Peabody holds second social service summit

PEABODY – Peabody’s second Social Service Summit Thursday afternoon couldn’t have come at a better time. With Gov. Deval Patrick’s drastic budget cuts announced just the day before, community service has become more important than ever.”Looking at the economy today, we do need a lot of prayer,” said a very apprehensive Mayor Michael Bonfanti. “The entire purpose of this Summit is to work together, work smarter, and keep our level of services.”The Summit was first organized last June at City Hall. Over 100 people attended the event, including politicians, municipal employees, religious leaders, and local volunteers, to combine their concerns, resources, and goals on fighting poverty and homelessness in Peabody.A smaller group, mainly of various faith communities, met Thursday in the lower church hall at St. John the Baptist Parish. The Rev. John MacInnis, pastor of the hosting parish, Reverend Joel Anderle of Community Covenant Church, and Rabbi David Klatzer of Temple Ner Tamid discussed ways that their community addresses the growing need.Anderle said that his church receives more calls each week from members who are simply on the verge of losing their homes. On average, 4-6 families call looking for help either with paying their rent and utility bills or putting food on the table and clothing on their backs.Klatzer also noted an increase in calls for help and urged his community to do more. Nearly all of the $60,000 raised a few years ago to help Jewish families on the North Shore has been depleted, he said.”For the most part, we have been looking inward,” he told listeners. “We have to get the point across that these problems are systemic. We need to help the wider community.””We are embarking on very difficult times,” said MacInnis. “And our needs don’t end at the borders of our city.” MacInnis said that his parish has made great efforts to broaden their reach and spread their services to the less fortunate living in places as far as South America.There was a general push to pool resources and work together to target the largest number of families possible with the limited resources available. There was no lack of desire to help, nor lack of commitment to their cause.”We need to be more efficient and work smarter,” said Bonfanti. “As times get tough, the government seems to contract. We need to step up?not pull back.”Bonfanti and leaders of the faith community plan to meet again next Thursday to take their ideas and turn them into a strategic plan to meet the needs of Peabody residents.