrong. Our modern-day Halloween celebrations and traditions are a patchwork strewn together across cultures, theologies, centuries, and legends. If you want to understand the basis of how we got to the point of trick-or-treating and carving pumpkins, you must spirit yourself away to ancient Ireland.
The origins of Halloween are rooted in the ancient Irish festival known as Samhain – pronounced ‘sah-win’ in Irish language. Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter in Ireland. The day after, Nov. 1, marked the Celtic new year.
Like other ancient Irish festivals, Samhain was seen to be a liminal time -a time when the boundaries separating the spiritual and real world blurred and weakened. Thus, Halloween has become associated with appearance of spirits, fairies and ghosts from the mythical ‘Otherworld’. When the realms of the living and the dead mixed, Celts used the opportunity to honor and worship their ancestors. People set an extra place at the table for supper that their family and friends beyond would feel welcome and join them in spirit. They left lit candles in the windows as a gesture to light the way home for their loved ones.
Many, however, were also concerned about the darker and evil spirits using this night of blurred realms to trouble and influence those in the real world or to keep deceased loved ones from visiting their homes. Various precautions were taken by the living to ensure that as little mischief as possible took place to allow pleasant visits for and from their deceased loved ones and ancestors. The Irish Celts often went so far as to make striking masks and costumes and would dress their children as demons to confuse or scare the evil spirits in to thinking they had met their match and best be off. They also marked their doors with cattle blood from the harvest to deter unwanted visitors and protect all the living and dead who crossed the threshold.
Another important Samhain tradition was the lighting of bonfires. Irish Samhain bonfires, or tine cnámh (pronounced “cheen-ah kin-awe-vh” and literally meaning ‘bone fire’), were lit for both spiritual and practical reasons. In ancient Ireland cattle were used as currency. The highest-ranking Irish Rí (king) was also the person in the area with the most cattle. Samhain was the traditional time to slaughter excess or weak cattle. It was also the time set aside for preparing stores of meat and grain to support the people through the harsh winter.
Bonfires were a central part of the festivities at Samhain for every village and everyone attended. A communal blaze was used by villagers to cast the bones of slaughtered cattle upon the flames of a roaring fire. This was thought to cleanse the land and set forth the good fortune of health and harvest for the coming new year. Once the central Samhain bonfire was lit and fully ablaze, villagers extinguished their own fires in their homes. Then, after song, dance, and incantations, each family took a light from the common bone fire to rekindle the fire in their own hearth. This tradition was a reminder of the importance of community and charity during the time of year when it was hardest to exist, and symbolic for the new light of their new year beginning in the morning. Though not many of us continue to light bonfires on Oct.31, there are plenty of chimneys here in the countryside that start smoking around the end of October and anyone with a knowledge of tine cnámh is likely to see the faint similarity.
More common Halloween traditions we keep today are also harvested from the past and have been given new roles and function in modern day society. Bobbing for apples, for example, is derived from the Roman festival of Feralia that was traditionally celebrated in late October. It was a day to commemorate the souls and spirits of the dead, and was one of the first festivals to be combined with the Celtic festival of Samhain.
Another ancient festival was the Day of Pomona -the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol that represented this goddess was an apple. As the Roman Empire spread and its influence traveled north to Ireland, the lore and celebration of the apple found preplaced common acceptance and revering as Irish society already believed apples to be a sacred fruit from the Tuath Dé Danann (the Gods believed to have founded Ireland). Samhain festivals began to include bobbing for apples, and apple peeling divination where young, unmarried girls would peel an apple and the shape of the peel that fell to the ground could indicate the name or position/trade of their future husband.
Here in New England, we continue to integrate the humble apple into our autumn festivities through harvesting at local orchards, pressing our infamous apple ciders and fermenting apple jack, and baking, cooking, and preserving with apples. Some of the best Halloween parties around are highlighted with competitive apple-bobbing rounds between cider-buzzed adults or groups of sugar-spiked children with wet faces and giggles while trying to catch such a large fruit in tiny teeth. The apple, however, is certainly not the mainstay edible symbol of Halloween. That honor goes to the beloved pumpkin.
To understand how the inimitable, often orange member of the Cucurbitaceae family rose to the ranks of the ultimate symbol of autumn and Halloween, you first need to look back at turnips. Yes, turnips! Pumpkins are indigenous to North America -specifically Mexico, therefore the ancient Irish had never seen them.
During the harvest, there were often a few root vegetables to spare. As the harvest season coincided with Samhain, root vegetables, often turnips, were used as vessels to set small candles in to keep the flames from being extinguished easily by the wild Irish wind. These turnip lights were set on windowsills or carried by children from hut to hut while wearing demon-scaring costumes and “souling” or singing songs of good fortune and praise at the door to spread good luck and in turn be gifted with a “Soul Cake”. Children in costumes traveling about the community after dark and receiving treats… It sounds a bit familiar, yes? Another use for turnips and other root vegetables was to carve faces in -again to scare away evil or mischievous intruders from the Otherworld via menacing illuminated expressions meant to shock a wayward soul back to the hills where the Otherworld portals were said to be -thus the expression “running for the hills”.
One infamous tale of turnips and turmoil was the legend of Jack-of-the-Lantern. Stingy Jack, a troublesome Irish drunk, was said to have encountered the devil as he lay dying on Samhain in an intoxicated stupor. He was, however, as clever as he was inumbrated by his addiction, and he was able to trick the devil three separate times from taking his soul to Hell. Once Jack did finally pass away because of his reckless lifestyle, his soul was rejected at the gates of Heaven, but he had also outwitted the devil enough to burn that bridge as well. The devil gave Stingy Jack a small ember from the pits of Hell and sent him away to eternally wander the realm of the living -neither entirely dead or alive, using a carved turnip to hold his ember of Hell to light the way while aimlessly roaming the Irish countryside -thus becoming Jack-of-the-Lantern.
It is thought by modern historians and scientists that this legend was perhaps perpetuated by the increased phenomenon of “Will O the Wisps” or Peat Bog Flames that occur when methane gas is released from organic matter decaying in bogs. The late autumn weather and temperature led to an increase in these mysterious floating flames suddenly igniting and hovering over Ireland’s many peat bogs -thus providing a scapegoat scenario for the ancient Irish to explain a natural occurrence they did not understand.
