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After careful analysis and discussion, the Friends of Norwood Center decided by unanimous decision on Monday, May 18, 2020, to suspend its Farmers Market for the summer of 2020 season. Because of significant additional resources necessary to provide a safe and welcoming venue in the face of COVID-19, FNC decided its best use of resources and volunteers in the coming months is to help support Norwood Center businesses to successfully reopen and work to provide information and assistance to residents and visitors that Norwood Center is a safe and welcoming place to return for household, personal, culinary and entertainment needs. Friends of Norwood Center is committed to working with Norwood Town officials over the next several months to bring back a Farmer’s Market in 2021. 
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The effort will coordinate with Norwood Hospital and Fire to deliver meals to those involved in the local coronavirus response MARCH 31 – Local Norwood resident Matt Brown has teamed with local nonprofit Friends of Norwood Center (FNC) to organize and launch a new fundraising effort, Norwood Feeds the Front Lines, to both support local eateries by purchasing meals which will be delivered to our local front line heroes -– employees of both the Norwood Hospital and the Norwood Fire Department.
“The Town of Norwood has been instrumental in my road to recovery over the last 10 years, especially during the first year when the support was needed the most. Through the words of encouragement, the countless meals that were catered, and the physical forces that came together to renovate my house, I will be forever grateful, having been raised in this great town,” said Matt Brown. “But what we have in front of us today is something unlike any of us have ever been a part of. Lives have been turned upside down and there is uncertainty that comes with every day. One of the things that makes Norwood so special is that members of the town come together to support those in need. This is one of those times and I am so excited to see what this great town is going to do.” To promote the effort, a GoFundMe page has been established to be shared across a social media campaign using the hashtag #NorwoodFeedsTheFrontLine to collect donations from the Norwood community. 100 percent of the funds collected will purchase meals from local restaurants to be delivered to our community's first responders, and support the local food pantries. The Norwood Feeds the Front Lines campaign will coordinate directly with representatives from local restaurants as well as Norwood Hospital and Fire departments to schedule meal orders and delivery times. “Our local front line workers need us right now. Staying home and practicing social distancing is crucial in the fight against this pandemic but we can help them in other ways as well,” said Charlotte Walsh, FNC President who owns local business Charles River Running. “Our business community consists of many restaurants, cafes and eateries that are still open for take out and delivery. By purchasing meals from them and delivering them to where the front line workers are, we can provide both sustenance to the helpers and a financial boost to our small businesses and their employees. “ Everyone can help! No matter how much you are able to donate, it is needed and welcomed! Please donate at #NorwoodFeedsTheFrontLine About FNC: Friends of Norwood Center (FNC) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. FNC connects local businesses, town leadership, and residents to energize the downtown experience for everyone. Our goal is to empower the people, places, culture, and experiences unique to Norwood to support a vibrant community and a thriving local economy. We believe when we choose to live locally, we make the heart of our town a welcoming destination for everyone. About Matt Brown: Matt Brown suffered a spinal cord injury during a high school hockey game while a sophomore at Norwood High School that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. From the beginning, he was determined he was not going to let the injury dictate the way he was going to live his life. Matt went on to graduate from high school, attend Stonehill College and graduate with a degree in communications, all while living on campus. Matt has now written a book, Line Change, and launched his own foundation, the Matt Brown Foundation. Support your favorite local restaurants and our community's first responders (Norwood Hospital, Police, & Fire) on the front lines of the local coronavirus response!  Let’s show our appreciation for Norwood’s "boots on the ground” who are fighting this global pandemic locally.Friends of Norwood Center is coordinating Norwood Feeds the Front Lines to support local eateries by purchasing meals to be delivered to Norwood Hospital workers, Norwood Police and Norwood Fire Departments.
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Friends of Norwood Center has been in touch with Norwood Hospital and Fire and Police departments to coordinate. We've also contacted a long list of Norwood restaurants that are currently open to let them know what we are planning. Our GoFundMe page is live and ready to go — we'll use this to pay our restaurants, with the hopeful goal of providing them with business to keep them going during the stay-at-home-advisory. In the coming days, we work with everyone to schedule meal orders and delivery times. Check back here for updates as the story unfolds! We are all in this together. Thank you for your support.  In this uncertain time of a worldwide pandemic, we are opening a blog series to any reader who wants to share their experience, fear, concerns and inspiring stories of living through this time in history in Norwood, MA. If you are interested in writing, please send your blog post to norwoodcenter@gmail.com . Our first entry is from longtime Norwood resident, John Hall. John has served in many capacities on boards here in Norwood and was President of the Friends of Norwood Center for many years. When I first suggested “Life in Quarantine,” I thought people in quarantine would be few and far between. I really did. Wow. March 1, Jean and I attend a fund-raising party for Tony Mazzucco. March 2, I get a PET scan (like a souped-up CAT scan) for a lung issue. By the end of the week, Sigalle Reiss tells me Jean and I were exposed to COVID at the party, and we need to self-quarantine through March 15. (Luckily we had just laid in food and drink.) Meanwhile, my doctor tells me the next step after the PET scan is a biopsy, which we schedule for March 31. As septagenarian retired folks, Jean and I have a shorter list of responsibilities than most. No kids or grandkids. No living parents. No nearby siblings. But we do have a number of local groups we support. My March 10 Library Board meeting is cancelled, because enough of us are out of commission that we can’t muster a quorum. My March 11 Community Preservation Committee meeting is cancelled for lack of several members. On