Tuesday night we were blessed to have a visit from the staff of Salon Monique Day Spa of Canton.

It was a real pleasure getting to meet the salon staff and work alongside them in our food pantry. We always like to give newcomers a tour— an explanation of our work and our history. One of the hairstylists, Matt, was proud to learn that weekly donations of fresh fruits and vegetables come from the New England Produce Center located in his hometown, Chelsea.

Jen and some of the ladies wiped away tears at one point during the tour, understanding how many people in our area struggle to afford even basic things like beds or food.

That being said, we also had fun working together and got a lot done. It was great to see the enthusiasm of all the staff! We prepared bags with milk, orange juice, eggs, cheese, and butter for the next day’s food deliveries and we unloaded a truck with about 3,000 pounds of food from the Greater Boston Food Bank. Jen broke a nail while she was working but assured me “it was worth it!”

In preparation for their visit, the staff collected nonperishable goods for our Food Assistance Program which serves about 15,000 people annually. Even with donations from the food bank and local churches, My Brother’s Keeper still spends hundreds of dollars every week buying canned goods so we were grateful for the food they collected for us.

Thank you Salon Monique for all your time and efforts – it was so great to meet you all!