One of the ironies of living in the North of Boston area is that there are towns where residents live in wealth just miles away from urban centers where many residents hover near the poverty line. Boxford residents Leslie Levenson and Betty Obernesser have worked to close the gap between the “haves and the have-nots” for five years, through a charity they founded called the Community Giving Tree.

Based in West Boxford, the Community Giving Tree works to connect donations of gently used clothing, toiletries and other necessities with local social workers and other charities.

Unlike other methods of donating (leaving clothes in a collection bin, for example), these items are picked up by people who turn around and give them directly to a specific person or family in need.

Levenson and Obernesser started with the idea of making the donation process a little more personal.

“It’s not like when you leave a donation in a bin in a parking lot somewhere, where you don’t know where it will end up,” said Levenson. “There will be a baby in that crib within the week, or someone wearing that winter coat.”

The Community Giving Tree relies on individuals, Scout troops, schools and other local groups to hold drives to collect the donations they need, such as baby linens, diapers, toiletries, shoes, coats and children's clothing.

The Community Giving Tree is based in the Park House, owned by the Second Congregational Church of Boxford. In between open houses, volunteers store and organize donations in several rooms and a garage on the property.

“These are the little things in life, the things that can help you get through,” said Levenson as she looked around a room filled with neatly folded and stacked baby linens.

Due to space and storage constraints, the Community Giving Tree asks for donations of specific things at certain times, such as school supplies in the fall and baby clothes and linens in the spring.

Donations are distributed during monthly open houses, where case workers and charity representatives visit the Boxford location and select exactly what items their clients are looking for, from a specific-size snowsuit to a set of bedsheets.

Between 16 and 20 charity and case workers attend an average open house, each collecting items for several families. Currently, all the representatives collecting donations from the Community Giving Tree are local, coming from places like Haverhill, Peabody, Lowell, Lynn, Lawrence and North Andover.

Levenson and Obernesser are on a first-name basis with many of the case workers and chat about how their clients are doing.

It is in these casual conversations that they hear about how a donation of shampoo and toiletries gave someone the confidence to go on a job interview, or how a donated backpack of school supplies prompted a client to start taking classes at a local college.

At this time, all donations for the Community Giving Tree come from drives held in Boxford, but the organization is looking for groups and individuals from surrounding towns to hold collection drives as well. Levenson and Obernesser both noted they are always impressed with donations that come in from town, which are always well-cared for, sometimes even new with tags still attached.

At the end of the school year, several Boxford schools also donate the unclaimed contents of their lost and found bins to the Community Giving Tree.

The idea for the Community Giving Tree started five years ago with a toy fair. Boxford families donated gently used toys, and the toys were sold with proceeds going to charity.

"We thought to ourselves, 'Wow, if people are this generous in giving their toys, what else could they give?'" said Obernesser.

After that realization, they started holding drives to collect winter coats, bedsheets and other items. They printed up brochures for the fledgling organization, and visited every charity they could think of. News of the organization spread quickly through word of mouth, and the operation's collections have more than doubled in five years.

The toy fair has become an annual event, held in November.

Looking back at their first five years, both co-founders said all the hard work and volunteer hours have been worth it.

"Just the whole idea that the stuff is going out to people and being used. Knowing that what you're doing means something to someone. We get so many people that are thankful for an opportunity to donate, but also to receive the donations," said Obernesser. "Also, I'm glad to set the example for our kids."

Levenson agreed.

"Hearing what the clients don't have, the level of poverty, and how thankful they are. It's so easy to make a difference. Little things are just what they need. We take so much for granted," she said. "I feel like we've made charitable giving easy for folks in town."

The organization has grown so much that they recently hired two employees, Patti McAlarney, director of development, and Heather Fecteau, director of donations. They are also looking into writing grants for more money and finding more space to house donations.

Levenson and Obernesser also came up with the idea of “care and share parties,” where someone having a birthday, bat or bar mitzvah, or other celebration asks guests to bring a donation in addition to or in lieu of a gift. Care and share parties in the past have collected winter hats and mittens, toys, children’s books, and other needed items. The Community Giving Tree supplies thank you notes for every party-goer, stating where and how their donation was used.

Every spring, the organization collects items to put together mothers' baskets | containing baby clothes, diapers, bottles, and other necessities for new moms | distributed just before Mother’s Day. Once finished, the mothers' baskets look like something from a chic gift shop, complete with plastic wrap and ribbon.

The Community Giving Tree is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity sponsored by the Tri-Town Council on Youth and Family Services. The organization also receives support from the Second Congregational Church of Boxford.



Your help is needed

For the month of March, the CGT is collecting baby clothes and equipment

The CGT is always looking for individuals or organizations to hold donation drives; a CGT representative will even come to your house to pick up the items you collect

The CGT is also looking for additional space to store donated items, preferably in Boxford

Volunteers to sort and organize donations are always welcome





Want to know more?

Visit the Community Giving Tree's website at www.communitygivingtree.org

To volunteer or get more information about donating or hosting a drive, e-mail communitygivingtree@comcast.net