Malden Warming Center

05/14/2026

Last weekend, we celebrated volunteers at our annual volunteer appreciation event.

🥯 Goldilox Bagels helped us thank volunteers with fresh, from-scratch bagels
🏆 Gerry, Emily, and Paula presented superlatives to some of the volunteers who truly went above and beyond this season

And then we talked numbers. Here's a look at what this community accomplished together over 120 nights:

🥾 10,000+ clothing items distributed including socks, coats, gloves, scarves, hats, boots, and shoes
🍽️ 6,285 meals served (200 more than last year!) including every guest who stayed the night and 273 individuals who couldn't stay but still needed a warm meal
🏠 Exciting capital improvements including a MUCH needed commercial stove, a larger freezer all made possible through amazing community support
🩺 2 new service collaborations launched thanks to our medical coordinator Kim: podiatry services with CHA and the MGB Mobile Van
🌟 74 first-time volunteers joined us this season
👥 201 volunteers work a total of 1,965 shifts (5,206 hours!!!!!)

If you volunteered at the Warming Center this year, whether you came once a month or multiple times per week, there is a high likelihood that you are a champion in somebody's story. Thank you.

And of course, the Warming Center is largely crowdfunded by community members. If you contributed behind the scenes, whether you bought a raffle ticket or donated items to Amy's Closet or contributed to our new stove fund, YOU made this all possible. Thank you.

There is a Warming Center because of you.

04/14/2026

Sometimes the world's challenges feel so great that we forget about the good things happening in the world, starting right here in our community.

We are honored to have been featured in Neighborhood View's latest "Good News in the Neighborhood" series as one of three positive initiatives in the city.

Malden Warming Center wraps up its season. The Malden High Blue & Gold gallery is on view at Commerce Place and more people are adopting storm drains.

04/08/2026

Last night, the MWC leadership team gathered for our end-of-season debrief. We reflected on how far we've come, celebrated this season's wins, and looked ahead to what's next. As an all-volunteer team, we are constantly in awe of what we and so many other volunteers have built together.

We also welcomed a new member to our leadership team. Ciara Janelle, our new grant manager, will be leading our grant writing initiatives. We are excited to have you on board, Ciara!

04/05/2026

This morning, dozens of volunteers came to the Warming Center to pack everything away for the season.

Seeing the space empty already has us feeling a little nostalgic, but we know that in eight short months it will once again be filled to the brim with community members coming together, building connections, and caring for each other. We can't wait.

04/03/2026

And that's a wrap, folks.

Yesterday morning, guests woke up to the smell of bacon, hash browns, eggs, and Gerry's homemade from-scratch waffles cooking in the kitchen. Gerry, Emily Granoff, Danny Gilligan, and Dana Brown were in the kitchen before the sun was up making sure everything was perfect for our final breakfast of the season.

The Old Town Trolley Tours driver agreed to come a little later than usual to allow our guests to sleep in (if you didn't know, Old Town Trolley gives our guests a ride to the T station every morning for FREE - and does so with the utmost respect and care). As guests filed onto the trolley and for their last ride of the season, there were lots of tears and even more hugs. Volunteers are really going to miss the guests they have come to know, and so many guests expressed the same.

Until next season.

**as always, photos of guests are shared only with explicit permission**

04/02/2026

And now, the last night of the whole season.
Chef Alex and the Tuesday threw a taco party with freshly made fillings and toppings.

Paula, Liz, and Janice made send-off bags filled with essentials, and personally delivered a bag to each guest as they came in.

Malden's First Baptist Church stopped by with some goodie bags with snacks and other sought after items.

Guests were told they could sleep in; the Old Town Trolley Tours trolley that picks guests up in the morning had agreed to come a little later the next day as part of a special send-off (more on that soon).

And then there was the cake. A long-time guest had been lamenting all season that his birthday falls in the off-season, meaning he wouldn't be able to celebrate it with us. So Nanci Michelle Palladino made sure he had his own cake and candles tonight, and all of the volunteers sang happy birthday. He was so touched.