During the Great Irish Famine when hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants desperately sought basic survival and dignity as they arrived on the East Coast, their traditions arrived with them and spilled out beautifully into our society. Instead of turnips and parsnips and other hard crops, they were confronted with the North American pumpkin and immediately and collectively saw it as the new ideal vessel for their carving and illumination traditions on Samhain. Today, New England carries on the revering of all things pumpkin and squash in both the most humble and ostentatious ways. From the countless local pumpkin patches dotting the New England countryside to the overwhelming splendor of the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Zoo in Rhode Island, ancient meets modern in the most endearing and magical way all autumn long.
As ancient traditions met resistance and rejection from spreading Christianity in Europe, people found ways to keep the basis of their beloved practices by merging them with their newly either accepted or imposed beliefs. At the behest of Pope Gregory VI, ‘All Hallows’ Day’ was assigned to the date of Nov. 1 – the first day of the Celtic new year. The Pope, nevertheless, renamed the event ‘All Saints’ Day’, making it a formal and rule-regulated religious service in honor of only Christian Saints instead of the previous humble celebration by local communities to honor loved ones and celebrate the harvest.
‘All Saints’ Day’ and ‘All Hallows’ Day’ were used interchangeably by the Catholic Church throughout history. The evening before these dates was then called ‘Hallowe’en’ – a contraction of ‘Hallows’ Evening’. In the last century however, the holiday has been largely taken back to its ancient roots and traditions and is now simply referred to as Halloween. Through centuries of dogmatic hushing of superstitions and traditions, and spanning the distance of the Atlantic, modern-day Halloween is both what we make it and what it was made to be in the beginning.
Halloween in New England, specifically, has filled the role of a “Halloween Hub” for the world partially because of the high concentration of Irish heritage here, but also because the landscape is perfectly suited and destined to feature all things mysterious, beautiful, and community based. The oft moody skies contrasting lush, jewel-colored foliage, historic stone walls lined with bright pumpkins, village gazebos in the center of town flanked by bunched up corn stalks, and historic cities and towns with enough ghost stories to start ghost tour businesses, New England wears autumn more perfectly and effortlessly than any other season.
Though we no longer gather at the center of town for a tine cnámh, we do gather in parking lots to trunk-or-treat and at the farmstand down the road to pick or purchase the same Roman revered orbs prized centuries ago. We may not send our children to sing songs of faith from door to door in masks, but we do rely on our neighbors to put aside their worldly cares for an evening to indulge in needed frivolity. Society-weary adults depend on each other to greet our costume-clad kiddies with genuine smiles and handfuls of candy once the expected childhood incantation, “Trick-or-Treat!” is sung out in a tradition so adorable that it is sacred in its own right. Adults need Halloween as much as children -be it to dance or feast the night away with friends in disguise or attend a haunted house where the biggest threat is not world news and bills, but screeching out from a good ole jump scare.
Halloween is a much-needed respite for all ages to cast aside burdens for one night, become something fantastical, and believe in magic -even for just a moment or two. Perhaps the real spell cast by Halloween is the alchemical child of modern-day people still relating to the needs and dreams, fears and longings, of people long ago. The spirit of ancient Ireland’s Samhain is haunting all of us here in New England in the best and most enjoyable way. Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain to all~

In this day and age, it can be difficult to find and focus on the positive things happening in our communities and the world. We are exposed on a daily basis to over stimulation and an over saturation of constantly flowing information, good and bad, to an extent that humans have not experienced before. It sure is loud out there, but if we reign in our focus to a local level and, as Mr. Rogers said, “…look for the helpers…”, you will be amazed at what good is going on around you amidst the chaos.
One such source of good and decent is found in the South Shore Community Action Council. The SSCAC is a private 501(c)(3), non-profit Community Action Agency -one of 23 in Massachusetts and over 1,000 nationwide. The SSCAC mission statement is, “To eliminate poverty on the South Shore by coordinating, strengthening, and supplementing community efforts to empower and support individuals and families so they can live in decency and with dignity, realize their full potential, and participate to the extent of their capabilities in all that our communities have to offer.”
To back up this incredibly powerful and moving mission statement SSCAC has a team of dedicated, talented, and altruistic employees and volunteers that work tirelessly to ensure that people in our communities are supported in their times of need or where they may lack support and resources. Last year SSCAC employed 240 people and had 696 volunteers. In 2024 $33,075,620.00 program and service dollars were used by SSCAC on behalf of low-income residents of all ages. 28,970 residents were served, 322,627 meals were provided, and 14,459 residents were kept warm. With thirteen assistance programs and services available, from providing food over summer break to children with food insecurity to free assistance filing income taxes, SSCAC is able to make a significant and much needed positive, local impact.
The South Shore Community Action Council was founded in 1965 under the Economic Opportunity Act. This year SSCAC is celebrating its 60th birthday and six decades of local success with support and direction from the state as well as federal advocacy from the National Community Action Foundation. SSCAC branches out its services and programs throughout the state, covering as many as 38 towns for various assistance programs and as many as 50 towns for elderly services.
One of the most utilized services the SSCAC offers is their Food Resource Program. Over 450,000 pounds of fresh and non-perishable food items were gathered last year to provide meals and alleviate food insecurity on the South Shore, Cape, and Islands. They supplied 63 food pantries, schools, and Councils on Aging as well as other various food emergency assistance providers. SSCAC CEO, Lisa Spencer, says that donations from local farms, agencies, organizations, and individuals keep the supply of food flowing. “We get a lot of our fresh food from nearby Plymouth County Farm. They are very generous in donating fresh and local food. We also get food from the Greater Boston Food Bank and other larger food producers. But we also accept donations of non-perishable goods. We even have a rolling cart in the front office that you can drop your donations on.” In addition to donations, the SSCAC benefits greatly from food drives and fundraisers. “We get a lot of supplies when organizations do food drives for us. We never have enough of the non-perishable items, so anything coming in for the food warehouse is appreciated and needed,” says Spencer.
It is not just food that SSCAC provides to the community. Other programs and services offered include Home Energy Assistance or Fuel Assistance, Weatherization of Houses, Heating System Repair and Replacement (HEARTWAP), Appliance Management, Early Education and Childcare, Transportation, South Shore Family Network, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, Consumer Aid, and Emergency Assistance.
“We offer various services that enable independence and participation in the community,” says Spencer. Services are not only offered to the South Shore area but as far as the Cape and Islands and as far west as Attleboro. One of the most used programs offered is the SSCAC Transportation Program. In 2024, 90,788 trips were provided around the South Shore and beyond. “We have 38 vehicles that transport elderly or disabled individuals who can’t otherwise drive themselves. Even if the town they live in offers transportation within town boundaries but not out of town boundaries then we can offer to take them, door to door, where they need to go regardless of where it is.”
