Eastie Pride Flag Raising Rescheduled to This Friday
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560 C DudleyONDOS St. FO ChelseaR SALE UnitNEW C O#21NSTRUCT$545,000ION - 2 BED, 2 BATH 2 bed 1 bath loft. 2 parking $54spaces9,0 00 BOOK YOUR POST IT Call Your Advertising Rep (781)485-0588 Wednesday, June 9, 2021 NSMHA receives grant Working together for 24-hour Spinelli’s teams with Shah Foundation, YMCA hotline, coaches to provide meals to kids during summer By John Lynds - 5:00 pm. and is available By John Lynds for any students in and There’s always a fear around the Boston area Katie O’Leary, North that when school ends for and no identification is re- Suffolk Mental Health summer break in East Bos- quired. Association’s (NSMHA) ton, children that receive Through the new pro- Director of Recovery Sup- free or reduced breakfast gram all students have to port, knows the crucial and lunches during the do is go to the counter at role peers and recovery school year might slip Spinelli’s and ask for the coaches play in helping through the cracks and be- “Local Lunchbox Special.” others struggling with sub- come food insecure during “Spinelli’s is pleased to stance abuse stay on a path vacation. continue to partner with of sobriety. Many children in Eastie the Shah Family Founda- As NSMHA’s Proj- “The Rifle: Combat Stories from America’s Last WWII Veterans, Told Through an M1 Ga- depend on school breakfast tion and the Greater Bos- ect Director for the rand” is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Rifle-Stories-Americas-Veter- and lunches as their main ton YMCA supporting our “PEERRS” (Peers Ex- ans-Through/dp/1684510791. source of nutrition. For neighbors who may be panding Education & many of these young kids dealing with food insecu- Recovery Resources) it becomes more difficult rity which has been exac- program and a Certi- Andrew Biggio, veteran and founder of to get the nutritious foods erbated and become more fied Addiction Recovery they need to grow healthy visible during the pandem- Coach, O’Leary sees the annual Wounded Vet Ride, pens first book and strong during the sum- ic,” said Spinelli’s owners importance of having mer The Roberto Family in a trained coaches and peers By John Lynds plains Biggio. The result was ‘The Ri- Thanks to a new partner- statement. “We are hum- that bring their own ex- With a book tour and fle:Combat Stories from ship between Spinelli’s, the bled and honored to serve periences with substance Adrew Biggio’s base- book signings on the im- America’s Last WWII Shah Family Foundation our community.” abuse to the table. ment has been converted mediate horizon Biggio Veterans, Told Through an and the YMCA, children The program is run “Recovery Coaches re- into a museum-of-sorts says this is the best way to M1 Garand”, which was 18 and younger will be in partnership with the ally help people navigate with display cases of war ensure readers get an au- released on Amazon last guaranteed a hot meal this YMCA and the Shah Fam- the complex systems of memorabilia, artifacts and tograph of one of the vets week and quickly became summer. ily Foundation and paid care in the recovery world other keepsakes that he has that appears in the book. the #1 best selling United All students ages 18 and for with federal funding and really advocate for collected since serving his “We just don’t know States Military Veterans under can now go to Spi- through the USDA Sum- people on their journey to tours of duty as a US Ma- how much longer they’ll History book on the web- nelli’s in Day Square and mer Meals Program. recovery,” said O’Leary. rine in Iraq and Afghani- be around,” he says. site. receive a hot, freshly made, The Shah Family Foun- “They build rapport and stan. Biggio, who found- According to the US The idea from the book breakfast and lunch combo dation first piloted the Lo- trust with the people that ed the Boston Wounded Department of Veterans stemmed from his experi- meal. cal Lunchbox program in they’re working with and Vet Ride that would roar Affairs statistics, 325,574 ence returning home from Students can grab meals Chelsea during the pan- help them with all aspects through East Boston and of the 16 million Ameri- the wars in Iraq and Af- at Spinelli’s seven-days- of recovery. These coaches Revere every year to raise cans who served in World ghanistan. a-week between 11:00 am really hold their hands and money for wounded vets, War II are alive but around “I served in Iraq and SeeMEALS Page 2 help them walk through is busy