Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS), Executive Director Kimberly Smith-Cofield.

Over 850 families in Somerville and Cambridge obtained what they need to survive the Great Recession during the last year thanks to the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS), Executive Director Kimberly Smith-Cofield reported at the CAAS Annual Meeting and Celebration, October 28 at the Somerville City Club.  CAAS helped these low-income residents stay in their homes or find a new place they could afford, apply for food stamps and other benefits that lower the cost of living, obtain child care and early education through CAAS Head Start, and/or take a job readiness course that helped them land a job or enroll in more advanced training for future employment.

A crowd of about 200 supporters, including State Senator Patricia Jehlen, State Representative Carl Sciortino, and Treasurer-elect Steve Grossman, were on hand as CAAS voted in a new Board of Directors for the coming year.  New Board members include Aicha Beinache, Rachel Castleman, Sarah Davla, Rui Domingos, Bernard Ewah, Valina Jackson, Kellee Middlebrooks, Jocelyn Scott, and Joyce Shortt.  Continuing to serve on the CAAS Board are Virginia Azubuine, Roberta Bauer (President), Paul Bockelman (Treasurer), Suzanne Bremer (Vice President), Brandy Brooks, John Ciampa, Sonja Darai (Vice President), Alice Mello Cavallo, Justin Moeling (Clerk), and Mernaysa Rivera-Bujosa.  CAAS saluted former Board members Ellie Blute, Yaritza Calzada-Rivera, Teresa Cardoso, Paul DiPasquale, Gale Doane, Eileen Feldman, Ralph Hergert, Eileen Nolan, Danielle Ray, and Barbara Rubel for their many years of dedicated service.

Jimmy Tingle

The Earl Lawrence band provided music for the evening, and national and local favorite Jimmy Tingle regaled the crowd with his humorous comments on current events.

The mission of the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) is to reduce poverty among local families and individuals while working to counteract, and whenever possible eliminate, the societal conditions that cause and perpetuate poverty.  For more information, see http://www.caasomerville.org/.

Dennis Fischman
Director of Planning
Community Action Agency of Somerville
66-70 Union Square, Somerville, MA 02143