Another leading program offered by SSCAC is the Fuel Assistance Program. Residents can apply online to qualify for assistance in paying to heat their homes during the winter months. In 2024, 14,459 residents were kept warm through $9,950,782.00 in direct payments made by SSCAC to local heating companies. Spencer explains that paying heating bills is just one of the ways SSCAC can help with keeping homes and livings spaces safe and inhabitable during the winter months. “We can also help you maintain and even replace your heating system at no cost to the individual. We can get your heating system inspected, maintained, and replaced if needed. We put over a million dollars into heating system repair and installations last year.”
It is not just home maintenance offered by SSCAC. Outside of the home SSCAC offers the South Shore Early Education program. Last year 588 children in the state received care through the Early Education Program. “We offer Head Start, Early Start, and state funded preschool and before and after school programs for children in Plymouth, Marshfield, Wareham, and Cape Cod,” says Spencer, “This includes their daily meals, bus transportation, and any needed health screenings. We offer this at no cost to families.”
One of the SSCAC’s most used programs is their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. “Last year we got tax payer returns for over 600 people,” says Spencer, “This was over a million dollars in tax refunds for locals which makes a big difference in people’s lives. We have one staff tax accountant and the rest are volunteer tax experts who donate their time to help people file their taxes.” In addition to helping community members save money on taxes, the SSCAC also offers Consumer Aid. This free consumer education and mediation program helped 519 Plymouth County households avoid costly court resolution valued at $136,571.00.
In spite of a seemingly endless list of offerings and funding, Spencer explains that some programs are facing cuts this year. “Our funding for Emergency Services this year was cut significantly. This is money used to help people pay their rent or mortgage in times of crisis and avoid food insecurity, foreclosure, eviction, and utility shut offs. Unfortunately, we do not know how much of this service we will be able to offer now due to government cuts in our funding for that. Our funds for this program are very limited right now.” Spencer goes on to explain that funding can also come through donations and fundraisers. One of the most impactful ways the community can help the SSCAC, however, is through donations of time and skill.
Last year SSCAC had 11,165 hours donated by their nearly 700 volunteers. Spencer explains the crucial role volunteers play, “We have individuals who show up regularly to volunteer -often retirees, but also families. Groups can also help out. We often have Scouts volunteer and other organizations looking for community service opportunities. We could not do any of this without our volunteers.” In addition to volunteers SSCAC also provides work opportunities with 239 local employees. “We are always looking for community members to offer their time, services, and expertise,” says Spencer, “and applications can be found on our website for anyone interested in applying.”
The SSCAC is also playing an ongoing and crucial role in assisting residents of the towns Plympton, Halifax, and Kingston. A look at a few of the local service reports (these are not full reports) shows the following:
Plympton:
57 residents received Home Energy Assistance
5 residents received Energy Conservation
2 children received South Shore Early Education
3,080 pounds of food was provided to Plympton residents
Halifax:
370 received Home Energy Assistance
15 residents received Transportation Services
4,079 pounds of food was provided to Halifax residents
121 children benefited from the South Shore Family Network
13 households received Consumer Aid
Kingston:
376 residents received Home Energy Assistance
14 children received South Shore Early Education
41,472 pounds of food was provided to Kingston residents
17 residents use Transportation Services
22 residents received income tax assistance

The SSCAC plays an undeniable role in the benefit, stabilization, and growth of our community. People from all walks of life, from senior veterans to preschoolers, and single mothers to large families needing help through unemployment, can find some of their burdens alleviated by the services and programs of the SSCAC. Hardship is never planned and can strike anyone, at any time. It is crucial that those of us who have excess and abilities to offer do so when and how we can. When the most vulnerable among us are supported and helped back on the path to self-sustainability we all benefit with a strengthened community. As long as people on the South Shore are willing to look beyond themselves and offer their time and money -to be “the helpers” in our community, the SSCAC will continue to positively impact thousands of lives of children, seniors, individuals, and families across the South Shore, Cape, and Islands. We may not be able to save the whole world, but we can save each other in little ways right here at home.

Two paragraphs on services -local town reports highlighted as well as overall impact: Food/heat/transportation/ head start/emergency funds (losing funding for this -mortgage, rents) 3. Volunteers and donations needed 4.WE are really only successful when the most vulnerable in our community are alleviated and thrive and when hardship strikes that community bands together for the collective good.
Visit: Welcome To SSCAC | Providing Access To Opportunity for more information on how you can apply for assistance or donate and volunteer.

“Comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love.” Song of Solomon 2:5.
There is no way to summarize in words the intrinsic bliss of spending an autumn afternoon picking apples. Wandering the rows of tightly packed, gnarly trees with branches so heavy with pommes that they look like overly decorated Christmas trees, you can’t help but be present. Some orchards are quiet and serene and you can hear the snap of each apple twig as you gently roll and pull it off the branch. Some orchards sing with the laughter of children and the happy conversations of passengers as they ride on tractor pulled wagons around the farm. No matter if you find yourself picking apples alone like it is your own paradise, or have family and friends along for the hunt, the thrill of gathering this most beloved fruit holds a simple pleasure that is lost on most modern day food acquiring processes. It doesn’t hurt that New England orchards are also the apple of everyone’s eye when it comes to apple orchards and Pick Your Own perfection.
The first recording of an apple in North America was in 1623 in Massachusetts. It was a Roxbury Russet, a richly flavored apple with a citrusy flavor and a defining rough, brown skin. Prior to colonists bringing them over from Europe, the North American continent only had Crabapples. The European settlers brought apples to America as a symbol of continuity -a sentimental connection to their homelands. At this time most apples were not used for fresh eating, but for cider making -both fresh and hard. Nearly any apple high in tannins (a naturally occurring compound found in apples and other fruits that adds astringency) will work for cider. Even apples referred to as “spitters” because they were so astringent that they were spit out after one bite could be utilized for the best resulting cider.
Apple cider was more than just a seasonal beverage, it was the main drink for the colonists as it was safer to drink than water and offered nutrients and sugar to an otherwise often sparce diet. In addition to being used for cider, apples were a valuable part of the colonist diet as they could be baked, sauteed, eaten raw, dried, made in to vinegar, and used to feed livestock. Apples became such an integral part of the early American diet that anyone who had even a small garden grew their own apple trees.
