Every spring, a small card with a significant impact begins its journey across Boston and beyond. The Mother's Day card campaign from Women's Lunch Place is more than a thoughtful gift—it’s a lifeline for women in need. 

Every day, the basement of Church of the Covenant on Boston's Newbury Street comes alive, as it fills with women facing homelessness or housing insecurity.

It's a day shelter called Women's Lunch Place. On a recent weekday, the chatter of women and clanking of silverware filled the air, along with pop music. Several volunteers chopped vegetables and stirred big tins of food.

A welcome departure from the standard gala fare of vulcanized chicken, the Spaghetti Dinner for the Women’s Lunch Place was held at the Fairmont Copley Plaza and featured a lively cocktail party with a massive silent auction in the Venetian Room, followed by a delicious, family-style Italian dinner in the Grand Ballroom.

Tatiana Stridh has an accent, but with dual U.S. and Russian citizenship, she feels right at home in Boston. The 51-year-old fled Russia to the U.S. but fell on hard times in 2024.

For Karyn M., clutching the keys to her own room for the first time brought on a strange combination of grief over her past and gratitude for what’s next.

Since being evicted from her apartment in July 2024, the 57-year-old had spent months living in Boston shelters. She had been trying to find some semblance of the stability she had before her life began to unravel — before she lost her job, her housing, and much of her belongings.

The first time Schaida Colon walked into her new two-bedroom apartment in Jamaica Plain in early December, she felt emotional. After five years of homelessness and living in shelters, the 23-year-old and her 9-month-old son finally have a place to call their own.

Since the 1980's, demand has been growing for the comprehensive assistance that Women's Lunch Place on Newbury Street in Boston offers women experiencing homelessness. As more and more women find themselves without a place to call home, the day shelter opens its doors to offer a warm meal, clean clothes, a fresh shower, and much more.

Women’s Lunch Place and the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay raise funds for unhoused Bostonians.

The Harvest Festival is a fundraising event organized by and to benefit the Women’s Lunch Place and NABB’s neighborhood enrichment programs.

Nearly 300 people attended Women's Lunch Place's annual fall gala, Spaghetti Dinner, on Friday, Oct. 18, at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.

Between the restaurants and boutiques that line Newbury Street — and literally under the Church of the Covenant — is Women’s Lunch Place.

Women's Lunch Place's annual fall gala, its Spaghetti Dinner, will take place on Friday, Oct. 18, at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.

Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, chief executive of Women’s Lunch Place, knows the unique pathways that can lead a woman into homelessness.

Public officials, policy experts and business leaders across the commonwealth recognize we have a severe housing shortage that limits our state’s ability to thrive. The governor and Legislature are advancing an historic bond bill to increase our housing supply and address affordable housing needs.

Following two Metallica shows at Gillette Stadium, the band’s All Within My Hands Foundation donated a total of $100,000 to three local nonprofits––Greater Boston Food Bank, Support+Feed, and Women’s Lunch Place (WLP).

"I see a person," Cyrlene Codrington says, pointing to the center of a painting at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The painting is of cabbages with leaves in varying hues of green and purple.

On Friday, May 10, supporters of Women's Lunch Place joined together for the annual ‘eat LUNCH give’ fundraiser. Thanks to the incredible support from the WLP community, over $350,000 was raised to aid vulnerable women facing hunger, homelessness, and poverty.

Rising housing costs and inflation have contributed to housing instability in Boston — and women who face homelessness often bear added burdens. Women's Lunch Place is a nonprofit day shelter and advocacy center that serves over 2,000 unhoused women each year, providing things like meals, refuge and community.

The Boston Marathon has plenty of runners racing for charity, hosting 168 nonprofits this year. Alyssa Moore, a charity runner for Women's Lunch Place, and Sarah Rozelle, a charity runner for 261 Fearless, tell us more.

Alyssa Moore, an integral member of the Direct Care team at Women’s Lunch Place, is gearing up to run the iconic Boston Marathon on Monday. Her mission goes beyond personal achievement; she’s running to raise funds and awareness for women experiencing homelessness and poverty.

When Joe Tocci was discharged from the U.S. Marines in 2008, he had an identity crisis.

“When I was homeless, I remember always thinking to myself, 'they see me as this homeless guy, but they have no idea the things I accomplished in the military, the responsibilities I had, the millions of dollars of gear I was responsible for, and the people’s lives I was responsible for,'” said Tocci.