organizing a coun- 296 die every day in the Afghanistan and I came some of the barriers that tertop stacked with au- US. home and I’m pretty con- See NSMHA Page 2 tographs of the 22 World In a race against time, fident I’m okay, I’m fine,” MassDOT gives update on War II veterans that have Biggio began a quest five said Biggio. “What both- been immortalized in his years ago to get as many ered me was coming to Sumner Tunnel project Eastie Pride first ever book. World War II veterans on Winthrop every day and “There are people who the record from across the seeing that Andrew Big- By John Lynds Eastie has already borne got the book and want an US and from every branch gio Square sign. It’s not the traffic burden of the Flag Raising As MassDOT plans to autograph of one of the of the military and tell dedicated to me, but to my Sumner Tunnel toll plaza close the Sumner Tun- vets that appears,” ex- their story. reconfiguration project a rescheduled See BIGGIO Page 6 nel for a full four months few years back and should during the summer of 2023 not be expected to bear to this Friday to complete its ‘Sumner another burden without Taste of Eastie will return in July Tunnel Centennial’ proj- proper mitigation. The Annual LGBTQ ect East Boston residents “When MassDOT was why the annual Taste of ebrations, like the Taste Pride Flag Raising Cere- By John Lynds are looking for mitigation doing the Tobin Bridge Eastie was held in the of the North End, held mony scheduled for last in the form of a free Blue project Chelsea had free For years East Boston winter. With other neigh- in the spring or summer Friday, June 4 was can- Line throughout the dura- inbound MBTA service celled due to thunder- residents have wondered borhood restaurant cel- See TASTE Page 2 tion of the closure. through the Silver Line, storms in the area. At Monday night’s 111 Bus, as well as the The event will return to Harbor View Neighbor- Commuter Rail,” said East Boston’s Piers Park hood Association meet- one resident at Monday’s in-person on Friday, June ing, MassDOT’s Steve meeting. “I expect that at 11 at 6 p.m. McLaughlin said the state the very least East Boston Organizers Celeste agency is anticipating traf- residents would have free Hewitt and Josue Espi- fic impacts with shutting Blue LIne service for the noza will join Massport, down a tunnel that was 16 weeks (of construc- Eastie elected officials handling 39,000 vehicles tion). I don’t even think and members of the local per day pre-COVID. that should be a question. LGBTQ community to While McLaughlin Chelsea still had one lane raise the ceremonial flag said MassDOT will co- open during the heaviest at 6 p.m. sharp. ordinate with the MBTA portions of construction With June as the of- to possibly increase Blue (on the Tobin) and we’re ficial LGBTQ Pride Line, Silver Line and bus gonna have nothing at the Month, local residents service, residents feel the Sumner for four months. have been coming togeth- MBTA should be free to Obviously there’s the Ted er since 2014 to build and Eastie residents. Williams Tunnel option strengthen a sense of com- At Monday night’s munity for local LGBTQ A scene from a past Taste of Eastie. meeting many argued that See TUNNEL Page 5 residents. Ruggiero Family Memorial Home “Proud to welcome to our staff Mark Tauro, former owner and director of Rapino, Kirby-Rapino Funeral Homes” • Ample Off Street Parking • Complimentary Valet Parking • Nonsectarian Transportation To & From Visiting Hours For Family & Friends • Se Habla Espanol 971 Saratoga St., Orient Heights East Boston 617-569-0990 • Visit us at our website: www.RuggieroMH.com For the latest news in East Boston that you need to know, check eastietimes.com Page 2 THE EAST BOSTON TIMES-FREE PRESS Wednesday, June 9, 2021 The East Boston Chamber of Commerce NSMHA // CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 commemorates the observance of Flag Day otherwise would impede go further into the neigh- but also help loved ones them as they seek a more borhood and allows us the that just have questions The East Boston Cham- the hashtag #eastboston- de la bandera de los Esta- healthy life.” ability not only to educate about addiction and re- ber of Commerce will be chamber to enter in a raf- dos Unidos el 14 de junio Last week, NSMHA the community on sub- covery. There’s a lot of placing a display of Amer- fle for a free US flag like de 1777, por resolución received a grant from stance abuse disorder but depth and knowledge ican flags to commemo- those found in the display.