Gratitude for an Island community always willing to step up and help others

The Island, though generally known to the outside world as an affluent summer colony, is no stranger to hunger, homelessness, and inequity. But neither is the Island unaccustomed to coming together in a time of need. And that has never been more evident than in the past couple of days, weeks, and months, as the federal shutdown cast its shadow on an Island already dealing with economic uncertainty and rising costs of living.

There are too many heroes on this Island to count or to thank properly, but here are just a few vignettes we want to share of those rolling up their sleeves and helping out.

Meg Athearn of Morning Glory Farm stood outside the Agricultural Hall behind a folding table full of free produce, mere days after federal food assistance program benefits froze across the country earlier this month; she snipped white onions in the cold.

Kharma Finley-Wallace of HoverFly Events and Chef Jimmy Alvarado of Tigerhawk Sandwich Co. tended to a large, steaming buffet — jerk chicken, peas and rice, plantains — prepared and donated by chefs and restaurants from across Martha’s Vineyard over the weekend, to raise money for families back home in Jamaica.

Island Grown Initiative (IGI) officials Merrick Carreiro and Alicia Nicholson hauled bags of frozen poultry and vegetables at the Baptist Parish House in Vineyard Haven on Friday, distributing the goods to neighbors in need ahead of the holiday. 

And there’s already work underway to help a family displaced by a fire that ravaged a home in Tisbury Monday afternoon.

And all of these individual efforts are needed, and greatly appreciated. It’s sometimes hard to believe that in a place that’s only 20 miles wide — where a home sale just topped $37.5 million — that one in five year-round residents experience food insecurity, and are registered as clients of the Island Food Pantry.

Though often shielded by the white picket fences and hydrangea blooms in the warmer months, food insecurity is an ever-present and growing problem on the Vineyard. As of 2024, 5,700 Islanders used the Food Pantry, and beneficiaries of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increased by 119 percent in Dukes County between 2012 and 2021. None of this is more obvious than when the leaves start to turn and the second homes begin to shutter.

And while the Vineyard may be known by the outside world as a symbol of wealth, the heart of the Island has always been about helping those in need. A fire of volunteerism has been kindled over many generations, and has recently been burning as brightly as ever.

When the federal government was shut down and nutrition supplement programs like SNAP were inaccessible, there was a surge of Islanders looking to volunteer or donate to the local pantry. Vineyard businesses and farms took action to feed fellow Islanders. Jump-started by Morning Glory Farm, farmers came together to provide free produce and meats; restaurants like S&S Kitchenette and Sharky’s offered plates of free food; others raised money through sales, like Bunch of Grapes in Vineyard Haven. 

More recently, after SNAP was restored, around 40 volunteers organized food at the Baptist Parish House in record-breaking time to serve Thanksgiving meals — turkeys, canned cranberry sauce, and local produce — to nearly 200 families.

And it’s not just feeding the Vineyard. In late October, after Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica — the home of many Vineyarders — there was a whirlwind of activity set in motion as Islanders raised money and shipped tools, batteries, generators, and other equipment to survivors of the storm-torn Caribbean nation. New Life Ministries International M.V. collected barrels stuffed with goods; Dock Street Coffee Shop donated a day’s worth of sales and tips toward relief efforts; multiple individuals set up fundraisers and relief drives. Over the weekend, efforts continued with a cookout fundraiser, where top Island chefs prepared a dinner buffet to raise money for families in Jamaica. 

These efforts aren’t isolated incidents, either. The Vineyard is also full of people who work throughout the year to help where they can. Harbor Homes has provided beds and meals in its winter shelter to shield unhoused Islanders from the elements. Food pantries run by IGI, the Good Shepherd Parish, and local libraries are always open for Islanders. Volunteers at Clothes to Go collect and give away used clothes for free. Mentors also provide guidance to young Islanders through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. 

In the upcoming Christmas season, Grace Church is offering a space for anyone looking for food and company, including a Christmas dinner on Dec. 21.

The holiday season is the time to reflect and be thankful for all who do good on this Island, and if there’s anything the past few months have proved, it’s that the spirit of the Vineyard is one of generosity. When neighbors near or far are in need, we find ways to help them. We hope people take that to heart as we approach Thanksgiving and the remainder of the holiday season as well as into 2026. The generosity of Islanders who are eager to do whatever it takes to help others is something for which all of us can give thanks.