Jennifer Hanlon Wigon leads Women’s Lunch Place’s efforts improving safety, health, wellness, self-sufficiency and stability of women experiencing homelessness, hunger and poverty.

The award is a reflection of Hanlon Wigon's leadership in providing healthcare to the guests of WLP, as well as the dedication and dignity-infused service of WLP staff and support from the board of directors.

On Christmas Day at the “Women’s Lunch Place” — a shelter tucked away on Newbury Street — Chef Inna Khitrik and a handful of staff, including volunteers, bustled around the kitchen warmed by cooking pot roast.

Guests at the Women’s Lunch Place can now get pro bono legal support through a partnership between the organization and Greater Boston Legal Services.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft visited a special day shelter for women experiencing homelessness.

On Nov. 9, more than 100 revelers celebrated at the third annual Harvest Festival and Auction, sponsored by the Homelessness Task Force (HTF) of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) and hosted at Women’s Lunch Place (WLP) at 67 Newbury St.

An innovative program staffed by Greater Boston Legal Services is ensuring that guests at a Boston women’s shelter have a lawyer they can call on in times of crisis.

Since February, GBLS attorney Nayab R. Ajaz has been on hand to help resolve the sometimes-complex legal issues facing clients at the Women’s Lunch Place. It’s work she loves but also finds “heartbreaking” at times.

Over the past four decades, Women’s Lunch Place (WLP) has built a strong suite of programs and services that allow us to meet the growing needs of vulnerable women.

Just as donors have helped lay the foundation for our proactive programming, the Newbury Street women’s day shelter is helping to lay the foundation for its guests to rebuild their lives.

Two years ago, Nancy Edwards fell into homelessness after being priced out of rent in Southern California. With her two dogs, Roo and Tink, in tow, she decided to drive across the country with all her belongings packed in her small sedan. Her final destination would be Boston, the home of her only child and the last place she says she received adequate mental health care.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Monday, Aug. 14, at the new community garden in front of Women's Lunch Place. Funded by a grassroots grant from the City of Boston's Office of Urban Agriculture, the garden will be maintained by Women's Lunch Place guests during Horticultural Therapy exercises.

At 59, chef Inna Khitrik made a bold career move. She didn’t launch a franchise or put her name on a line of salad dressings. Instead, she left her namesake restaurant, Inna’s Kitchen, for a much less high-profile — but enormously gratifying — job. Now, she’s the kitchen manager at Women’s Lunch Place in the Back Bay, serving zucchini brownies and fresh salads to women in need.

Greg Davis, who runs Metro Boston Alive in Roxbury, is no stranger to substance use disorders. Almost 38 years sober himself, he uses his experience to help guide others seeking sobriety.

From his substance abuse resource center near Nubian Station, Davis is prepared to help anybody who comes to his door. But he feels frustrated about the outsized disparity in populations of color struggling with opioid use.

Women’s Lunch Place celebrated its 12th annual eat LUNCH give fundraiser on Friday, May 12, at the Grand Ballroom in the Park Plaza Hotel.

The event was a celebration of the tireless work for the city’s homeless women that the Back Bay women’s shelter has performed in the four decades since its inception in November of 1982, as well as a networking event for companies, groups, and individuals interested in supporting WLP’s mission.

When Women’s Lunch Place holds its 12th annual ‘eat LUNCH give’ fundraiser and networking luncheon at the Park Plaza Hotel on Friday, May 12, the event will be a celebration of the tireless work for the city's homeless women that the Back Bay women’s shelter has performed in the four decades since its inception in November of 1982.

Women’s Lunch Place (WLP) has launched its annual Mother’s Day Card Campaign. Each card supports a week of healthy lunches for a guest of their daytime shelter and advocacy center.

Mother's Day is several weeks away, but if you want to send love to moms in your life and help others consider a special card.

Women's Lunch Place, a shelter for women experiencing homelessness in Boston' Back Bay, is launching a Mother's Day card campaign.

Local women helping local women in need. A couple of Boston-area business owners are collaborating on a project to help provide healthy, nutritious meals at a Boston shelter.

Individuals experiencing homelessness face worsened health outcomes in addition to social ostracization, lack of safety, and limited access to resources. Lianne O'Reilly joins us today to talk about her role as a Clinical Advocate for Women's Lunch Place, a women's day shelter in the heart of Boston. Tune in to our conversation as we discuss the importance of advocacy and activism in support of homeless women, mothers, and children.

“You can’t worry about other things while you’re hungry,” says Nancy Armstrong, senior program director of the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston. “We start with hospitality and food, then we can move on to help with other things such as housing or domestic violence.”