Apple varieties were expanded upon and experimented with. For example, you cannot grow a Roxbury Russet from the seeds of a Roxbury Russet. The seeds do not yield true to the parent. Instead, a branch from the Roxbury Russet must be grated onto root stock from another apple tree -one usually selected for a sturdy trunk or being cold hardy. Grafting was perfected by early colonists and the quality of apples available began to expand throughout New England. This means that when you bite into any variety of apple, you are essentially biting into a direct descendant of the original tree that the variety was started on.
There was one person, whoever, that believed grafting an apple tree was unethical and cruel to the tree. He was a Massachusetts born, literate (rare for the time), rugged, social anomaly known for being a naturalist, passivist, Native American supporting, anti-materialist, herbalist, whose spiritual beliefs were based in nature. His name was John Chapman, or as American lore has deemed him, Johnny Appleseed.
Referred to as America’s First Great Walker and a pioneer nurseryman, Chapman traveled from the East Coast to the Midwest carrying apple seeds that he collected from places like the back of Ale Houses where the pulp from cider pressing was discarded. He would sift through the pulp, take and cure the seeds, and then choose about three acres of land before accelerating natural selection by planting the seeds in neat rows and fostering orchard growth for forthcoming settlers.
Chapman also acquired land of his own and sold and gave away thousands of seedlings to pioneers traveling West. It is impossible to know how many orchards or trees he planted in his fifty years of propagating and establishing apple orchards. One thing that is known by his refusal to graft apple trees and only use seeds is that these orchards were planted, not to feed people with fresh fruit, rather to make apple cider to sustain people through harsh Midwest winters. When Chapman passed away in 1845 he owned 1,200 acres of planted land and had established countless orchards that were sold off to and now inhabited by pioneers.
During the 1800’s America began to ship apples to England and the West Indies. They were packed in barrels and transported in rough seas so only the sturdiest and longest lasting varieties (like Roxbury Russets) were used. Apples were shipped mainly from Portland and Boston and soon apples were a notable part of the American trade. As a result America began to expand their little private orchards and the first large scale orchards were opened.
Apple cider remained the king of beverage and hearth until the mid-1800’s when German immigrants brought a new drink with them -one that proved just as popular and quickly displaced cider as the preferred average beverage: Beer. Cider also fell out of favor under the new temperance movement. The Temperance movement gained momentum and alcohol consumption went from a normalized, daily practice and safer alternative to water to a stigmatized, socially unacceptable practice. Early American apple orchards were forced to destroy and burn cider-specific trees and focus entirely on apple production for fresh eating or processing as food.
With the downfall of cider, the apple industry had to remake itself. In 1904 the World’s Fair in St. Louis provided that opportunity. Professor J.T. Stinson, a 20th century fruit specialist, gave an address to the crowd at the fair. Stinson lectured on the health benefits of apples and during this presentation he coined the phrase, “An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away.” This single phrase took hold and sparked a nationwide interest in eating fresh apples for the health benefits. The most popular varieties at the time of the fresh apple movement were Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, and Baldwin -all New England varieties.
American continued to grow and enjoy a wide variety of apples until 1933 when a harsh winter killed over a million Baldwin trees. Orchardists and pomologists began to look for a variety that was cold hardy to avoid this agricultural tragedy again. The Mcintosh was discovered and valued for its cold resistance and high yield production. Soon, many other heirloom varieties were lost for more generic, hardy counterparts. In the mid 1830’s there were around 17,000 varieties of apples in North America. Today there are only about 2,500 varieties and only 100 are grown commercially in the United States. It is likely that only five or six kinds can be found at the local supermarket.
Apple orchards continued to find new ways to thrive in an increasingly modern world. In 1970’s there was a lifestyle movement where people wanted to eat food that was local, fresh, and ethically grown. With a return to respecting nature and connecting with food and food sources responsibly and sustainably, a new way of farming was born: Pick Your Own. Orchards such as Jaswell’s Farm in Rhode Island began to offer their goods directly to the consumer -often including things like hayrides, baked pies, and fresh apple cider. Soon apple orchards became not only a place to purchase food, but a place to be a part of the farm and harvest experience.
Today New Englanders are still enjoying the best of what orchards have to offer. Though less than 2% of our nations fresh apples come from New England, it is a well known fact that New England apple orchards set the standard for Pick-Your-Own. New England is also the heart of preservation, education, and propagation for heirloom varieties of apple. If you are looking for the perfect autumn afternoon adventure that will likely result in wandering the rows of fruit-laden trees, a bit of taste testing between varieties, and perhaps even some baked goods cooling on your windowsill, then here is a list of ten of the best ranked apple orchards in New England. Don’t miss the chance between now and the first hard frost to participate in this pastime that is as American as apple pie.
Alyson’s Orchard, New Hampshire
Red Apple Farm, Massachusetts
Lyman Orchards, Connecticut
Shelburn Orchards, Vermont
Applecrest Farm Orchards, New Hampshire
Champlain Orchards, Vermont
Scott Farm, Vermont
Super Chilly Farm, Maine
Sauchuk’s Farm, Massachusetts
Rocky Brook Orchard, Rhode Island

While reading Tasha Tudors Corgiville Fair as a young girl, I was enchanted by the lovely, though fictional, village of Corgiville. In her many children’s books, the New England native author often depicted life and scenes from historic, rural New England. Her artwork and stories were largely based on her own life in Vermont and surrounding New England areas -all rich with forests, farms, gardens, traditions, antique homes, slow living, and a fierce loyalty to their community. The villages Tudor wrote about were nothing short of emotive with little gazebos in the center and dirt roads lined with quaint shops and historic municipal buildings that were the prize of every town.
In addition to the idyllic settings, the characters in these stories were often varied -from upstanding, well put-on figures to mischievous miscreants who loved to stir up trouble. Town meetings were lively events where business was conducted successfully even if there was a bit of hearty debate and turmoil. Still, every character in these New England-based stories had a role and each was accepted for the order or lack thereof they added to their towns. As an impressionable reader growing up in a largely suburban, overdeveloped area where you had to drive to get to any real nature and any of us valley dwellers would have been floored to see so much a squirrel or rabbit in the yard, the world Tudor wrote about and drew hardly seemed real.
Years later, after sheer determination, a little pestering, and pure luck, I found myself with my own family settled in Massachusetts. Nine moves all over the country had resulted in the gift of finally living in the place I dreamed about as a girl. While no place is without problems and less than lovely characteristics can be found anywhere, overall New England exceeded what I had dreamed about for so long.