March 12, I learn the Candidates Forum is now to be a studio event with call-in questions for contested races only – so it’s cancelled for me. Governor Baker issues a string of executive orders, encouraging cancelation or alternative formats for large meetings, modifying the Open Meeting Law, and banning meetings over 250 people. Jean’s and my March 14 caucus is cancelled. Jean and I are getting ready to deliver our last big load of PJs for the Norwood Library/Bruins drive, and we suggest we’ll deliver PJs on our first day out of quarantine. As word trickles out about the quarantined members of the party, Jean and I start getting calls from well-wishers, including others who are quarantined. Those who are not themselves quarantined ALWAYS – without exception – end the calls with offers to get us anything we need. Our feelings toward our friends and neighbors in Norwood have never been warmer. "Our feelings toward our friends and neighbors in Norwood have never been warmer." -John Hall On March 15-16, Jean and I clear self-quarantine with no symptoms and rush out to stock up on groceries and supplies. We encounter the now-familiar shortages that have emerged as sheltering-in-place, staying home, social distancing and the like have put everybody into some variation of quarantine. Town Hall and other Norwood public buildings are closed; those 19 boxes of PJs are going nowhere. We later learn that the drive’s organizers suspended the deadlines, and we will be able to get garments to the kids some time later this year. Governor Baker’s latest orders close the schools for at least three weeks, prohibit gatherings of 25 or more, and allow only take-out and delivery from restaurants and bars. Starting late that week, Jean and I reach out to Victoria’s Café. We want to try out Norwood’s delivery options, and we’ve had good luck with their food and service before. Over the next week-and-a-half, we have four delivery meals. Our experience is extremely positive, and we recommend them to others who’d like to see what our great Norwood Center establishments can do to make this pandemic bearable. Once the necessities are secured (I shop Sunday mornings, so I can get the Globe and NY Times with their excellent puzzles) what remains is staying sane and un-bored. Jean and I are fortunate to have a sizeable group of as-yet unwatched DVDs and DVR recordings. We also have scores of as-yet unread books. Many of our friends and relatives are tapped into Netflix and/or Hulu (we are not) to the same end. By all means, check out the Morrill Memorial Library’s on-line options, too. As she usually does, Jean has taken lead for the family in maintaining telephone and/or e-mail contact with friends and relatives, and she is working with the Facebook group Making Masks in Norwood to help supply homemade personal protective gear for our doctors and nurses. I still have my biopsy set for March 31 for some symptoms not related to COVID. Now my main concern is that the possibility may point to future steps that a soon-to-be-overloaded hospital may not be able to support. If I write another one of these, you now know what I’ll be writing about. I hope some of you will write your own pieces, because I’m especially interested in coping techniques people are using when they have to worry about kids, parents, employers, employees, customers or any of the other folks we didn’t have to address. And I would really like to hear how the merchants of Norwood Center are coping, including what we can do to help them. Best of health and luck to all of you, John Hall  Yesterday's blog link to Massachusetts SBA is no longer accepting loan applications. For available loans from the federal government during this pandemic, please see this link for options for your small business.  The Baker-Polito Administration announced on March 18, 2020, that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will offer low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to Massachusetts small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Click here for more information on how you can apply to for this low interest loan through SBA. Please stay safe and healthy during this pandemic. We are all in this together.   With applications being accepted for the Friends of Norwood Center MA Farmers Market, we thought it was helpful to provide some key info about the upcoming season (and it's nice to think of warmer weather ahead!)
When and where is the market? TUESDAYS in the NORWOOD TOWN COMMON from 2-6pm When does the market open? The first day is TUESDAY JUNE 23rd! How do I apply? See the information on this site and always feel free to ask questions at NorwoodCenter@gmail.com Thanks and looking forward to seeing you at the market!  The Friends of Norwood Center MA Farmers Market is seeking vendors!
If you are someone (or know of someone) who grows produce, produces something delicious, or creates wonderful items -- we want you! On this website you'll find everything you need to know about the Friends of Norwood Center MA Farmers Market: hours, season length, how to apply, and FAQs. Join us on Tuesdays on the BEAUTIFUL Norwood MA Town Common from 2-6pm from June 23rd through September 8th. We hope to see you as a vendor or a patron! Thank you!  The more you learn about Norwood Center, the more you realize how much is available!
Here on the FNC blog, we'll be posting some interesting offerings you may not know about. Custom Art Framing on Central Street, established in 2003, is a mecca for art-related everything. This post mentions their art classes (for kids and adults, both workshops and ongoing lessons) but they also host pretty cool events like GALLERY NIGHTS, DEMONSTRATIONS, UKULELE CLASSES, and SINGING LESSONS! Want to know more? Pop over to the shop. Give them a call! Check out their website. Show some local love!  Friends of Norwood Center is a dynamic group of people interested in making the most of Downtown Norwood. The group is made up of residents, business owners, town employees, and advocates of the "shop local" movement. You don't even have to live in Norwood to be involved. You simply have to share our goal: making Norwood Center a thriving, vibrant, exciting downtown for everyone!
Want to get involved? We'd love to have you! Email norwoodcenter@gmail.com for an application or to share you thoughts. Come to some meetings! We want (and need) your ideas! Don't have that much time to give but still want to make a difference? Start by making choices that focus on your local Downtown. Need a new shovel? Come to True Value on Washington Street (easy parking in the back). Need a new hoodie? Charles River Running has you covered! Going to dinner? Downtown has oodles of options! Need a new bank? Come to Downtown Norwood! Each dollar you spend creates the community you want. We want you to come to Norwood Center -- the Heart of Norwood! |
Blog AuthorsThese blog posts are written by Friends of Norwood Center Board Members and blog contributors. Look for author attribution in each post. Archives
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