Kim Kashkashian, a Grammy-winning musician and founding member of Music For Food, and Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, executive director of Women’s Lunch Place, joined us for Live Music Friday to discuss Music For Food's ongoing 13th season. We also heard performances by violists William Coleman, Sarah Darling, Kim Kashkashian, Samuel Zacharia and violinist Meesun Hong Coleman.

Sue and Kendra talked with Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, the Executive Director of Women's Lunch Place. Women's Lunch Place is a day shelter community in the Back Bay that offers healthy meals and assistance to women experiencing hunger, homelessness and poverty.

The Back Bay women’s shelter celebrated its 40th anniversary with its annual Spaghetti Dinner, and rarely has a plate of pasta done so much good.

Led by executive director Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, this Boston-based day shelter provides healthy meals, hygiene access, personal care items, medical care, substance use counseling and more to local women. The organization serves women experiencing homelessness, addiction, mental illness, and domestic abuse.

Executive Director Jennifer Hanlon Wigon was interviewed by host Pandora Peoples for WOMR’s “Healing Wisdom” program and podcast.

Each year, Women’s Lunch Place produces a holiday card, with proceeds going to support women experiencing hunger, homelessness, and poverty, and while the cards have typically been designed in the past by a current guest of the Newbury Street women’s shelter, this year’s featured artist, Kim Collins, is a former guest who has found permanent housing and now works as an art instructor at the shelter.

As the Boston day shelter Women's Lunch Place marks its 40th anniversary Tuesday, some women affiliated with the program are noting how its services — and the challenges it faces in offering them — have changed over the years.

Page 9: The Spaghetti Dinner was an opportunity for Greater Boston to step up and ensure that Women’s Lunch Place can continue being the critical support system that vulnerable women need.

Women’s Lunch Place is thrilled to announce that its ambitious fundraising goal was met, thanks to the many generous sponsors and donors who purchased tickets, tables, and auction items.

On one of the toniest streets in Boston, a thoroughfare soon to be jammed with harried shoppers hoping to conjure the perfect holiday gifts before December 25, is a place where real magic happens all year long. The Women’s Lunch Place, tucked underneath The Church of the Covenant at 67 Newbury Street, offers rare refuge for women facing homelessness and poverty.

Women’s Lunch Place celebrates its 40th anniversary this week. On Friday, Oct. 21, the day shelter and advocacy center hosts a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. Their motto is simple: “Dignity is everything.”

Over four decades, the safe haven in the Back Bay has served thousands of women experiencing homelessness and hunger. They’re a refuge for 1,800 women each year, more than half of whom rely on it as their primary source of nutrition. Many of these women are moms.

There’s no shortage of worthwhile causes to support. In Boston or anywhere else. Just the thought makes us a little dizzy. So much need out there.

But let us focus you for a moment, specifically on Women’s Lunch Place, which serves vulnerable women in Greater Boston on a number of fronts.

Because one in three adults in Massachusetts experiences food insecurity, Music for Food gives concerts whose entire proceeds go to food providers. Last year MFF’s $22,918.12 contribution helped Women’s Lunch Place serve 111,009 healthy meals.

Women’s Lunch Place (WLP) is celebrating 40 years of serving women in need this year, and is gearing up to host its annual Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser.

The fundraiser, which was held last year as a series of small watch parties, is returning to a fully-in person event this year at the Fairmont Copley Plaza on October 21.

As we get ready to celebrate all the mom’s out there this weekend, one Boston organization is helping a lot of mothers in need, thanks in part to some beautiful artwork by Lillian Hunt.

Lillian, who is 66 years old, loves to draw and is really talented. “Lillian is quite an artist and has quite the eye,” said Janice Hayes-Cha. Hayes-Cha is a local artist and longtime volunteer at Women’s Lunch Place and collaborated with Lillian to create this year’s card for the shelter’s annual Mother’s Day Card Program, which is one of their biggest fundraisers of the year.

A local shelter has designed a unique gift to help empower the women it serves. The Women’s Lunch Place is an advocacy center for women in the Back Bay that serves women all across greater Boston.

They’re selling a special Mother’s Day card for $25. The money is used to provide a week of healthy lunches to one of their guests. You can order a blank one or even customize it with a personal message.

Women’s Lunch Place’s (WLP) Mother’s Day cards have returned for a thirteenth year—still with the same goal of providing healthy, nutritious meals and services for women.