After a few years in Plymouth a search for pumpkins for the school harvest festival led me to seek out a farm called Sauchuk’s. On a quintessential autumnal afternoon I exited the freeway and suddenly found myself in what looked like the New England countryside I had read about in Tudor’s stories. I was instantly in awe of the towering pines and jewel-colored trees in lush droves along quiet country roads, the cozy antique Cape’s festooned with mums and pumpkins, a little gazebo on a town green that would make any Gilmore Girl’s Fan proud, thoughtfully curated farm stands dotting every street I turned on, and horses grazing in the autumn sun. I had found heaven -or more precisely, Plympton.
After that day I could not get that little town out of my head. When we began to look for a permanent home I had to add Plympton to the areas to search. Of course, anyone who lives here knows that there isn’t usually much available and I rather gave up hope of finding anything in that slice of New England heaven I had visited the year before. After a few months I decided to look one more time and there it was, the perfect place for my family to call home. When we purchased our home, now named Peaceful Pines Farm, we chose it strictly based on the surrounding area and land. What I could not have known or expected was that the townspeople in Plympton are just as special as the nature here.
Before moving in I connected with a few Plympton locals on an Instagram account I started for our farm. They noticed the hashtag “#Plymptonma” and had to “investigate” as one of them told me. Newcomers, even on social media, were noticed. Within months of settling into our home I was asked to be part of a barn dance committee to save at-risk land in our town from development. I was introduced to what I was told was “the belly of the town” in terms of residents who were known for frequently stepping up to offer their time and efforts whenever needed. After living in so many places all over the country I left the first meeting thinking that in all my nation-wide wanderings I had never met a group of people as welcoming and down to earth as the people I met that night.
Our little town was able to not only put together a never to be forgotten barn dance event for the community, but we raised enough money to help preserve the land that would have otherwise been developed. It was the first time I had seen a community rally together in such a way for the greater good of one another and their local environment. It was also the first time I saw what the people of Plympton are capable of. As an outsider and newcomer to the New England area (though I have never been made to feel like an outsider in Plympton) I have made some observations through the years about the many things, big and small, that greatly contrast any other place I have lived, and help Plympton give Tudor’s Corgiville a run for its money in terms of being a place where anyone is lucky to live.
As that first year progressed through the seasons, my family and I got to see Plympton’s magic further unfold. One of the first memorable Plympton events my family and I experienced was a holiday gathering at the gazebo featuring carolers and Mr. and Mrs. Claus followed by hot chocolate and cookies at the First Congregational Church. That same December, a Christmas tree farm in town was mentioned at a gathering with friends and that is how my family started our now annual tree hunting expedition and found that wandering Schatten Berg farm to search for the perfect Christmas tree feels more like exploring an enchanted Bavarian forest than just visiting a farm down the road.
The first winter in a new town could have been predicably isolating, but in Plympton it brought new connections and adventures with fellow townspeople through becoming part of the Plympton Historical Society Board. I was thrilled to learn that Plympton had its own compilation of tales published and available for purchase in two books, Tales of Old Plympton, Volumes I and II, compiled by Eugene A. Wright. Out west, where I grew up, I would have never heard of such a thing. Perhaps people from this area don’t realize that having a recorded collection of tales and events (a little fact mixed with a little amusing fiction) gathered from multiple people who lived in town is a bit of an American annal spanning generations and is a rare treat!
On St. Patrick’s Day, the Plympton Historical Society put on a potluck for the town with Irish dancers performing. The tables had craft paper runners on them and people were encouraged to write down an “Irish Blessing” for someone. When the event was over, the tables were full of wonderful sentiments and well wishes for our town and everyone in it. I was so moved that I took pictures of these sentiments to add to my personal town photo album.
The second year living in Plympton while there was still snow on the ground, I attended my first meeting for the Plympton Garden Club. I was introduced to some of the most inspiring gardeners I had ever met with decades of horticultural wisdom and experience combined. Years later, while starting the Plympton Flower Show, long-time members of the Plympton Garden Club loaned my Flower Show partner and I the old Plympton Flower Show program booklets for reference. We were astonished to see the rich heritage former generations of the Plympton Garden Club left behind. Today the Garden Club is equally stocked with an array of seasoned gardening and horticultural experts as well as people who are new to gardening and eager to learn from the sage wisdom in the group. Most places I lived before did not even have a local garden club so to find one that is such an integral part of the community made me swoon over Plympton all the more.
With warmer weather, spring sports season began for my children. I observed the behind the scenes efforts of a thriving town youth athletics program and was impressed with the dedication and energy voluntarily given by local parents to run the Plympton Athletic Youth Sports organization. Hours of time are freely given by mothers and fathers for practices and games as well as running an adorable Snack Shack (thank you for adding the Venmo for us cash- forgetting parents), picture days, and the much-anticipated Opening Day where all baseball, softball, and Tee-ball players march in uniform through the center of town to Holt Field for their first games and a cookout afterward. While private and competition sports leagues have their appeal, town sports programs like PAYS create a place where local children can feel they belong and are valued in their community as well as reaping the mental and physical benefits that team sports provide.
As a mother of four children, ages 19-8, and two decades of moving I was no stranger to enrolling my children in various schools across the country and seeing how each school coexisted in the community. After a few short weeks I immediately noted that the Dennett volunteer parent group, Community and School Association or CASA, work exceptionally hard to provide plenty of family-friendly events for the children of Plympton to enjoy throughout the year. With traditions like the annual Talent Show, the Harvest Fair, the Halloween Dance, Trunk-or-Treat, Thanksgiving Dinner for lunch, a Holiday Bazaar, and frequent Staff Appreciation Luncheons with meals and dishes donated by parents, CASA is consumed year-round organizing and hosting events that are meant to bring the families in our community together to have fun.
In addition to such town-wide effort to provide fun and enrichment for the families and children of Plympton, I noticed how very altruistic the first responders in our town are in supporting and interacting with the youth of Plympton in addition to excelling in their crucial duties to serve and protect our town. My youngest never missed a Touch-a-Truck event at the Fire Station and it was quite endearing to watch the Fire Department play the Dennett sixth graders in a neck and neck basketball game last winter. Each morning friendly police officers greet the children with high fives, words of encouragement, and sometimes cuddles from an adorable police dog as they enter the building for school each day. They have provided my son (and I’m sure many others) with a morning smile just by being friendly when coming to school.
Another noteworthy distinction for Plympton that I have perhaps more keenly witnessed as someone new to town and used to living in more overdeveloped areas, is the community outreach focus from the local businesses and farms of Plympton. It is encouraging to see how dedicated these entities are to providing not only high-quality services and goods to our town and beyond, but opportunities to gather and learn.
