PEABODY — Postmaster Kimberly Crean-Prifti unveiled a Forever Stamp Thursday afternoon that will raise money for No Child Goes Hungry (NCGH) in Peabody at the nonprofit’s new distribution location behind NE Cabinet.
A small crowd made up of volunteers, city officials, and post office employees gathered to watch the unveiling in the warehouse, excitedly chatting amongst themselves while they waited for the postmaster to start the announcement.
“For them to think this highly of us is really humbling,” said Jarrod Hochman, a School Committee member and organizer for NCGH, about the United States Postal Service (USPS). “It’s a good thing that we’re talking about this and raising awareness.”
Before COVID-19, Hochman said approximately 17 percent of kids in Peabody were going without food. NCGH, which was founded in 2017 by Michele Feld, has been distributing at least two meals a day to children who do not have access to food. The original mission was to feed 120 families; now the organization is preparing to pass out approximately 4,000 meals this week.
City Councilor-at-Large Anne Manning-Martin said that NCGH was quite an operation. She said it is “a bunch of good people doing good things.”
In her speech, Crean-Prifti talked about how the USPS understands the necessity of essential workers since the rise of the pandemic. She praised the work NCGH does, saying that they put in the extra effort.
“They filled and delivered over 300 backpacks every Friday during the entire shutdown,” Crean-Prifti said. “The unwavering dedication to the children of Peabody is remarkable.”
The Forever Stamp was released on Aug. 21. The stamp, designed by Dana Tanamachi, says “Thank You” in a golden script. As the stamp was shown, a small plaque was presented to Feld and Hochman by Crean-Prifti.
“It almost brings tears to my eyes,” Feld said.
She said that when she first brought up the idea of NCGH at a Peabody School Committee meeting, she never anticipated how big it would get.
“I’m so happy to see how it has grown,” she said. “It shows that the community cares about the children here.”
After the dedication of the stamp, Hochman invited everyone outside to celebrate the volunteers who had worked on packaging up the donations the night before.
Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. said seeing how many people had stepped up to help and donate is why he is so proud to be from Peabody.
“So many people have been helped. It’s really special to see,” he said.
Katelyn Sahagian can be reached at [email protected]