Each year, the card is designed by one of WLP’s guests. This year, the card was designed by Lillian Hunt along with local artist Janice Hayes-Cha.

On April 14, Women’s Lunch Place held our first completely in-person fundraiser since the start of the pandemic at the Boston Park Plaza. Our community joined together for eat LUNCH give and raised over $300,000 for vulnerable women experiencing hunger, homelessness, and poverty. We are overwhelmed by our supporters’ passion for our work and grateful to be in an even stronger position to assist our guests.

Lisa Hathaway Oliveira has seen the worst of the streets. She’s been beaten and robbed, slept outside on the coldest nights, and has long struggled with alcoholism.

Despite working 12-hour days on her feet as the housing and stabilization manager at Women's Lunch Place in Boston, Doris Romero has managed to find time to train for the upcoming Boston Marathon.

Julie Stimson, 57, has been homeless since 2009 and she has visited the Women’s Lunch Place at Newbury Street for the past 20 years.

On Feb. 10, she received the news from the day-shelter that her housing rent aid was approved and she would get her own place sometime in the next 120 days.

Video news segment during Thanksgiving. Women’s Lunch Place provides food and support to vulnerable women in Boston.

Women’s Lunch Place (WLP) hosted a public watch party of their annual fundraiser “Spaghetti Dinner” at Fairmont Copley Plaza on October 22. It was a three-part hybrid event.

Music for Food is excited to announce its 12th Boston core concert season--Sound, Texture, Color, Gesture!--which features both the music and the art of composers such as Hindemith, Mendelssohn, and Gershwin. 100% of donations will benefit Women's Lunch Place—a day shelter serving homeless women in the greater Boston area.

Monika Kelly spoke to Henry Morris, Communications and Marketing Director, Women's Lunch Place about the services offered to women experiencing homelessness in the Boston area.

Shelters across Boston and the state of Massachusetts are seeing an increase in people seeking rental assistance ahead of the expiration of a federal eviction moratorium. The ban that’s made it temporarily illegal for Americans to be evicted from their homes is set to lift on Saturday, July 31.

An unprecedented wave of homelessness is expected to begin in just a week as the CDC’s eviction moratorium is set to expire, experts say, and Boston shelters such as Women’s Lunch Place are already slammed with people seeking rental assistance.

This weekend, it’s all about celebrating the moms in our lives.

A Boston organization is helping mothers in need thanks to one woman’s beautiful artwork.

Eighty-four-year-old Darcy DeSouza designed this year’s Mother’s Day card for the Women’s Lunch Place.

As we get ready to celebrate all the moms out there this weekend, one Boston organization is helping a lot of mothers in need and they’re doing it thanks in part to some beautiful artwork.

Mother’s Day is usually a time of convening with family to celebrate the mothers and special women in our lives. Though COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed how most people will celebrate the holiday this year, the underlying message is the same — to honor and uplift the women who nurture us.

Women’s Lunch Place (WLP), a day shelter that provides meals and programs for women experiencing homelessness and poverty, is back with its 19th year of Mother’s Day cards. Each $25 card will provide lunch for one woman for five days through WLP’s Healthy Meals program.

“We also heard about a new food program in Boston that pays restaurants to prepare and serve meals to women in need. It's called "Lunch Is On Us," and it's organized by Women's Lunch Place, a daytime shelter and advocacy center. Arun Rath spoke with the organization's executive director, Jennifer Hanlon Wigon.”

Melina McGovern, a junior at Medford High School, and three friends are working in collaboration with a non-profit organization called Her Drive that solicits donations for things like toiletries, vanity products, dental items, feminine products, underwear, and masks.

They collect it all through contactless pick-ups and will deliver them to local homeless shelters, including Women’s Lunch Place.

Hope and Comfort, a nonprofit based in Needham, Massachusetts, is working to help families in need stay safe and clean, including Women’s Lunch Place guests.

Wellesley’s Donna Fessler has been selected as the New England Patriots’ Difference Maker of the Week, and no, she’s not a desperately needed wide receiver.

Fessler is being honored for her work with the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston, and the Patriots Foundation will be making a $5,000 donation to the nonprofit organization.

Cummings Foundation has selected 30 greater Boston nonprofits, including Women’s Lunch Place, to share in $10 million through the Cummings $20 Million Grant Program. The grants range from $250,000 to $500,000 and will be disbursed over 10 years.

Women's Lunch Place was 1 of 130 local nonprofits to receive a grant through the Cummings Foundation's $20 Million Grant Program.

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