For example, every year our little town buzzes with the happy activity that Mayflower Market Days brings. This beautiful vintage and local goods fair brings people to Plympton from near and far to enjoy food, music, antique house tours, and also the opportunity to support local businesses selling their wares. I personally could not let an autumn pass by without wandering the bucolic open field to sit at a picnic table and listen to local bands while munching on food truck fare, or adding “just one more” vintage botanical print to my collection that hardly needs adding to. Be it community lectures on horse ownership and horse care at South Shore Equine Clinic or attending a 111 Love Yoga class from our resident Yoga instructor, Plympton business owners add a special touch and benefit to our town that the chain stores and strip malls I was used to prior to living here simply cannot.
My family and many of my friends do not live in New England, but in seeing the things I share about our town they have come to be intently curious about and enchanted from afar with Plympton. I am often asked to describe Plympton for them and one thing I always point out is that we are a farming community. The farms of Plympton are one of my favorite things about our town. Not one of the many places I lived had dozens of farms, big and small, in such a small area. I joke that if you need eggs and your local stand is sold out, all you need to do is go one street over and you will find more. The abundance of farm fresh food, easily accessible and offered at very affordable prices, within the boundaries of our town will never cease to amaze me.
In a modern-day society where there are many urban food deserts and fresh, local food is increasingly hard to come by, we are sitting on a gold mine of privilege here in Plympton. To be able to drive eight minutes across town to grab a few ears of Colchester Farm corn, or stop in Sauchuk’s for cider donuts and a box of peaches on the way home, or to take a five minute drive to Sunrise Gardens for annuals and perennials -these are luxuries that I have personally lived most of my life without and, prior to living in Plympton, only read about in magazines, books, or online sources talking about idyllic places to live.
I will never take for granted the memories of my children and I picking blueberries at the local patch or watching in awe as the cranberry bog down the street fills with water and turns crimson with floating red orbs. My family is forever enriched by the many joy-filled October days spent at the one and only Sauchuk’s where all my kids, no matter their age difference, PLAY together for hours on end. I fail every time to lead them successfully through the corn maze but all is forgiven and forgotten as we head out to the fields where hundreds of pumpkins await excited children and adults who step down from the wagons to choose the season’s best.
It is not only enjoyment and sustenance that I see our local farms providing, it is also education. As a rookie flower farmer I could not ask to be in a more supportive and inspiring community. There is no competition between us, only mutual respect, support, and camaraderie between the flower farmers of Plympton. Knowledge is not guarded, rather it is shared. Be it learning to make compost and grow flowers efficiently in a workshop at Just Right Farm or chatting with the Detterman’s about their vast array of seasonal crops, or picking up a roadside bouquet from the lovely Milkweed Meadows flower stand on the way home from school or eagerly planting the unique and well-bred dahlia tubers from Ten Oak Farm, I found a community of flower farmers and experts in Plympton that have freely shared their wisdom and consistently lent their support to my own growing little farm and encouraged me as I fumble through this new venture.
Lastly, I could not go without touching on what drew my family and I to Plympton in the first place: The land. Our local ecosystem is one of the healthiest and most undeveloped in Massachusetts. As someone who has oft lived in concrete jungles and places where the only vegetation left was the lawn in a parking strip of a mini mall, I cannot stress enough what a gift it is to live in Plympton’s environment. After over three centuries of being a town, Plympton remains largely untouched. Surveys given to our town residents by the Open Space Committee indicate that keeping our local ecosystems as pristine as possible is the top priority for most of the residents here. With our town relying on aquifers and wells for our water supply it makes smart sense to be concerned with the local environment, but the devotion to conservation and preservation goes deeper than the logistics of our water supply.
There is an underlying adoration by the people of Plympton for town lands and resources. Take a hike in stunning Cato’s Ridge and read the names of dozens of Plympton residents and families on the boardwalk who contributed time and money to preserving the land there. Ask a number of Plympton farmers about the local trees their farms are named after. Scan the town Facebook page where there are almost daily images shared of local wildlife -all met with comments of enthusiastic pride that we share our home with such amazing animals and creatures. Attend in person or watch the hours of meetings via televised footage that volunteers for groups like the Conservation Commission and Open Space Committee spend trying to enforce, draft, and preserve legislation to protect our local environment in the face of seemingly endless threats of development and land grabbing that could be detrimental to our natural resources.
I could go on for pages more about the merits of Plympton -this little unassuming gem of a place nestled in the New England forests that is filled with some of the hardest working, most talented, and generous people around. Instead, I invite all of you -Plympton residents or not, to reflect on the things that make your community unique. I could have moved to town and done as I had done nine times before -kept to myself and been friendly, but never really bother to get involved. When I drove through town that fateful autumn day, however, I just knew I was somewhere special -and for the first time, I am ashamed to say, I stepped outside of myself and my little world and started to learn about and work with the people around me.
I realized the utopic aspects of Plympton where not brought about through any measure of perfection, or by everyone always getting along and agreeing, or by an endless town budget, or by ease and everyone keeping to themselves. The best things in Plympton exist and are protected because of the people here. Plympton is not perfect, but it is made pretty darn near in comparison to many other places in the world because its imperfect residents love their community enough to work through issues that inevitably arise when running and inhabiting a town.
Plympton needs everyone in town to invest -to care, to offer their individuality. We need the long-time residents who were at the first Garden Club meetings, the new families with small children who just signed up for Tee-ball through PAYS, the single residents who are able to dedicate skills, time, and consistency that perhaps others can’t, and the teenagers who keep KKaties Express busy and play ice hockey on Bonney Pond in the winter. From our local astronomer to wood workers, from authors to chefs, and from farmers to female business owners, there is a place for everyone in our town and we sure do need you. Plympton would not be Plympton without US.
Take it from a few of our historic town heroes, Deborah Sampson, Samuel C. Wright, and Cato Freeman -no matter how inconsequential you think you may be, your choices and your voice are needed and absolutely make an impact for better or worse. Our town is what we make it but we have to show up. We need to root all of our differences in mutual respect and with a common ultimate goal for the best interest of this amazing little town. I have seen many times what happens when the small-town values and focus are lost -it is not hard to see it for yourself even in New England as towns like Plympton grow increasingly rare.