It's hard to put into words the beauty of the community that has formed here. All we can say is: thank you for being a part of it.

**as always, photos of guests are shared only with explicit permission**

04/01/2026

The final numbers are in. We exceeded our goal and raised over $15,500, the most we've EVER raised with the spring raffle! With heating costs running high this year and several days spent open during blizzards, these funds mean more than ever.

We hope you'll join us in giving a HUGE thank you to the individuals and businesses that donated this week's prizes:
Here are the donor shoutouts, polished up:
⭐ Linda and Frank Maltais - donated a Memorial Day weekend stay at their AirBnB. That's a prime weekend to give up, and they offered it anyway.
⭐ Cookie Time Bakery - donated two dozen cookies. Rachel personally vouches for the fudgey cookie, so don't say we didn't warn you.
⭐ Maria Batista - donated Lego sets and board games, and then re-donated them when she won them herself!
⭐ New England Security - donated some of our biggest, more valuable prizes. The raffle is just one way they've showed up for us this year though - more on that later.

Thank you, community, for everything. 🧡

03/31/2026

Last night was the last Monday shift of the season.

Dana and Marie brought in the works for ice cream sundaes, following in the tradition of Beth Thoenen's end-of-the-season ice cream parties.
We celebrated the birthday of a guest who is an important part of our community.
Most importantly, 25 individuals were safe, warm, and cared for.

As Dana Brown reflects:
"December 1st-April 1st, the Malden Warming Center season...for 18 Monday evenings a group of folks served our guests with food, humor, and empathy. There were doctor referrals, haircuts, and checkups on feet. We provided chicken cutlets, recovery resources and thermal underwear; a different meal every Monday. Head Cook on Mondays was Mindy Tam, and we created the slogan, "Mondays with Mindy" early on in the season. The guests loved it.
The other six nights a week, 120+ nights in all, were also capably manned by volunteers. What a team!! What an organization.
It is an honor and privilege to serve others. Thank you to all who donated their time, money, resources, food and clothing to our endeavor."

**as always, photos of guests are shared only with explicit permission**

03/31/2026

Today is Amy Reynolds's birthday.

Anyone who was part of the Warming Center in our earlier years knew Amy.

Amy embodied the Warming Center's spirit. She was passionate. She was giving. She didn't care who you were or where you came from; you were going to be treated with the same level of dignity and greeted with the same boisterous welcome either way.

It's strange to think that newer guests and volunteers have never met her. But know it or not, they're affected by her every day. Her friends have taken over her work in the donation room (now called Amy's Closet) putting in full-time hours to make it everything Amy always dreamed it could be. She constantly had new, big ideas: expanding what we offered, sharing with other local organizations, finding new and bigger ways to organize. All of those ideas are realized today. She's not here anymore, but her fingerprints are everywhere.

03/31/2026

This week's winners are in! There's still time to get tickets for our grand prizes (Memorial Day Weekend in Maine and VIP Red Sox tickets!). https://givebutter.com/MWCRaffle

We hope you'll join us in giving a HUGE thank you to the individuals and businesses that donated this week's prizes:
⭐ Boda Borg Boston - has donated every year since the beginning of the Spring Raffle. Donated $150 worth of passes this year!
⭐ Paul Solano of PaulPonders 95.9 WATD FM - donated $50 in Pearl Street Station gift cards (and also ran a March Madness fundraiser for us earlier this month!). Catch PaulPonders Live on 95.9 WATD FM on Saturdays 12:09-1:00 pm.
⭐ The Galleryat57 - has donated every year since the very beginning, and donated FOUR gift cards this year. They are Malden's hidden gem!
⭐ Market Basket - donated TWO gift cards!
⭐ Museum of Science, Boston - (Emily's favorite place in the world) donated $132 in passes!
⭐ Goldilox Bagels - donated TWO gift cards, and is always there for us when we need delicious, freshly-made bagels