Decades from now I hope my children can take the exit off the freeway and still find the same instant transportation from the bustling modern society to the softer way of life in the Plympton countryside. I hope they find that there are fresh ears of corn waiting at the farm stands, that there is another lively town gathering at the gazebo on the town green, and that you still have to drive slowly and often wait for turkeys, chickens, deer, and horses to clear the road. My “Irish Blessing” for our town: “May the residents of Plympton be worthy authors of our towns story. May we continue to write new tales -ones that honor the past and ensure a peaceful future.”

Anyone who moves to Plympton hears it -the inevitable joke that there are more horses than people living there. Anyone who drives through a street or two will see enough evidence to think that may be true. Perhaps there is no town better equipped to house so many horses because in addition to being home to an impressive equestrian population, Plympton is also home to the renowned South Shore Equine Clinic and Diagnostic Center.
Founded in 2006 and run by Dr. Mark T. Reilly, D.V.M, Diplomate ABVP (Equine) and a team of six talented veterinary doctors, including his wife Dr. Linda J. Cimetti, South Shore Equine Clinic is a hub for the horse owning and loving community in Plympton and far beyond. As a young boy growing up in Abington, Reilly was exposed to horses through his father. “My father owned race horses,” Reilly says, “but he never touched them. He was just a huge fan of the sport. I rode at Briggs and rode a bit as a kid, but growing up I never had a horse of my own.” That is certainly not the case anymore as not only does Reilly have his own horse, Luche, who is referred to as the “babysitter” of the clinic, but Reilly is surrounded by horses every day and often nights, too.
Reilly worked at the horse racing tracks in his youth as a groom and later as a veterinary assistant. He states, “Horses just came easy to me.” A growing passion for working with animals took him to the University of New Hampshire where Reilly earned a B.S. in Animal Science. He then attended Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in 1991. Upon graduation, Dr. Reilly set off to work on the East coast horse racing circuit with Dr. Richard Kester. He divided his time between working on the East coast and spending winters in southern Florida before moving to work at Delaware Park with racing thoroughbreds and racing Arabian horses. Reilly then settled on Cape Cod where he established a large animal ambulatory practice in 1995 that serviced both Cape Cod and the Islands and then spread northward to the South Shore. In 1997, Reilly combined his equine practice with a small animal practice, forming Mid-Cape Animal Hospital.
With the combined veterinary establishment, it became apparent that Reilly needed to expand in order to tend to his growing patients and this would require a lot of space and land. While seeing to some horses in Plympton one day, Reilly was explaining his plight to the horse owner who jumped in and said, “I know a place!” That place was the current location on Palmer Road. “We pulled up and it was a shell of a house in major disrepair and the ‘For Sale’ sign was hanging off the hinges,” Reilly recalls. Still, the outbuildings and land offered the perfect site that Reilly envisioned for an equine hospital and the land was purchased. The main house was unsalvageable and too close to the road so it was torn down, but construction began in 2005 and by 2006 South Shore Equine Clinic and Diagnostic Center opened to the public.
Now seeing approximately 1,500 horses a year, South Shore Equine Clinic and Diagnostic Center has become one of the most revered medical and diagnostic centers for the equestrian community not only on the South Shore but in the country. What started as a run-down but brimming with possibility farm is now a 7,000 square foot facility, with two six-stall barns, two ICU stalls, exercise areas, four different lameness surfaces for evaluation, an indoor trotting aisle, sand and grass paddocks, open field, standing MRI room, a laboratory and diagnostics center, a surgical suite, two induction and recovery rooms, and an outpatient area. With state of the art technology and services offered that can’t be found anywhere else in the area, Reilly has made South Shore Equine Clinic an invaluable part of the community.
Stepping inside the welcoming reception area it is easy to see that order and cleanliness are standard as is the love of all things horse with pictures and décor of the equestrian nature covering the walls. Beyond the reception area is a trotting hall -a nine-foot wide, long hallway that not only allows the horses to move about the hospital but to also be observed by the team to evaluate their range of motion -especially in bad weather. The floor of the trotting area is a deep shade of red. “The floor is red because when, say, black surfaces are wet from snow or rain, the horses think it’s a body of water or a puddle and they will try to jump over it. The red doesn’t look like anything to the horses so they can move about without feeling like they need to jump when they are possibly injured,” Reilly explains.
Leading from the trotting hall is an induction room that is padded and equipped with a rope system to gently lower sedated horses to a resting position and be hoisted up into the adjacent surgery suite. The surgical suite offers the latest and most advanced veterinary technology such as a carbon dioxide laser, and is equipped to house 4-5 medical staff as well as manage almost any type of elective surgery such as castrations, tumor removals, orthopedic procedures, arthroscopy, and soft tissue procedures. Surgeries are available for viewing via a “birds eye view” television if the horse owners wish to watch the procedures. The procedures are often recorded and made available as instructional resources for veterinary students.
Another service that sets South Shore Equine Clinic apart from other veterinary centers is the open field, standing MRI facility. It is one of only eighteen open field units in the country. The open field design allows horses to stand in a semi-sedated but weight bearing stance to image all the areas needing evaluation on the horse. This way of conducting an MRI reduces risks to the patient as well as expense to the owner. Additionally, this technology allows highly detailed imaging. Reilly explains, “I can do 330 images in an hour and a half of 3mm slices of a six-inch area, so it’s just like human medicine -you can see everything. It has revolutionized especially how we deal with lower limb lameness.” Reilly also explains that because the imaging is digital now images can be manipulated to show layers and angles and can be emailed to anyone on the care team for the horse.
Maintaining this cutting-edge technology is hardly carefree, however. “The MRI room has its own HVAC and has to be maintained at 66 degrees -give or take a few degrees. The bigger the magnet the more important the stability temperature,” Reilly points out, “So if something is off -the humidity or temperature, an orange light goes off and notifies our on-call HVAC company and they have to come out and fix it right away. There are days I come in and they are already here adjusting things. They can also tap into the program and adjust things remotely sometimes.”
Further exploration of the large, well-maintained facility leads to an evaluation area with comfort ICU stalls that have 24-hour monitoring, a stock to examine horses, and easy access from the outdoor unloading and evaluation areas where owners drop off the horses. When it comes to comfort for his patients met with logic and efficiency for the staff, nothing is overlooked by Reilly. “We have padded floors in the comfort stalls with just the right level of softness to keep it safe for the horses but also soft enough that we don’t have to put down four bags of shavings every time that have to be changed multiple times and between patients. With these floors we only need a half a bag of shavings.” Reilly goes on to explain, “If the horse is on IV fluids, we have the IV bags up in the ceiling and the lines are fed from there to the horse. That way we don’t have lines getting stepped on or tagled and the fluids can be managed from above the stall so as not to disturb the horse. So it is much more efficient in terms of less mess and also the horses can rest.”
Outside South Shore Equine Clinic, the attention to detail carries through to various lameness surfaces in the unloading area. Here, Reilly often asks the owner to demonstrate the issue by riding the horse if possible and observing the horses movement and reactions on five different surfaces which help Reilly evaluate lameness or other possible issues. Across from the unloading and evaluation are four different size grass paddocks, one small sand turnout, a riding ring, a lunge area, and a deep sand round pen. Housed off to the side of those areas is a large barn with three of the six stalls equipped for IV fluids and 24-hour monitoring. There is also an isolation stall for horses exhibiting things like a fever or other symptoms of being contagious. “Usually, we try to keep horses with fevers at their own barns to control exposure, but if we have to keep them here this is where they will be treated,” says Reilly.
South Shore Equine Clinic is not only a standing facility, it is a mobile practice as well. With a fleet of mobile veterinary trucks equipped with drugs, ultrasound machines, endoscopes, and various medical materials and instruments tailored to each veterinarian’s preference or specialty services, South Shore Equine services can often be on site in the horses familiar surroundings. “On any given day there are at least three of our vet trucks on the road,” Reilly says.
Overseeing the whole operation is Reilly’s beloved horse, Luche, who lives at the clinic. Luche came to South Shore Equine Clinic as a two-year-old lame racing horse. The owner at that time was immediately uninterested in the horse once they found out treatment was needed. “The owner said ‘Well I don’t want him anymore,’ and I said, ‘Well I do!’” Reilly then performed surgery, after treatment, and rehabilitation to bring Luche back to full form and he made himself at home. Referred to by Reilly as the “babysitter” of the barn Luche is eager to welcome and interact with any patient or human who happens to be nearby.
Perhaps one of the most consuming endeavors available at South Shore Equine Clinic is the practice of foaling. A serene and well-equipped foaling barn allows Reilly and his team to safely and successfully foal out 18-20 foals a year. Reilly also says he performs artificial insemination for breeding on about 20-25 mares each year. The mares are monitored throughout the eleven-month gestation period and close to the expected time of delivery they are brought to the barn and kept comfortable and monitored. Once the foal is born there are 24-hour surveillance cameras with infrared camera for night vision observation without disturbing the protective mares and their foals.
Due to foaling, the busiest time at South Shore Equine clinic is in the spring. “Horses give birth in the spring months because mares instinctively don’t want their babies to be leaving and weaning in the middle of winter. They instinctively want to mate between February to June and give birth around that time a year later.” Reilly explains that the clinic foaling barn is run rather like a hotel reservation service and mares are booked to come in around the time of delivery -which means a full house -or barn, rather, for a few months each year. “This year we had eight mares ready to drop their foals all at once because some of them were kind of holding on and not delivering…that’s a little intimidating,” jokes Reilly, “It was like hot potato deciding who was going to be on call each night for that because we knew they would all go close together.”
With so many services and comforts available at South Shore Equine Clinic, Reilly has also managed to provide a fully functional and valuable laboratory on site. The full in-house laboratory is located in a former outbuilding that was converted. “It was our Covid project,” Reilly jests. In the past, when blood tests were ordered and cultures needed, it was all sent out for testing. The on-site lab now allows immediate blood test results as well as culture evaluations and other test results to be determined much quicker and at less of a cost. Reilly demonstrates, “It used to take about five days to get, say, a culture back. Now, I know in 18 hours what antibiotic to use. In 36 hours I can call a test negative. It means better treatment for the horse and less expense to the owner in making sure the right thing is done right away. Especially with regard to antibiotic resistance its important to be accurate.”
It is not all about horses, however, at South Shore Equine Clinic. Reilly understands that a horse is best cared for when the owners are educated and equipped to handle the huge responsibility of owning a horse. During the winter months, usually on Mondays, Reilly and his staff hold gatherings, lectures, and classes for the community on horse care. “We hold presentations on things like common maladies, hot topic issues -we survey our customers to see what they want to learn about. Sometimes there are sponsors for these events and door prizes and discounts are offered depending on the topic,” Reilly says. These presentations also offer the chance for people to ask questions in a non-stressful setting. Reilly points out, “When people are here with a problem they often aren’t thinking clearly. When they come to these classes they can ask better questions in a non-emergency event.”
Reilly also explains that this is his approach with passing on after care instructions to horse owners upon discharge of their animal. “The biggest cause for post treatment failure is non compliance with discharge orders,” Reilly says, “We make sure all the discharge information is clearly and thoroughly presented in the discharge area before they exit to the waiting room where the bill awaits them so they can focus on how to keep their horse from needing more treatment from failure to provide proper aftercare.”
Amidst all the complexities and hard work to run a state of the art center like South Shore Equine Clinic, the foremost mission of all who work there is the love of horses and the desire to care for them and give them the highest quality of life possible, and to provide owners and surrounding veterinary centers the ability and opportunities to do that. “We are here to give the best treatment and comfort we can to horses and to give the owners peace of mind,” Reilly assures, “We make sure each horse has treatment tailored specifically to them. You could have two horses with identical issues or illnesses and the treatments for both could be entirely different because we base it on what each horse needs.”
When asked about the demeanor of horses under duress or feeling ill Reilly says, “Horses are honest. Dogs and cats? Not so much. Dogs want you to think everything is fine even if their limb is falling off and cats mask symptoms, too -but horses give you instant feedback. Horses also respond to the tone and behavior of the owner, so if the owner is causing the horse anxiety we also help to calm the owner. A calm horse is a safer horse.” The staff at South Shore Equine Clinic share Reilly’s goals to make what could be a difficult experience as stress free and assuring as possible. “Not all of our staff ride or own horses,” Reilly points out, “But everyone here has a true love for them. Owning a horse is a passion, you have to want that responsibility and love it.”
When asked what Reilly would like the community to know about South Shore Equine Clinic he responds, “We are a partner in the care of your horse. We are available 24/7, 365 days a year. We want the best outcome for everyone and we work hard, around the clock to provide that for every patient and human that comes through the door.” After witnessing the nearly incomprehensible amount of work and dedication from Reilly and his staff in just one afternoon their love for horses is undeniable. Reilly and all at South Shore Equine Clinic have built more than a prestigious, well-outfitted medical practice, they have built a thoughtful, peaceful, healing center for horses to get them back home in the best condition and as soon as possible, because anyone who truly loves horses knows that home is where your horse is.